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Use rainwater and protect the environment |
This is something that we have been working on since early 1993. We underwent
training in the states of Hesse and Saarland and gathered experience through
regional projects to expand our knowledge before founding our company in
February 1995. On 17 November 1995 we and another 120 rainwater experts from all
over Germany founded the Association for Rainwater Harvesting and Water
Utilisation (“Fachvereinigung Betriebs- und Regenwassernutzung e.V.”, or “fbr
e.V.” for short), which currently has 480 members.
Treating water to achieve drinking quality is becoming increasingly
complex – and therefore more expensive. Continually decreasing consumption of
drinking water – and thereby noticeably relieving strain on our environment – is
a question of personal responsibility.
Another aspect that is not to be underestimated is the cost of running a
property, which has increased over recent years. Alongside energy savings
achieved through modernisation of heating systems and building insulation, etc.,
using rainwater can also play a part in reducing costs. In addition, the water
abstraction levy that has already been introduced in various German states can
be reduced further by lowering use of drinking water.
There are many ways to replace drinking water with rainwater in both homes and
businesses, whether it be for watering the gardening, for cleaning equipment,
vehicles and pathways, for cooling machinery, as process water or for running
appliances and facilities, e.g. washing machines and toilets.
On our website you will find a large selection of different components from
renowned German manufacturers designed for using rainwater in the home, garden
and business: various small parts and accessories, pressure boosters, pumping
stations, waste water systems and drainage pumps.
The enormous choice can be overwhelming for a layperson. We will be happy to
help you with any questions or problems in order to avoid any mistakes being
made. We can, of course, also put together a system according to your
requirements or provide you with a personal quotation.
We deliver
products throughout Europe, individually or in kits. Each
delivery includes assembly instructions, meaning that you can assemble the parts
or the kit easily yourself.
You will notice that we do not offer cisterns with filters built into the tank
for rainwater use in the home. Practice over the last few years has shown that
these types of filter are never cleaned (out of sight, out of mind). For
this and other reasons, we recommend that you always place the filter in an
external location, i.e. outside of the cistern, on solid ground near the
cistern. This
also makes removal of the filter strainer easier. Your back will thank you, as
you won’t have to lift up a cistern lid to get to the strainer.
The systems that we provide have been used successfully in the states of Hesse,
Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland for many years. Thanks to the internet, they
are now finding more and more friends throughout Germany, France, Spain, Austria
and Switzerland.
Our systems work fully automatically, are made up of just a few very robust
components from renowned German manufacturers, and are virtually
maintenance-free.
The key factors in the quality of water in the rainwater system are filtration
before the cistern, calmed
inflow,
an overflow
with small animal protection and a removal system (pollen
and flowers) and a floating
suction pipe for
direct water removal below the water’s surface (this is where the water is the
best quality).
You can wash your laundry to a hygienically perfect standard!
The range of practical applications spans from detached houses and apartment
blocks, to construction zones with a central rainwater supply, to bus companies,
nurseries, schools, sewage treatment plants, vineyards and sports facilities, to
hotels.
We retrofitted a rainwater system in our own house in late ‘95 in order to gain
practical experience and test products.
System description:
Catchment area: House
140 m2, roof
area, roofing:
concrete tiled roof (built: 1967)
Filtration: 2
downpipe filters, 1
leaf separator
Cisterns: 2
plastic rainwater tanks made
of PE, approx. 9,300 litres in total
Water system in the house: Centrifugal
pump, four stage, type ASPRI 15-4 with KIT 02
Drinking water backfeed: Cistern
control system for external backfeed into the rainwater tank.
System description:
The rainwater is collected over approx. 180m2 of
roof space and routed through two stainless steel downpipe filters (initially
one
downpipe filter)
into a plastic
tank with
a storage capacity of 3,300 litres.
In spring 2002 the system capacity was increased with a 6,000-litre
plastic expansion tank.
Overflow from the cistern and outflow from the two downpipe filters and the leaf
separator trickles
through the unsaturated soil layer in the lower area. An
ASPRI 15-4 pump with KIT 02-4 sucks
in the rainwater via a 16 metre-long floating
suction pipe over
an elevation of 3 metres. It supplies the three toilets, the
two washing machines, a pump test bench, the washbasin in the showroom and
several taps (inside and outside) with rainwater. For reasons
of space,
drinking water backfeed still takes place directly in the cistern. With this
system, the consumption of rainwater by the toilets and washing machine,
drinking water consumption and drinking water backfeed is measured constantly.
You can see the quality
of the rainwater for
yourself first hand on site.
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