The Solution
This project out in Wimberley, TX, involved three separate buildings with a total footprint of 7,635 sq. ft. and a 55,000-gallon rainwater collection tank. This home can collect 169,000 gallons of rainwater annually and is the primary source of water for this homestead with well-water as a backup source. Because the rainwater tank was over 200 ft from the primary structure and at the same elevation as all three structures, larger diameter pipe was needed to compensate for head-loss in order to prevent water from backing up out of the gutters during high-intensity rain events. The two water tank inlets were below the gutters but only by a small amount. Larger pipe involves more excavation time as the trenches are generally wider and deeper. Pipe assembly time increases since larger pipes are heavier and more cumbersome to work with since all joints are deburred after cutting, primed, and then solvent-welded together. Because two water sources were available, this client chose an automatic backup valve type of system. If the water in the rainwater tank is depleted, a low-voltage valve is turned automatically which converts the house over to well water. All of this is done behind the scenes with no manual intervention.
