Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is a simple process of collecting and storing rainwater that falls on a catchment surface for re use. Typically this requires a storage unit and a means to convey the captured rainwater to where it is required.

Rainwater harvesting is becoming more popular, increasingly the public are becoming interested in water scarcity around the world driving this change in attitude towards water. Although rainwater cannot replace your mains water completely, it can replace enough to substantially lower your water bills. If filtered properly, harvested rainwater can be used in gardening, washing decking or patios, as water to flush the toilet, for farm use, car washing and for laundry. It is actually better than mains water for garden use as the water is soft.

Although it’s fine to use rainwater for all of these uses, due to bacteria and other possible contaminants it should not be used for potable use or bathing.

Freeflush supply all the components that you will need to set up a rainwater harvesting system in your home, place of work, or in any other location. You can either buy these components separately or together in a ‘complete kit’. If you prefer the first option, we have separate pages for all of the components which you need, including filters and diverters, water butts, and pumps. We also sell a range of rainwater harvesting accessories, including valves, taps, water butt treatment/cleaner/freshener, and pipe linking kits.

In most rainwater harvesting systems, water flows from the roof of a building down a drainpipe, which is usually referred to as a downpipe. A small fitting known as a diverter is inserted into a space drilled out of the downpipe, and this pipe is connected to a container known as a water butt. It is in the water butt that the rainwater is stored. Once the water butt is full, no more water will pass along the diverter, meaning that the butt can never overflow.

In most but not all systems, a pump is required to get the water from the butt to the point of use. This pump can be stored inside the butt (submersible pump) or outside of it (non-submersible pump). A filter needs to be fitted somewhere in this setup. It may be located on the downpipe, in the diverter, or somewhere else. This removes contaminants such as leaves and other organic debris.