Installations that our 5,000 gallons and up!
This page represents "larger" sized systems and a few examples are shown below. Each installation is different. The cost can vary widely. Tanks, PVC pipe and fittings, filters, and pumps have straightforward costs. You can go to any rainwater harvesting distributor online and get a good sampling of costs. The biggest cost driver is site preparation. If the cisterns have a flat stable surface to sit, then typically there may be little or no cost to prepare the site. However if an area has to be excavated and a retaining wall installed this will incur additional costs. The key elements of a good system are-
1) Sufficient roof area to collect from.
2) A good pre-filter and first flush prior to the cistern.
3) A UV protected plastic used in the construction of the cistern you choose.
4) An inlet and overflow sized to the amount of water flowing from the roof collection area
5) A means of distributing the water via gravity or pump.
1) Sufficient roof area to collect from.
2) A good pre-filter and first flush prior to the cistern.
3) A UV protected plastic used in the construction of the cistern you choose.
4) An inlet and overflow sized to the amount of water flowing from the roof collection area
5) A means of distributing the water via gravity or pump.
This is a 25,000 gallon system in Laguna Seca. It has five 5,000 gallon tanks and filled up during the December 2014 rains. The homeowner pumps water to 4 valve boxes that distributes water via a drip system.
This is a 10,000 gallon system in Carmel Highlands. The owner uses an external pump to connect with valve boxes that drip into the landscape.
This is a 8,285 gallon system near Asilomar the homeowner uses to irrigate landscape. Beyond the three tanks shown here the owner has 2,825 gallon and 1,500 gallon remote tanks that can be filled from these first three capturing water off a 1,000 square foot garage roof.
This is a 12,800 gallon system near Mid-Valley. The homeowner has three 2,600 gallon tanks collecting water off the 1,200+ square foot roof and pumps water to an additional 5,000 gallon remote tank located elsewhere on the property. The water is used to irrigate landscape.
This is a 6,000 gallon installation made up of four 1,500 gallon tanks. The water is collected from the photovoltaic roof on the right as well as the "green" roof left and center. An external pump pushes water back to valves on the green roof that water periodically.
This is a 5,650 gallon system in Pebble Beach. An external pump is used to hand water plants around the property.