Rain Harvesting Cisterns: Your One-Stop Shop

With a combined 30 years of field experience in rain harvesting between the two owners -- from residential drinking water systems, to agricultural and landscape irrigation, to commercial and industrial design and installation -- our team can provide you with nothing short of quality service.

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Rainwater Harvesting Cisterns & Systems for Low-yield, Low-producing Wells

We have the largest selection of high quality and affordable cistern systems that can meet all of your rain water harvesting and low-yield well system needs.

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We Are Experts in Rainwater Harvesting Cisterns & Systems for Low-yield, Low-producing Wells, And We Are Here To Help

If you have a question about rainwater harvesting systems or have a problem with a low-yield or low-producing well, sometimes it’s hard to know where to turn for help. We understand. We’ve been working in the rainwater harvesting business for 18+ years, and here to answer any of your questions. Please take a look at our design library, our how to videos, our online product catalog, and if you need guidance, please contact us today at (937) 949-1100.

detailed cistern layout plans

Browse our library.

Have a rain harvesting project in mind? Check out our detailed cistern layout plans for commonly requested rainwater collection systems. Itemized price lists for components of each system are linked next to their respective plans.  

how to videos of building a rain barrel to installing a whole house underground cistern

Browse Our YouTube Channel

We have how-to videos covering everything from building a rain barrel to installing a whole house underground cistern

quality rain collection system

Are You In Our Install Area?

We have a service division dedicated to quality rain collection systems. Check out our installation radius map and contact us for a quote.

ins and ours of rain collection systems

Articles on everything related to rain cisterns.

Read our articles about the ins and out of rain collection systems. 

Rain Cistern & Low-Yield Well Products - Shop Now

Your Expert Resource for Rainwater Harvesting Cisterns

& Systems for Low-yield or Low-producing Wells

Established in 2007, we at Rain Brothers specialize in sales and service of everything related to cisterns. We carry only field-tested, high quality products at unbeatable prices. Our service division consists of the most experienced underground cistern installers in the country, and are licensed Private Water Systems Contractors and accredited by the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. We are a small company dedicated to helping our customers get just what they need and nothing more.
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Irrigation Systems

Excellent company and great people. I had them install 4 tanks at my house to capture rain water for gardening and to automatically keep my pond full. Now I'm getting ready to pair the tanks with rain gardens to handle the overflow.

Bill S.
Irrigation Systems

Highly Recommend!! Jonathan was awesome to work with from initial email, to designing, installing and even afterwards. very willing to answer any questions or concerns i had. we installed 2x 2500 gallon cistrens and wanted them a certain way. they followed through perfect with exactly what i wanted and on schedule. tested water for bacteria, ph, everything in between. tested perfect. one of the best companies i dealt with through out our new home project. A+++

Mark L. Jr.
Irrigation Systems

Rain brothers is the best company that we have had the privilege of working with during the process of our new home. They were very professional and the most kindest and genuine people we have dealt with during this process. We will definitely be recommending them to anyone that needs there services. Thank you so much ! You are greatly appreciated!

Jennifer M.

Common Questions

Don't see your question listed here? Call us at (937) 949-1100 or email us at info@rainbrothers.com.

We're here to help!

  • What is your return policy?

    We are a small company and strive for great customer service because we value each and every one of our customers. We are happy to accept returns or exchanges of unused merchandise for full refund minus cost of shipping. Products that are returned that qualify for free or fixed shipping will be subject to a restocking fee equal to the actual shipping and handling paid by Rain Brothers when the original order was made. Please contact us at 937-949-1100 or info@rainbrothers.com with any questions or to process a return/exchange.

  • How much water comes off an average roof during a rainstorm?

    For every 1,000 square feet of roof (pretend your roof is flat – roof pitch does not come into play), you will get 600 gallons of rainwater for every inch of precipitation! Here at our shop in Ohio, we get 37 inches of rain per year which would give us over 22,000 gallons of water per year per 1,000 sq ft! Wow!

  • How much water should I collect?

    That’s a difficult question to answer, but here’s our very general rule-of-thumb: For small scale irrigation, for our area (which gets an average of 3 inches of precipitation every month), you would measure out the total square footage of your garden bed and multiply by 0.3, and that would get you a good estimate of how much water you should collect. If you’re in an area with wet and dry seasons, then, by George, get as big of a tank as you can afford!

    If you’re looking to use a rain collection cistern for your household water supply, then our general rule of thumb (again, for our area which gets regular rainfall) is to install a 5000-7000 gallon tank for a family of four or more, and up to 5000 gallon tank for fewer than 4 people in the house. It is tempting to oversize your collection tank, but there is such a thing as too big, and we don’t recommend going any bigger than 10,000 gallons of storage unless you are in an area with wet and dry seasons.

