Rainwater harvesting means capturing and storing rainwater for later use. It should be a consideration of every homeowner, as clean water resources are becoming more and more precious. Many areas have already been drought stricken for several years with continued expectation of rain scarcity. In the western states where the rainy season is approaching, this may be an excellent time to install a rainwater harvesting system.
Harvested water can be used for landscape and vegatable garden irrigation, refilling decorative ponds and even for washing cars if the system is equipped with a pump.
It is quite easy to collect a large amount of rainwater. In general, for every 100 square feet of roofing space, one inch of rain can yield 60 gallons of water. So for a medium size house with 1000 square feet of roofing space, one inch of rainfall yields 600 gallons. Saving as much as practical some amount of rainwater will help stretch our precious water supply.
Storage units come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are just simple barrels made from wood or vinyl which can double as decoration. There are tanks that come in 100- or 200-gallon sizes. They can be placed along exterior walls. There are also much larger tanks close to 1000 gallons or more each and some can be buried underground. These larger one typically require professional installation while the smaller ones can be installed by homeowners.
Rainwater harvesting systems collect water flowing down from gutters. That sounds simple enough and indeed it is. Here are a few important points to make your system work best.
- The roof and gutter may have a lot of unwanted materials sitting on them, such as bird droppings, grit, and leaves. During the first heavy rain fall of a season, these materials get washed down. Left in the storage unit, they could cause bacteria to develop. Install a “first flush diverter” in the downspout will divert these pollutants away and keep the stored water clean.
- Make sure to have a screen or cover on the storage unit to keep mosquitoes from entering and breeding.
- Clean gutters at least twice a year to remove leaves. Prune trees to lessen the amount of leaves falling in gutters.
