RAINWATER HARVESTING

INTRODUCTION:

Rainwater harvesting is an innovative technique utilized to harvest rainwater from roofs and
other above surfaces to be stored for later use. Rain harvested water can be used for garden
and crop irrigation, watering livestock, laundry, and flushing toilets. However, you cannot use
harvested rainwater for showering, bathroom sink or kitchen use because it’s not really fit for
consumption.

In a normal scenario the rainwater is collected from roof buildings and then stored inside of a
special tank. Rainwater harvesting systems are designed after assessing site conditions that
include rainfall pattern, incident rainfall, subsurface strata and their storage
characteristics. Rainwater harvesting is popular all across the world, although in countries that
are very dry, such as Australia, it is even more popular.

Rainwater can be harvested and used by those in the city who have running city water just as
well as it can be used by those in more rural towns where adequate water supply may be
unavailable. It is simple to replace many things that you are using regular city water with
rainwater and enjoy numerous benefits when you do. Not only it helps you to conserve
water but can also help you to save energy as the need to maintain centralized water system
can be bypassed.

WHAT IS RAINWATER HARVESTING?

Water is, undoubtedly, the top natural resource you need for your home use. It’s glamorous to
possess a stockpile of guns, gold, and jeweler, but without water, life might prove to be
unbearable. Water shortages are sometimes inevitable, and so if you’re not prepared for the
eventuality, you might find yourself between a rock and a hard place. The best and cheapest
alternative to the traditional water supply systems is rainwater harvesting. However, to be able
to harvest rainwater, you’ll need to install a rainwater harvesting system.

We all take water for granted. It is one of those natural resources that most people do not put a
lot of thought into, but in order to continue enjoying that free supply of water for many more
years, changes must be made. Rainwater harvesting is the process of collection of rainwater
from surfaces on which rain falls, filtering it and storing it for multiple uses. Rainwater
harvesting puts the supply of water back to normal levels. It is the collection and storage of
water from surfaces that rain has fallen upon.

If you are worried about your roof being dirty, put that fear to the side. Many different tools
are available to help you easily clean your roof. Hiring a roofer to com provide you with a
cleaning is another option that you will have available.

Individuals are driven to harvest rainwater because of a wide range of factors such as
unpredictable weather patterns, enhanced costs of infrastructure and explosion of water
consumption. On top of that, most businesses and homes are looking to embrace green
practices to become efficient and a lot more self-reliant. In this case, rainwater presents the
obvious choice because it is the easiest and quickest method to minimize water consumption.
Most homeowners that have embraced this practice have reported a reduction of about 50% in
water bills. On top of helping to reduce water bills, rainwater harvesting helps the
environment a lot.

BENEFITS OF RAINWATER HARVESTING

The collection of rainwater and harvesting it for everyday use has an ample number of exciting
benefits. Let’s take a look and discover some of those benefits.
PROVIDES BACKUP SOURCE OF WATER

There are many uncertainties in water supply systems. Droughts may lead to shortage of water.
Destruction of water supply systems may occur at specific locations. Major repairs and
maintenance in water companies happen sporadically. All these variables lead to unavailability
of water in your home. So, installing rainwater harvesting system is the best course of action to
continue enjoying water supply in case any of the above variables occur.

The collected rainwater can be used for many different purposes around the home. This
includes laundry, washing dishes and more. This would prevent groundwater depletion and
augment ground water table.

ECOLOGICAL BENEFIT

The ecological benefits of rainwater harvesting are immense. An activity like flushing the toilet,
for instance, attributes to about 35% of home water usage. Add up the amount of water used
to irrigate the lawn, do laundry, wash cars and the total amount water used is simply
astronomical. For businesses, more so hospitality establishments that accommodate a big
number of guests in a single location, require a lot of water to satisfy customers. Rainwater
harvesting will simply help to fill this gap.

The ecological benefit rainwater harvesting systems bring is that there will be a significant
reduction in the amount of water used from the mains. This, ideally, means that water
companies will not have to artificially pump in water from rivers and lakes. This will help
minimize the possibility of rivers drying up. Another great ecological benefit of rainwater
harvesting systems is that they help reduced the load placed upon drainage systems,
minimizing the impacts of flooding by funneling the runoff water into large tanks for recycling.
EASY TO MAINTAIN

Rainwater harvesting systems are considerably easy to maintain since they are not utilized for
drinking, cooking or other sensitive uses. This means that they will not need installation of
purification systems, which are usually expensive.

