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Drought and water scarcity are increasingly common topics. There are various ways to conserve water. For owners of family homes, cottages, and chalets, it should now be standard practice to use alternative water sources, such as well water and rainwater. Why is it important to use this water, and how can it be done?
Drought in the Czech Republic is becoming more devastating, and experts warn that this situation will worsen. Rainfall is decreasing, leading to a reduction in both surface and groundwater. Municipalities must regulate water withdrawals in the summer months, and the price of water supply and sewage is constantly rising. People have no choice but to learn to manage this precious resource better.
However, the reality is often quite different. In the Czech Republic, it is common practice to water gardens or fill swimming pools with drinking water, not to mention flushing or washing. Yet, utility water can be obtained directly in one's garden—using a well or borehole and collecting rainwater. These methods of water extraction are ecological, and this water is completely free. How can you do it, and what savings can these options bring you?
In the past, shallow dug wells were commonly excavated for the purpose of extracting drinking water. Today, however, the demands on water quality are higher, and at the same time, the quality of well water is decreasing due to adverse climate changes. However, if you already have a well, it is a very suitable source of utility water. Building a new dug well would be inefficient due to relatively high costs and low reliability of the source.
In recent years, collecting rainwater has become very popular. Torrential rains cannot be effectively absorbed by the soil, but the entire volume of precipitation flows from the roof into a tank. The system for capturing rainwater is also relatively inexpensive, and state subsidies can be obtained for it.
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Rainwater is ideal for watering the garden. Image Ecolife.
Rainwater is most commonly used for watering gardens. This use is ideal because rainwater is much more natural and healthier for plants than tap water, which is full of chlorine and other chemicals. You don't need to treat the water in any way. Such watering is also completely free, so you can save a considerable amount of money. In the summer months in the Czech Republic, you can expect precipitation of 60 litres per square metre per month, which, in the case of a roof with an area of 120 m2 is more than 7 cubic metres of quality rainwater per month. Such a volume will save you nearly 1,000 CZK per month.
Another suitable use for rainwater is flushing toilets, but even for cleaning and personal hygiene. However, if you want to use rainwater for washing, you will need a so-called greywater treatment system. For flushing, a filter for mechanical impurities will suffice.
Rainwater is usually collected in barrels made of durable plastic, which are equipped with a tap or pump, most often a combination of both. Barrels can be underground or above ground, and you can even place them in a cellar. For a roof size of 120 m2, a rainwater tank volume of 5 cubic metres is sufficient.
Collected water can be drawn from the barrel using a tap or pumped with a pump. However, a tap does not have sufficient pressure, so you can only fill a container, such as a bucket, this way. For hoses or water supply to the plumbing, you will need a pump.
Depending on the location of the barrel, you can use a submersible or self-priming pump. Remember that rainwater must be thoroughly filtered before entering the tank to prevent impurities from accumulating in the storage tank and subsequently damaging the pump.
In the event of insufficient rainfall, the water in the tank can be supplemented from a borehole, well, or water supply. It is also necessary to monitor the water level in the barrel to prevent the pump from running dry. The most suitable option is a submersible pump with an integrated control unit that operates automatically. A suitable accessory for pumping rainwater is a suction basket with a float, which ensures that water is drawn from the surface rather than from the bottom of the rainwater tank, where impurities settle. There are also automatic devices available for using rainwater. These systems contain everything needed for pumping rainwater from the barrel and automatically switch to a secondary source in case of a lack of rainwater.
Rainwater utilisation device Wilo.
For pumping quality drinking water, you should definitely focus on drilled wells. However, if you want to use well water only for watering or flushing, a shallower dug well will suffice. Even so, it is not a long-term solution, as the state of groundwater has been unsatisfactory for a long time, and shallow wells are drying up. Therefore, new dug wells are rarely excavated today.
However, if you already have a dug well on your property and a well water analysis has shown that it is unsuitable for drinking, you can use it as a source of utility water, which will save you significantly. Similar to rainwater, lower quality well water can be used for watering, flushing toilets, or washing, and even for filling swimming pools, without needing to treat the well water for these purposes.
Well water can be easily pumped using a submersible pump. The pump must have a discharge head corresponding to the depth of the well and the length of the water system to which the water will be supplied. Choose the pump's performance based on the expected consumption. An integral part of the well pump should be motor thermal protection and dry run protection.
Submersible well pump Grundfos.
Do you want to use rainwater or well water not only in the garden but also in the house? According to Act No. 274/2001 Coll. any connection between well/rainwater distribution systems and the water supply network is prohibited, as it could lead to contamination of drinking water and endanger public health. This law cannot be circumvented by installing check valves, taps, or faucets. Therefore, if you decide to bring well or rainwater into the house, you must have two separate systems, otherwise, you risk heavy fines and, in some cases, even criminal prosecution. To supplement the rainwater circuit with drinking water, you can use a system separator according to EN 1717. At the same time, for utility water that you discharge into the sewer, you will have to pay sewage charges for wastewater, so don't forget to install a water meter.
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