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“Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Fully Automated System
Even though it is perfectly possible to survive on the Basic system, there is a part of me that enjoys the luxuries of life and what would be better than having wonderfully filtered rain water available through a tap in your kitchen.
The Fully Automated system will do just that. The only aspect that may be of concern is that you may run out of water, but you can always add more storage tanks to prevent this from happening.
For the Fully Automated System, you will need enough space to house the primary storage barrel, the three filter barrels and the final storage barrel and if you wish to keep a larger volume of water space for extra storage barrels.
Firstly you must make sure that your roof is of a suitable material and clean from moss and other contaminants. (see roofing materials)
Downpipe Location
If possible make sure that the downpipe from you roof is accessible and in a convenient location near to where you will be using it.
You will need some access around it in order to fit the downpipe diverter and do any adjustments or maintenance in the future.
The first job to do is position the primary storage tank, three filter barrels and final storage tank.
Tank Positioning
Make sure that all the barrels are positioned in a row and on a firm surface. A hard standing is required, like a concrete base or on a patio or deck that could hold the weight of the barrel filled with water. Each 220l barrel itself weighs 7.5kg and can hold 220l of water. That's a maximum weight of 227.5kg per 1stStorage barrel and final storage barrel.
Do not place the barrels on grass on soil. The tank system should be position on a patio or concrete slab, because each barrel and the connections into them need to be kept at very precise levels for the flow of water through the system to work properly. Any infirm base could jeopardise all your hard work.
The process begins in the same manner as the basic system, with fitting your downpipe diverter with pre filter. For this example we will be using the 3P Filter Collector Universal, Rainwater Diverter and Filter with link kit - Ideal for Water Butts (Black), available at amazon.
This downpipe diverter has a filter component that prevents debris and particles down to a certain size from being diverted into you primary storage barrel. A pre filter.
Then the water will pass through the First flush diverter, The primary purpose of a first flush diverter is to capture and redirect the first portion of rainfall, which typically carries the most contaminants, debris, and pollutants from various surfaces such as roofs, gutters, and down pipes. These impurities can include bird droppings, dust, leaves, and other particles that may have accumulated on the catchment surface between rain events. (See First flush divert)
After passing through the first flush diverter the rain water will enter into the 1st Storage barrel.
The 1st storage barrel is connected to the 3 barrel filter system and as it fills up with water it will overflow into the 1st filter and fill this filter from the bottom up. We are using gravity to our advantage by pushing the water up through the filter, making it harder for sediment to move through the filter as it has to travel up instead of down. For a full explanation of the filter system see (filtration system).
The water will pass through all 3 filter barrels and then into a final storage tank ready for you to consume if you wish too.
Fully Automated Design Plans
