How to Collect Rain Water

Collecting rain helps the environment by reducing the amount of water that has to be extracted from the earth or processed in water treatment facilities. You can reduce your carbon footprint and your water bills by using the rainwater you collect to water your yard and garden, to wash your car or even as an indoor water source, after proper filtration. The average rainwater collection amount for a house with a 2,000-square-foot (186 sq. m) roof can be approximately 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) per year, depending on the location. The following steps will help you start collecting Rainwater in your yard.
1
Collect run-off water in rain barrels, or even large polyethylene, wood or fiberglass tanks.
  • Rain barrels are containers that can be bought at your local hardware or home improvement store, or you can make one yourself.
  • Rain barrels are made from plastic and are positioned below down spouts to collect water that runs off of the roof. They have a spout at the bottom to release water. You can connect a garden hose to the valve and use the water in other areas of your yard.
  • They usually run on gravity. This means you'll have to use a pump if you need to water an area that is at a higher elevation than your rain barrel.
  • New styles of rain barrels have covers to keep mosquitoes, animals and children out. Rain barrels should also be secured to keep them from tipping over.
  1. Image titled Collect Rain Water Step 2
    2
    Install a rainwater collection system.
    • Rainwater collection systems (also called rainwater catchment systems) consist of large tanks stored underground that can collect rainwater from the roof and gutters and then filter and pump the water out for whole-house use. You can use your rainwater for cooking, showering, laundry, watering your lawn or washing your car.
    • Rainwater systems are expensive and must be professionally installed. You must have a pump or pressure tank to move the water.
  2. Image titled Collect Rain Water Step 3
    3
    Create a rainwater garden.
    • Simple rainwater gardens harvest the rain from your roof or gutters to create a water garden or to water the immediate garden area. The water is not available for use in other areas.
    • You can also use this process to mask an underground storage tank and pump. This allows you to use the water from the water garden in other areas, even inside the house. These can be simple or elaborate, depending on your budget, and usually require professional installation.
  3. Image titled Collect Rain Water Step 4
    4
    Use rain chains instead of traditional downspouts.
    • Rain chains are a decorative alternative to conventional downspouts. Usually made from copper, the rain chain guides the rain from your roof, down the chain--or through cups--and into your garden, watering can, rain barrel or other rainwater collection system.
  4. Image titled Collect Rain Water Step 5
    5
    Adapt household and yard products to catch rainwater.
    • Simple items such as watering cans, children's swimming pools and pots can be used to collect rainwater for use in watering your plants and garden. Be sure that large items used to collect water are carefully monitored if you have children or pets. Water collected in open containers should also be used quickly or covered to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to water recycle

Image
Wastewater reuse On-site wastewater reuse can reduce water use in both urban and rural households. At present, most homes use potable (drinkable) water for practically everything in the house and garden. We are literally flushing our drinking water down the toilet! The articles Reducing water demand, Rainwater and Outdoor water use also have information on reducing potable water use. Opportunities to reuse wastewater and regulation of its treatment vary according to where you live. Urban households typically have a connection to a centralised, or reticulated, sewage system, whereas rural households manage their wastewater on site. Check with your local council or state health authority for advice on the regulations in your area. Two types of wastewater are created in a home: greywater and blackwater. Greywater is wastewater from non-toilet plumbing fixtures such as showers, basins and taps. Blackwater is water that has been mixed with waste from the toilet. Because of th...
Read more

Tips to ensure pure drinking water

Drinking contaminated water is the number one cause of illness and with the rise in the number of cases of monsoon diseases like cholera and typhoid, it is highly essential that you ensure you are drinking only pure water. During monsoons, the chances of contracting these diseases are higher as water gets contaminated due to water logging, unsanitary conditions, open sewage etc. Eating or drinking unhygienic food and water can transmit the virus easily into your system in turn making you sick. While basics like washing your hands properly before you eat and eating home-cooked meals to avoid infections are important, here are some tips to ensure you are drinking pure, clean water. The very first thing to keep in mind is to drink water that is boiled and filtered. Do not drink tap water as it isn’t potable (safe for drinking). When you go out, carry water from home instead of drinking outside water as you do not know if it is pure or not. If someone is ill...
Read more

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Image
Jerry Spiegel and Lucien Y. Maystre Over the course of the twentieth century, growing recognition of the environmental and public health impacts associated with anthropogenic activities (discussed in the chapter Environmental Health Hazards) has prompted the development and application of methods and technologies to reduce the effects of pollution. In this context, governments have adopted regulatory and other policy measures (discussed in the chapter Environmental Policy) to minimize negative effects and ensure that environmental quality standards are achieved. The objective of this chapter is to provide an orientation to the methods that are applied to control and prevent environmental pollution. The basic principles followed for eliminating negative impacts on the quality of water, air or land will be introduced; the shifting emphasis from control to prevention will be considered; and the limitations of building solutions for individual environmental media will be examined. It...
Read more