Oasis Rainwater Harvesters

You might not want to purchase a ready made underground rainwater harvester, but might want to design your own rainwater harvesting system.

There are 4 main components

• The Oasis Rainwater Harvester TANK - above or below ground
• The OASIS rainwater FILTER - Basic or Advanced
• The rainwater PUMP PACKAGE - In-tank or Super Rain Unit
• The rain overflow SYPHON

The first thing to consider is what you want to use the rainwater for.  If it is for a whole house system, then do not consider anything smaller than a 3500 litre tank.  If it is for garden use only, then a 1500 litre tank should be the minimum size for a useful system.

The next thing to consider is whether the rainwater harvester should be above or below ground

The advantages of an above ground rainwater harvester tank are these:-

• No excavation or groundwork messing up your garden
• Cheaper to install
• Any damage to the tank, leaks, etc can be spotted imediately
• Can be moved easily if your plans change, eg, extensions, new drives, etc.
• Can move with you to a new house

 The disadvantages of an above ground rainwater harvester are these:-

• The water can become warm in summer and can turn brackish and smell
• Normal small rainwater butts store very little water and are of limited use
• Larger tanks can be visually intrusive and can take up more space than you have
• The rainwater harvester tanks are in more danger of being damaged

 Above ground tanks are available up to 10,000 litres

 Tanks under 1000 litres are of very limited value as far as rainwater storage is concerned. Unless your garden is very small, they should not be considered and they certainly could not provide any house supply.

Under UK Building Regulations, rainwater is not potable: domestic use should be limited to flushing the toilets and washing clothes.

Once you have decided the above, the next thing is to decide whether you want a simple pump and control system or a more sophisticated one