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Rainwater Harvesting
People have been collecting rainwater for thousands of years (Israel has 4,000-year-old ruins of water tanks / cisterns!), yet today very few of us do so. It’s easy to do, and it can save you money, so read on for some helpful hints:
Did you know: for every inch of rainwater that falls on a surface of 1,000 square feet, you can collect up to 600 gallons of water!
Rainwater harvesting is a way of saving the rainwater which would normally flow off the roof of buildings and down into the drains. This saved water is then used for watering pot plants / gardens, washing cars, cleaning patios / driveways / yards. It can even be connected into your toilet and/or washing machine. This harvested water reduces your use of expensive piped drinking (potable) water.
There are costs up front (e.g. buying the water butt / tank), but you do save on your potable water costs – payback time can be anywhere from 2 to 10 years depending upon what systems you use. | |
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There are essentially 2 main ways of harvesting rainwater. The first way is simple and easy, and therefore much cheaper to implement. The second way is far more efficient, it captures much more water and that water is put to use in many areas, however, it is more expensive to set up initially.
The simplest way of collecting rainwater is to place containers (e.g. buckets) outside your home so that they fill with water when it rains. The best  shape is a wide container. (Deep containers with a narrow opening don’t catch as much water). This water won’t keep for long in warmer climates, but it can be used to water your garden, top up your pond or pool, or wash the car, without using potable water that you pay for.
Another fairly simple option is to buy and place a water butt underneath your gutter or drain pipes. These water butts are designed to store rainwater - they have covers and overflows so the water will stay fresh for longer. They have a tap / faucet near the bottom, so you can fill watering cans and buckets from them.
 At the other end of the scale, you can re-direct all the water from your roof into water storage tanks. These tanks can be either above- or below-ground. Below-ground is better as the temperature remains more stable, but these are more expensive. Then pipes re-direct this water into your home to supply toilets, baths, showers etc.
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Your Questions Answered |
| Does the water go ‘off’ if it’s stored for a while? |
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If the water you collect will not be used for
drinking, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re just collecting and
storing water in open tanks, you’ll have leaves and other debris from the roof
which is washed down with the rain. It’s
not a big problem. Also, you can treat
with an anti-algaecide if you wish.
If you’re willing to spend more money, you can buy proper
storage systems which catch debris before it enters the tank. Also, there are systems which overflow once
or twice each year to remove floating matter.
If you want to invest in complete harvesting systems which supply
your drinking water as well (people often do this when they are designing /
building a new house and/or if they live in an area where the potable water
supply is unreliable), then you will have underground storage tanks which are
very reliable because they are dark, cool and well oxygenated.
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Is rainwater harvesting practiced throughout the world? |
Certainly. China and Brazil have large rooftop rainwater harvesting projects in place. In some areas of India, the only water supply is via rooftop rainwater harvesting. Bermuda and the Virgin Islands have laws which require that all new buildings provide sufficient rainwater harvesting for the residents. The UK has a long-standing tradition of using water butts to collect rainwater for garden use. In some US states, water harvesting is illegal unless the resident also owns water rights on the ground. It was also illegal in Colorado until 2009, when this ruling was changed. |
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What happens when it doesn’t rain? |
If there is no rain, most harvesting systems are designed so that you can top them up with mains / potable water if required. They can be used in homes as well as commercially in office buildings, hospitals, schools, factories, etc. The larger and flatter the roof, the greater the saving. Metal roofs help to maximise water harvesting, followed by tiled roofs. Thatched roofs are not as efficient. | | | |
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