Earth Day provides us with an opportunity to both reflect and act on our desire to use the planet’s resources in a sustainable manner. As we’ve noted in numerous posts, water may be the one resource we should focus on more, individually and collectively. No doubt, many of you have water-saving activities planned; a few of you may already be at work installing low-flow shower heads, faucet aerators, or even rain barrels.
Rain water harvesting makes a lot of sense: the initial investment can be quite low (especially if you do it yourself), and your plants love rain water. Unfortunately, as Rachelle Carson Begley once noted, an awful lot of commercially-available rain barrels are, well, ugly.
Illinois-based company Aquascape has developed a solution to rain barrel eyesore — its RainXchange system. Rather than a barrel attached to a downspout, RainXchange is a modified cistern with a filtering mechanism. That all gets buried; you and visitors see an attractive water feature. And, you can connect a hose to a spigot, and shower your plants with fresh, bacteria-free rainwater. The system doesn’t require much space: a local contractor told me a 6′x6′ area will work fine. No doubt this costs more than traditional systems, but if you’re just not feeling the whole plastic barrel look, it’s an option.
Know of other systems that make rainwater harvesting more aesthetically pleasing? Let us know in the comments… and Happy Earth Day!
Image courtesy of Aquascape.
April 22nd, 2009 - 7:28 pm
A cistern made of fiberglass or rubber coated cement would work quite well.
I have lived with such a system in Europe and also used the water as a potable source.
a vent pipe opposite the rain gutter intake and raised above five feet is essential.
a spigot placed low on the structure and aiming down a ditch is necessary for yearly cleaning. and a hand pump installed close to the garden and facilities is the last item.
in a temperate zone, protected water does not contaminate and gray water input easily settles and is digested at the comfortable 55 degrees of sheltered underground.
Of course most people would indeed rather use a safe system with filter and convenient installation.
April 23rd, 2009 - 9:35 am
Thanks, Nadine! Yes, more traditional cisterns are also great options…
May 1st, 2009 - 3:51 pm
Hey there – thanks for posting this – we have been building rainxchange systems with great success! They are very attractive and a great way for homeowners to do their part for rainwater conservation. We built a system at the Cedar Run Landscapes nursery, which has saved up 60% of public water consumption, and we haven’t had to turn on an outdoor water source since it was built – this means the water we have saved washes our trucks, waters plants in the greenhouses, and ends up flowing through a pretty, pondless waterfall. Amazing stuff!
July 6th, 2009 - 7:29 pm
[...] Read the rest at the Sundance Channel’s SUNfiltered blog. [...]
November 23rd, 2009 - 1:47 pm
[...] you’re thinking about getting started with rain water harvesting, but aren’t impressed by the aesthetics of the typical rain barrel, fear not: a number of [...]
January 17th, 2010 - 11:39 pm
How much do the RainXchange kits cost on average?
Thanks!