How much rain do I get?

How much rain can I collect?

How does IRIS know when to switch to municipal or well water?

What size tank comes with a base IRIS™ system?

Can I upgrade?

Can I attach IRIS™ to my sprinkler system?

What's your warranty?

What maintenance is required?

Can I shut it off?

How much rain do I get?

Average rainfall for Texas cities:

Austin	32.1"
Bryan	39.3"
Dallas	36.3"
Houston	51.1"
Llano	26.8"
San Angelo	20.6"
San Antonio	31.2"

How much rain can I collect?

The rule of thumb is 600 gallons of rainfall can be collected for every 1000 square feet of covered area, per one inch rainfall. So if you have a 1000 square foot house, and receive 30 inches of rain annually, you can collect 18,000 gallons of rainwater. Collect it and save it for a dry day!

How does IRIS know when to switch to municipal or well water?

We place a specially modified valve system inside the rainwater collection tank. When the water level falls to nearly the bottom, it adds a few gallons of municipal or well water.  Should we get a good rain, the tank will fill back up with rainwater.

What size tank comes with a base IRIS™ system?

We recommend starting with a 300 gallon tank. This holds quite a bit of rainwater, does not take up too much space, and is fairly economical. If you already have a tank or smaller barrel, we can probably work with that too. However, as you can see from the rainfall data, it is pretty easy to collect a lot more water.

Can I upgrade?

Absolutely. Plastic tanks come up to 2500 gallons, or we can go with a different tank material. Tanks can also be connected.You might have a 500 gallon tank in your back yard, and go with a smaller 300 gallon tank in the side yard at a different downspout. 

Can I attach IRIS™ to my sprinkler system?

This is not recommended. Many sprinkler systems are designed to use over 10,000 gallons a month. Some sprinkler heads might be using over 9 gallons of water a minute! You could empty a 300 gallon tank in less than 10 minutes. Drip irrigation systems use a lot less water and are much more efficient.

What's your warranty?

We offer a one-year limited warranty. The pump, pressure tank, timer, and tank all come with manufacturer's warranties.

What maintenance is required?

IRIS™ is designed to be virtually maintenance free. The biggest thing is keeping debris out of the system which could clog the pump, pipes, or drip irrigation heads. Screens, strainers, and filters are installed throughout the system which should be cleaned annually. The timer is battery operated and needs a fresh battery each year. Preservation Texas offers a service agreement and can take care of any annual maintenance required.

Can I shut it off?

Yes. The pump includes a safety feature allowing it to run dry if the municipal or well water supply is shut off. However, we recommend unplugging the pump and not running the system.

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