Rainwater harvesting systems are cost effective, provide high quality water, reduce
dependence on wells. The surplus rainwater can also be used to recharge ground water aquifer
through artificial recharge techniques.

REDUCES EROSION AND FLOODING AROUND BUILDINGS

Most buildings that utilize rainwater harvesting systems have a built-in catchment area on top
of the roof, which is capable of collecting vast amounts of water in case of rain storms. It helps
to reduce soil erosion as by capturing rainwater, the flow of storm water is reduced which can
also prevent urban flooding. If the water were not collected efficiently, it could have resulted in
serious soil erosion and flooding around the house.

REQUIRES LOW UPFRONT CAPITAL INVESTMENT

Installation of rainwater harvesting system is not that expensive, plus it’s a one-time
installation, and that’s it. The only routine maintenance required is cleaning out the tank. You
will probably hire an expert technician to install the system for you. The technician won’t quote
a high price, plus he will offer free advice on the best rainwater system to buy. He will also help
out when buying the system to ensure you get the best quality rainwater harvesting system.
When you sum up the overall cost of installing the system, you’ll find that it’s actually
manageable.

Once you begin using rainwater you will also appreciate a reduced amount of water
consumption in the home, thus all of your utility bills will greatly shrink in size. How incredible
would it be to slash as much as 50 to 60% off of your water bill each month? No complaints
with having additional money in the pocket each and every month.

RAINWATER HARVESTING METHODS

It is simple to collect rainwater from building roofs and numerous other sources. As long as you
are ready and equipped with a couple of different items you have all that it takes to begin
rainwater harvesting and enjoying naturally delicious, clean and useful water. Rainwater
harvesting systems can be purchased complete from various home improvement stores. The
cost of these systems will vary.

RAINWATER BARRELS

Barrel installation is the cheapest and easiest way to start harvesting rainwater in your home. A
barrel is simply installed underneath the downspout of the guttering so that rain falling on the
roof is funneled into the barrel. Usually, the container will consist of a spigot under it to enable
you draw water and irrigate your garden. Better still; a hose can be connected to the spigot or
to a drip irrigation system.

Barrels are advantageous because they can effortlessly be sourced whether recycled or new. If
you opt for the recycled barrel, make a point to know exactly what the barrel was used for in
order to be sure that no chemical residues remain inside. If you reside in a mosquito infested
area, make sure to include a lid for your barrel to mitigate the possibility of mosquitoes
breeding in your barrel.

When winter month knocks, it is advisable to disconnect your barrel to prevent freezing and
cracking. The major disadvantage to rain water barrels is that they have limited capacity;
meaning prolonged rains would result in flooding. The barrels are easy to use and readily
available for purchase at many locations, all at reasonable prices.
DRY SYSTEM

This is a well-known method of rainwater harvesting. It’s basically an improvement to the rain
water barrel technique in terms of size. A larger water storage container is situated just a few
steps from the property. This container provides a much larger storage capacity compared to
the barrel. The gutter is then diverted to channel water into the tank. It’s also easy to
implement and relatively cheap. The name “dry” comes from the fact that the collection pipe
dries up after any rainy day because it’s meant to empty into the top of tank. The dry system is
ideal for areas with huge storms.

WET SYSTEM

The wet system is the exact opposite of the dry system. This is because the collection pipes are
ever full of water since they are located underground. Here, numerous collection pipes are
connected to multiple downspouts on the building and channeled to empty into the storage
tank underground. When there is no rain, the level stays constant, and the pipes are always full.
Due to the ever availability of water inside the pipes, it is recommended that they be watertight
to mitigate the possibility of leaking into the soil. The underground piping makes it relatively
expensive to install compared to the dry and wet systems.

