Abstract
M.Ing. (Civil Engineering Science)
In recent years, there has been an international trend towards installing rainwater tanks in an attempt to save water. However, there are no clear guidelines for determining the optimal size of such a tank in South Africa. This study investigates the possibility of simplifying the process of sizing a rainwater tank for optimal results. It utilises daily data from four rainfall stations, namely Kimberley, Mossel Bay, Punda Maria and Rustenburg, obtained from the South African Weather Services. The water use is considered to be for indoor purposes only, therefore assuming a constant daily demand to be extracted from the tank. The required size of a rainwater tank is influenced by the MAP, the area of the roof draining into the tank, the water demand (both the average demand and seasonal variations), the desired reliability of supply, and the rainfall patterns. The first step in simplifying the process is to consolidate the above variables. The tank volume is expressed as the number of days it could supply the average daily water demand. Another variable is created which provides the ratio of the total water volume which could theoretically be harvested from the roof in an average year, to the total water demand, from the tank, for a year. This has the effect of consolidating the MAP, the roof area, the water demand and the tank volume into two variables only and eliminates the need to consider numerous demand values. Using simulations over 16 years for each location, the relationships between these variables were determined to ensure 90%, 95% and 98% assurance of supply.