The location of a cistern can make a difference in its performance.
Cisterns are required for comfortable living in areas with long dry seasons where water supply is uncertain. A cistern can range from a small above-ground rain barrel to a 2,000-gallon tank that is buried underground. Proper planning of your cistern system can prevent major problems after it is installed. A properly designed cistern system can provide a household with a large proportion of its water needs using only rainwater. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Plan an Above-Ground Cistern System
1. Plan locations to place rain barrels that are convenient to the downspouts that come off of your roof. These locations should be out of the way of traffic flow and convenient to gardens.
2. Make a schematic drawing of the downspouts on your house. Figure out the most convenient way to modify them so that they flow into the rain barrels rather than onto the ground or into the storm water drain.
3. Plan gardens close to the rain barrels so you can use the water gathered in rain barrels to water the garden. Don't plan to use it for drinking water unless you have it tested first to determine that it is safe.
Plan a Buried Cistern System
4. Identify a location to bury an underground cistern at a point on your property that has ground sloping away from it. The point of a cistern is to capture rainwater, not ground water, so you want to minimize the chances of groundwater seeping into your cistern. Check with your municipality to be sure there are no pipes or wires running through this area, as well as to determine any codes regarding the installation of a cistern.
5. Plan inflow pipes from various rainwater catchment sources such as roof downspouts to the cistern, and note that you need to install these before backfilling it. If you live in an area that freezes, both inflow and outflow pipes need to be buried deep enough to avoid freezing.
6. Plan an outflow pipe that will run from the cistern to the domestic water system. Attach this pipe to the domestic water system with a branched valve that allows you to run either cistern water or municipal water into your house system.
Tags: rain barrels, barrels water, Cistern System, cistern system, domestic water