RAINWATER MANAGEMENT
RAIN AGAIN HERE COMES THE
Deciding which rainwater system to use for a project needs to take price, aesthetics and function into account, as BMJ discovers.
R
ainwater systems have a key role to play in buildings. Not only do they protect the property from damage by directing water rain water off the roof , but they have also become a design feature in their own right, used to help enhance and tie together the exterior appearance of a building. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to rainwater systems,” says Rod McLachlan, rainwater category manager at Marley Plumbing & Drainage, who explains that there are potentially serious and costly consequences further down the line should a system be installed that is incorrectly suited to the building, whether due to its style, size or flow capacity. “As a result, contractors, installers and consumers need to be able to navigate their way through the products available and select the best rainwater system for their project, with help from merchants,” he says.
Size matters
“It may seem obvious but the first thing a merchant should always clarify with their customers is the type and size of building that the rainwater system is intended for. This
is because rainwater systems will often be designed with a certain size application in mind. For example, a system intended for a typical two-storey domestic house would be widely unsuitable for a larger industrial or commercial unit, as this would require a higher capacity system with a larger flow rate instead.” He says that specifying a rainwater system that is too small can lead to serious problems, with the gutters and downpipes unable to cope with the volume of water running off the roof. “Luckily, at Marley Plumbing & Drainage we offer numerous options, from the classic rectilinear Flowline, perfect for domestic homes, to Stormflo, one of the biggest PVC rainwater systems available. With an impressive flow rate of up to 14 l/s, Stormflo is ideal for larger, commercial properties.”
Doing the maths
Unsurprisingly, it would be extremely difficult for any merchant to be able to sell the required product in the correct quantities should the customer not provide accurate measurements of the building and roof in question. The customer can do this by carrying out the following:
• Determine the rainwater outlet positions, with regards to the underground drainage system • Calculate the maximum roof area to be drained
• Note down the distance of any gutter angle from the nearest outlet.
If this sounds a little too complicated, or you’d like some additional support and peace of mind, there are some great tools and services on offer from manufacturers to help. The Rainwater Estimator tool from Marley Plumbing & Drainage is one such example.
Developed to help improve speed and efficiency, the handy tool enables merchants to easily and quickly estimate the number of brackets, unions, downpipes and fittings that are required for a specific project and building size.
March 2021
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
33
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