Mindzle

Posts Tagged ‘grey water tanks’

Harvesting rainwater can reduce dependence on mains water by up to seventy per cent. 

The average household uses the equivalent of around five average sized swimming pools of water each year on everyday things like flushing toilets, bathing and showers, washing clothes and dishes, irrigation and other external uses – which is a daily consumption of around 650 litres. The world’s largest water consumer is the USA, which uses over 26 billion gallons of the precious liquid every day.   Alarmingly, over half of the water that is supplied to our homes literally goes to waste….down the drain. 

So where do we look for answers?.   The heavens are the source of the purest water in the world – rainwater, and we need to use more of it and we need to use it more wisely.  Rainwater is so pure – according to the experts – that we are more likely to become sick from drinking mains water than we are from drinking directly from the heavens.  But is rainfall the answer to all our water issues?

If rainwater is collected from the roof of an average sized home, it could be as much as 50 000 litres annually, and would provide a part solution to our domestic water requirements.  All it takes is a simple rainwater tank that collects run-off from the roof and stores it appropriately – and this can be a sustainable source of water for use both inside and outside a home.   

Rainwater tanks come in many different sizes and types, both pre-made and made-to-order, so they can fit virtually any space.  Home rainwater tanks come in all sizes – from narrow, tall tanks that fit neatly against a fence or wall, a bladder tank for under a deck or floor, underground solutions, modular systems that can be increased as needs change to slimline storage tanks for smaller, cramped areas and are manufactured from a variety of materials including plastic, concrete and fiberglass.

Another waterwise option is to reuse grey water.  Reusing the grey water from daily domestic use such as showering, bathing, washing dishes and laundry to the garden can save thousands of dollars in water and power bills every year.   Figures from Australia show that around 400 litres of grey water are produced daily by an average Australian home – so imagine the savings if that was harnessed and re-used.  There are various greywater harvesting systems on the market, ranging from the relatively simple to the more complex (and costly), and it’s worth investigating what the local laws governing the use and application of grey water are before going ahead as these do vary from state to state. 

We are reminded by a Western Australian plastic water tanks supplier, Civil & General, that although we are surrounded by water or ice (80% of the world!), only one percent of that is fit for human consumption!.  Water is precious, it’s dwindling and the cost of producing water are on the increase.  With very little effort and a little investment, people would be amazed at the savings (both in money terms and in terms of the environmental impact) that a change in attitude towards rainwater harvesting and water re-cycling can bring.