How To Protect Your Cistern Pump: Jet Pumps

Learn how to protect your cistern pump from potentially running dry and burning out the motor.

Check out our video tutorial on protecting jet pumps here.

Shop for pumps and other rainwater harvesting supplies in our online shop here.

How To Wire A Pressure Switch

Here at Rain Brothers we get a lot of questions about how to wire a pressure switch for a water pump used in wells or cisterns.  A pressure switch is a method of controlling a pump motor.  It works just like a light switch: when you turn the switch off it disconnects the power, and when you turn the switch back on it reconnects the power.

Check out our new video tutorial for a simple, concise explanation about wiring a pressure switch: How to wire a pressure switch

Shop pressure switches and other pump parts in our online store. 

Cleaning a Rain Cistern or Spring Tank

In all our years of working on cisterns, we've seen, tried, and heard about many different ways of cleaning out a rain cistern or spring tank. Some ways are more, shall we say, "creative" than others, but only a handful have proven themselves to be effective and safe, which is exactly the metric we strive for in conducing our business. 

Below is a link to a video tutorial we did that goes over our time-tested technique. Please note that you may need the following tools for cleaning out your own tank:

*Sterilized ladder (wash down with chlorine solution)

*Sterilized boots or hip wadders

*Sterilized pump (we prefer a 2" submersible trash pump, such as ones made by Gorman Rupp)

*Discharge hose for pump

*Food-safe, sterile drum or barrel

*Pressure washer

*Wet/Dry ShopVac

*Sterile flat shovel

*5-Gal Buckets

If you have a concrete cistern (especially if it's a concrete block cistern), you may want to also have concrete patch/Thoroseal/Hydraulic Cement on hand to make necessary repairs to the wall of the tank.

Here is the video. Hope it helps!

Rain Brothers Offering CorGal Corrugated Steel Water Tanks for Rainwater Harvesting

Rain Brothers is proud to offer a complete line of Corrugated Galvanized Steel Water Storage Tanks from CorGal. From residential scale to commercial installations, from 500 to 500,000 gallon capacities... we are your source for CorGal's line of tanks.

As CorGal’s website states, their water storage tanks are popular for many applications including rainwater harvesting, stormwater management, fire protection, irrigation, agricultural, industrial, mining, potable drinking water and more. The tanks are manufactured from high quality corrugated, hot-dipped galvanized steel for superior strength and durability. Each CorGal Tank is engineered to withstand the wind and snow loads and seismic forces at specific locations to ensure longevity of the tank. Intensive engineering to national design codes makes these tanks extremely adaptable to any climate, landscape type or building facility. Every tank is custom built, unique to the customer's needs and assembled at the project site.

Architects/Engineers: Let us help with your system design. Contact us today for specs, cut sheets, design ideas, and more. 

Don't want a big steel tank? We also offer residential-sized corrugated steel tanks.  Contact us today for more information.  

Municipal Rainwater Conservation Programs

Rain Brothers LLC is proud to partner with local and state municipalities and agencies to provide discounted rain barrels and rain barrel kits to residents.

Municipal rain barrel programs are great for educating the public on the ecological, financial, and community benefits of rainwater conservation. Interested in how your municipality could partner with Rain Brothers LLC? Contact us today! We are happy to design a rain barrel municipal program for the residents of your area.

Some of our municipal clients include:

Franklin County, Ohio Community Backyards Program

Los Angeles Beautification Team

Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program

Contact us today to discuss your municipal rainwater conservation program! 

Rainwater Harvesting in Ohio: Regulations and Restrictions

​Did you know that the Ohio Department of Health regulates “private water systems”? This includes cisterns, potable water wells, ponds, springs, and hauled water storage tanks. By ODH's definition, private water systems provide drinking water to fewer than 25 people, less than 60 days/year, or have less than 15 service connections. Under that definition, these regulations are applicable to residential homes and communities with fewer than 25 residents, as well as small businesses, churches, etc.

Find the ODH Ohio Administrative Code regulations here. 

Which UV system is right for you?

If you've been to our online store to look for a UV (ultraviolet) sterilization system, you've seen that there are many different options available, with prices ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. It makes little sense why there is such a huge price range, right? So what is the difference?

To understand the price ranges, we need to understand that UV systems can be separated by their classification, flow rate, and sophistication.

First, a bit about classification. UV units are generally measured as either NSF Class B or NSF Class A. An NSF Class B system will be a less expensive option. These systems are designed to be secondary sterilization/disinfection filters for bacteria control. In other words, a Class B system should be used in conjunction with another means of controlling bacteria. This can include chlorine injection, ozone, or reverse osmosis. Because of this, Class B systems do not measure as high of an UV output/dosage at a given flow rate. An example of a Class B unit would include our Trojan UV Max D4 model.

In contrast, we have NSF Class A systems. NSF defines as Class A UV system as one that can act as the sole means of sterilization/disinfection for a given water system. Specifically, the UV dosage will be higher at a given flow rate. Class A systems usually include a flow restrictor (to maintain proper UV dosage at a specified flow rate; i.e., 10 GPM) and a clarity sensor (to measure water clarity and to alert when cloudiness/turbidity is restricting full dosage). In Ohio, the Department of Health requires that all UV systems meet NSF Class A guidelines for any system that is used for primary water supply. An example of a Class A unit would include our UV Max Pro 10.

Along with classification, each UV system will have a flow rate assigned to it. For the Class A UV Max Pro 10, the "10" refers to the flow rate for the unit -- i.e., 10 gallons per minute at NSF Class A standard dosage. You'll want to match the UV system with your pump capabilities. Most residential applications will not need a system greater than 10 gallons per minute (GPM).

Finally, there are various levels of sophistication for UV systems. By far, the most advanced and sophisticated UV system that we offer is our line of UV Pure sterilizers. The UV Pure systems are virtually maintenance-free. Commonly, a UV system (like the UV Max or the Sterilight units) will include four major components: A lamp, a glass sleeve (encases the lamp and protects it from moisture), a stainless steel chamber, and a ballast with control box. In these traditional units, the user must regularly turn off the system and clean the glass sleeve that encases the bulb in order to ensure full penetration of UV light into the water supply occurs. Doing so can be a somewhat tedious and delicate process, especially if a water supply has high turbidity or low clarity. In contrast, the UV Pure units use two lamps and reflective interior surface, allowing for fuller penetration of UV dosage. Additionally, instead of the lamps being encased in a glass sleeve, the water is encased in a sleeve, and the sleeve is regularly and automatically cleaned by a motorized scrubber. Whereas the UV Max and Sterilight units require quarterly maintenance, the UV Pure systems, on average, go years without needing to be maintained (other than replacing the lamps). 

So which system do we recommend? It depends on the application. If you are installing a residential rainwater collection system, and you want to use UV as the sole means of sterilization, we almost always recommend the UV Pure Upstream 10. This unit continually proves itself to be the best in terms of quality, and it performs at NSF Class A standards.

As always, thanks for reading!