Rain water storage system



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(PDF - 698 KB) 		The earth's changing climate has caused extended drought conditions in some countries and the preservation of rainwater can go a long way to alleviate the effects of water restriction. Large plastic water reservoir tanks are however unsightly and require electric pumps to collect and dispense stored water to various tap outlets on the property.

This water storage tank is installed beneath the roof rafter and in the eave space that exists between the facia board and the exterior wall of the building. The tank housing is provided with angled slots to accommodate the rafters. Brackets fix the tank's front end to the rafters while the rear end contains a step formation that rests on the top edge of the exterior wall.

The tank is also configured with a screened inlet opening that receives filtered water runoff from the gutter spanning the length of the building's roof. Water collected inside the tank can be drained by a gravity fed connection pipe to a faucet or to a small water pump assembly that feeds the garden sprinkling system.

The tank also contains an overflow opening positioned higher than the inlet opening and excess water runs back into the gutter system once the tank is full. A number of water tanks can be installed along the eaves and linked in series thereby forming a concealed water reservoir with a large volume capacity.



Statistics
 
Date featured by Patentdata Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Number of viewers that looked at new idea 710
Number of viewers that provided market feedback 42
 
Market Potential of New Idea as perceived by Respondents
    Assessments %  
 
    Definitely YES 14 33%  
    Probably YES 17 40%  
    Probably NO 5 12%  
    Definitely NO 6 14%  
 
    Total 42 99%  

Location Region of Respondents
    USA Australia Europe South Africa Canada Rest  
 
    Definitely YES 0 0 1 13 0 0  
    Probably YES 0 1 2 14 0 0  
    Probably NO 0 0 1 4 0 0  
    Definitely NO 0 0 0 5 0 1  
 
    Total 0 1 4 36 0 1  

Demographics of Respondents
Years Experience in Sector
Highest Level of Education
Age Group
Gender Group
Contact Details of Inventor(s)
Inventor(s)
IVETT, Jonathan, Lachlan
21/62 Ocean StreetWoollahraNew South Wales2025(AU)		 The telephone numbers and/or email addresses of the patent applicants and their patent attorneys are not provided in the patent applications. We recommend that you request any local patent attorney to assist you to contact patent applicants via their patent attorneys should you wish to obtain the manufacturing and/or marketing rights to their inventions.
Attorney(s)
FREEHILLS PATENT & TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS
Level 38, MLC Centre19-29 Martin PlaceSydneyNew South Wales2000(AU)
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Comments by Viewers
It sounds complicated and expensive and prone to leaking. My holiday house in Port Alfred has a rain water tank to catch roof run-off, so the need for something definitely exists. But I can't see people retro-fitting a complicated thing like this to their houses. Look at how hard it has been to get solar hearting accepted on a wide scale, and that's a no-brainer! So this is a good idea, but you're looking at a loooooong time before it hits anything like the mainstream. South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
< 5 years Experience: < 5 years
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male
. Australia Potential: Probably YES
Australia Location: Australia
Working Knowledge: Working
Other Education: Other
5 - 10 years Experience: 5 - 10 years
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male
Why not, run the water from the gutter direct into tank on the ground? South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
University Grad Education: University Grad
< 5 years Experience: < 5 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
Sounds good. You would have to cater for different eave overhangs. Also the cost would have to be justified by the volume of water that could be stored. Plastic tanks are quite expensive and a cylindrical shape holds the most volume. South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
High School Education: High School
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
1. More load on the roof structure and walls
2. You dont want any device that can possibly leak above the roof. (A geyser is an exception)
3. Installation and MAINTENANCE will be a nightmare...		 South Africa Potential: Definitely NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
Post Grad Education: Post Grad
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
24 - 34 Age: 24 - 34
Male Gender: Male
pricing will be important.good idea but if priced out will have very few sales South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
High School Education: High School
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male
Weight? Cost per unit, including installation cost per unit, algae and no way to clean inside of container etc South Africa Potential: Probably NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
Other Education: Other
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
Std. rafter centers? tooling costs high.
Cost payback looks long @ R10/m3		 South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
< 5 years Experience: < 5 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
The asthetics of the rain water storage system may preclude it form being widley used. Alternative storage methods already exist and can be placed in such places as to make them more astheticaly pleasing South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
High School Education: High School
None Experience: None
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
Will require very secure mounting as full tank will have quite some weight at water density of one killogram per liter. South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
University Grad Education: University Grad
> 10 years Experience: > 10 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
It is a good idea for application in South African conditions. The head/height will provide the necessary pressure for flow. Plastic or fibreglass could be used in moulding the tank. Very good idea! South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
University Grad Education: University Grad
None Experience: None
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male
A much needed item. But now, is it cheap? South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
None Experience: None
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male
I have 3 rainwater storage tanks at home. We need to take care of our fresh water for survival as a global concern
Great idea!		 Europe Potential: Probably YES
Europe Location: Europe
Working Knowledge: Working
University Grad Education: University Grad
None Experience: None
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
Problem - Angled slots for rafters are impracticle as rafter spacing varies from building to building and even on the same building. Roof angles also vary. Should design to conect to existing down pipe with a first flush devise South Africa Potential: Definitely YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
Other Education: Other
< 5 years Experience: < 5 years
35 - 50 Age: 35 - 50
Male Gender: Male
This is a good idea and would have appeal particularly in water stressed areas provided that the costs of installation and maintenace are acceptable. South Africa Potential: Probably YES
South Africa Location: South Africa
Limited Knowledge: Limited
Post Grad Education: Post Grad
None Experience: None
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
Not enough capacity to be really useful. Also could impose loads on roof timbers that could lead to catrastophic results to the structure. Would result in the roofing structure needing to be stronger than it really needs to be. South Africa Potential: Definitely NO
South Africa Location: South Africa
Working Knowledge: Working
Post Grad Education: Post Grad
< 5 years Experience: < 5 years
> 50 Age: > 50
Male Gender: Male
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