GREEN ROOF

This method of rainwater harvesting literally cuts out the middleman. Instead of directing
rainwater for storage in the tank and then channel it to the garden; you could install a green
roof on your house to enable plants use the water instantly. But you have to lay down a lining
for your roof’s protection and include a drainage system to take care of the runoffs. Installing
garden beds with plants that require low maintenance is the surefire way of maximizing your
plot’s productive space and leveraging the rainwater where it falls. Also, installing a green roof
will add insulation to your house and cushion your roof from damage.
If you prefer you can create your own barrels for rainwater harvesting. Just a few components
like Catchment area, conveyance system, first rain separator, filter unit, storage, delivery
system, usage, recharge and supplies are needed to create your own barrel.

You will need to follow the instructions included with your rainwater harvesting kit to set things
up and begin collection of the rainwater. For a DIY job, there are many resources available to
you on the internet at no charge. You can definitely take advantage of the information
whenever you need to and create your own rainwater harvesting system.

COMPONENTS OF A RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

A rainwater harvesting system comprises components of various stages - transporting

rainwater through pipes or drains, filtration, and storage in tanks for reuse or recharge. The
common components of a rainwater harvesting system involved in these stages are illustrated
here.

1. CATCHMENTS

The catchment of a water harvesting system is the surface which directly receives the
rainfall and provides water to the system. It can be a paved area like a terrace or
courtyard of a building, or an unpaved area like a lawn or open ground. A roof made of
reinforced cement concrete (RCC), galvanised iron or corrugated sheets can also be used
for water harvesting.

2. COARSE MESH

At the roof to prevent the passage of debris

 3. GUTTERS

Channels all around the edge of a sloping roof to collect and transport rainwater to the
storage tank. Gutters can be semi-circular or rectangular and could be made using:

 Locally available material such as plain galvanised iron sheet (20 to 22 gauge), folded to
required shapes.
 Semi-circular gutters of PVC material can be readily prepared by cutting those pipes into
two equal semi-circular channels.
 Bamboo or betel trunks cut vertically in half.

The size of the gutter should be according to the flow during the highest intensity rain. It
is advisable to make them 10 to 15 per cent oversize.

Gutters need to be supported so they do not sag or fall off when loaded with water. The
way in which gutters are fixed depends on the construction of the house; it is possible to fix
iron or timber brackets into the walls, but for houses having wider eaves, some method of
attachment to the rafters is necessary.

4. CONDUITS

Conduits are pipelines or drains that carry rainwater from the catchment or rooftop area to the
harvesting system. Conduits can be of any material like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or galvanized
iron (GI), materials that are commonly available.

5. FIRST-FLUSHING

A first flush device is a valve that ensures that runoff from the first spell of rain is flushed out
and does not enter the system. This needs to be done since the first spell of rain carries a
relatively larger amount of pollutants from the air and catchment surface

6. FILTER

The filter is used to remove suspended pollutants from rainwater collected over roof. A
filter unit is a chamber filled with filtering media such as fibre, coarse sand and gravel
layers to remove debris and dirt from water before it enters the storage tank or
recharge structure. Charcoal can be added for additional filtration.

7. STORAGE FACILITY
There are various options available for the construction of these tanks with respect to
the shape, size and the material of construction.

SHAPE: Cylindrical, rectangular and square.

MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION: Reinforced cement concrete, (RCC), ferrocement,

masonry, plastic (polyethylene) or metal (galvanised iron) sheets are commonly used.

POSITION OF TANK: Depending on space availability these tanks could be

constructed above ground, partly underground or fully underground. Some
maintenance measures like cleaning and disinfection are required to ensure the quality
of water stored in the container.

8. RECHARGE STRUCTURES

Various recharge structures are possible - some which promote the percolation of water
through soil strata at shallower depth (e.g., recharge trenches, permeable pavements)
whereas others conduct water to greater depths from where it joins the groundwater
 (e.g. recharge wells). At many locations, existing structures like wells, pits and tanks can
be modified as recharge structures, eliminating the need to construct any structures
afresh.

CONCLUSION

Rainwater harvesting is something that thousands of families across the world participate in,
and you could be the next to enjoy the multitude of benefits offered with rainwater harvesting.
It is an easy, simple and worthwhile process, so it is only in your best interest to take a look at
rainwater harvesting and its benefits to your home. You may discover many surprises and
things that you did not know along the way!

REFERENCES:
www.conserve-energy-future.com
www.rainwaterharvesting.org