  • What is a cistern?

    Historically, cisterns are underground structures that hold large capacities of rainwater. Cisterns have been in use for millennia, and, up until about 100 years ago, were installed almost universally in homes throughout the United States. In fact, in older parts of Columbus (i.e., German Village, Victorian Village, the near eastside and near westside) brick cisterns are buried underground on virtually every property. We specialize in cistern restoration and can help you locate your cistern, if you have one. Rain Brothers also installs new polyethylene and concrete underground cistern tanks for a more concealed rainwater harvesting system.

  • What is the benefit of collecting rainwater in an underground tank rather than, say, a rain barrel or an above-ground rain tank?

    Underground rainwater collection is beneficial for a number of reasons -- especially for all of us in the colder regions of the U.S. The primary benefit is that rainwater can be used year-round (if one has uses for the water year-round) with an underground cistern since water is stored below the frost line. Additionally, though, underground storage removes the rainwater from sunlight, thereby slowing (and eventually eliminating) the growth of algae and some most bacteria. Finally, there is the benefit of being able to utilize ground space and conceal rainwater harvesting when the system is below ground.

  • Do you usually recommend installation of below-ground cisterns over above-ground rainwater storage?

    This depends on several factors. First, if you are wanting to use rainwater for household applications (i.e., flushing toilets, laundry, etc.), then we certainly recommend underground storage to prevent having to winterize the system. However, if the designed application is strictly for irrigation (especially if it is for non-pressurized irrigation), we almost always recommend above-ground systems since they are: 1) more cost-effective; 2) generally easier to maintain; and 3) generally do not require a pump or power source for their use.

  • Is rainwater harvesting legal?

    Yep, it sure is! Here’s an article we wrote explaining the ins and outs: https:// www.rainbrothers.com/post/2017/04/06/is-rainwater-harvesting-illegal

  • What do I do with the water once it has been collected?

    The most common application for harvested rainwater is irrigation. Rainwater not only saves money by reducing/eliminating the demand for city/well water for irrigation, but it is also much better for plants than treated, chlorinated tap water or neutralized well water. Stories abound of landscapers and nurseries who have made the switch to rainwater for their irrigation and who found that they not only started saving money, but that they also used one-half to one-third the amount of water they once used to irrigate since plants reacted much better to rainwater than to treated tap water.


    Aside from irrigation, though, rainwater -- if filtered and treated by a trained and licensed professional and inspected by local public health officials -- can be made potable and used for drinking and in-home applications. In fact, once debris filtration with potable-grade containment has been established, and once the rainwater has been pumped through a series of sediment and ultraviolet filtrations, the by-product is a water that can be more safe and pure than well and city water.

  • How do I use my rain barrel or tank to water my garden?

    All our rain barrels and rainwater tanks come equipped with a hose-ready valve/spigot that is equipped to receive a standard garden hose. However, while attaching a garden hose to the rain barrel/tank is tempting, it is not always practical. The thing to remember is that all rainwater catchment systems (unless they come with pumps) are gravity-fed, so the water pressure is lower than standard faucet pressure. To use a garden hose with an above-ground rain system, then, requires the water level to always be higher than the point at which you hold the hose (for most people, the hose is held at waist level when watering).


    BUT, there are more effective and easier ways to use rainwater. Specifically, consider hooking up a drip hose or a drip irrigation set-up from your catchment container. Drip hoses can be placed right next to your plants and can be left attached to the rain barrel/tank spigot. When the weather starts to dry out and your plants need water, you can simply open the spigot and allow the drip line to water for you. Because drip hoses have small perforations and only allow a very small amount of water to go through the line at a time, they water much more efficiently than garden hoses or watering cans. And, because the water supply is consistent, water penetrates directly to the roots for an effective plant watering. In fact, drip line watering is so effective that those giant pumpkin growers (you know, the ones who grow 800 lbs. pumpkins) use them exclusively to water.


    PLEASE pay attention to the pressure requirements when purchasing drip lines, though. Some drip hoses, as well as most soaker hoses, require around 30 PSI operating pressure. Rain barrel/tank users will want drip lines that operate at 10 PSI or less (such as our drip irrigation set-ups that were designed for gravity-fed systems).

  • How can I increase the pressure or flow out of my rainwater system without using a pump?

    The trick is elevation -- the higher you elevate your rainwater tanks/barrels, the more pressure you will get. AND, if you elevate your barrel as high as our water towers, you’ll get excellent pressure! However, if elevation is not an option, water pumps can be used to increase water pressure. Contact us for help in choosing the right pump for your application.

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