There are a few types of
Rainwater Harvesting Systems. I expect that there will be more variations as we
learn more in the future. In a nutshell, a Dry Harvesting System takes water
from one downspout on a partial roof area of the catchment surface. A catchment
surface is most often a roof. It can be any type of roof: on a home, on a barn,
an area over a bench to shield from water. Any surface that can be guttered can
effectively harvest rainwater.
A Dry system is so named
because no water stands in the pipes except for the First Flush Diverter which
empties within 24 to 48 hours. All the water collected goes into the cistern or
tank. If the tank is not large enough to hold all the rainwater collected, then
the overflow diverts water to a pre-designed area for the runoff. This allows
for a more orderly use for the rainwater and overflow. If you have drainage
issues, collecting rainwater and designing the system properly can alleviate
many of those issues.
Systems can be designed
with the purpose of adding additional storage at a later date, however it is
far more economical to attempt to estimate how much water you can collect over
a period of time and purchase the most storage at that time. It is far cheaper
per gallon to design the system that way from the initial install than add on
at a later date. Adding on later can cost more depending on several factors,
the first of which being inflation. However it is a viable option for those
wishing to spend less now and still capture rainwater.
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A Dry system is the
simplest system to install. Many homeowners simply install a rainbarrel. These
are great to have, however since an inch of rain on a 1000 sq ft roof yields
623 gallons of water approximately, a typical rainbarrel will overflow in a
hurry.
A system, custom designed
to fit your needs is a great alternative. Our systems are designed in such a
way that there is no issue with mosquitos since the pipe flows directly into
the tank. We listen to what you want and design a system that meets your unique
needs. Rainwater harvesting systems can be beautiful and efficient. Contact us
today to start your custom design.
Questions and comments are
welcome below.
Great post, it is hammering down here right now and there is no guttering on this house, my garden is full of buckets catching what I can, I hate not to capture some after the dry heat we have had the last two weeks!
ReplyDeleteThank you! In Texas most of the state is still in drought conditions even with the rain we have had recently. I wish everyone could capture the rain on their property. Think of all the water problems we could solve with that?
DeleteI've always wanted to do this!! I live about 10 miles outside of New York City. I'm sure that rainwater is good for plants/gardens but do you think it's drinkable?
ReplyDeleteSteph it is absolutely drinkable, especially once it's been filtered. There are several kinds of systems that can be installed where you use filters similar to what you do in your fridge (think carbon filtering here) and a UV light that make the water where it's free from any bacteria or other particles that could be in it. Using screening and filtering in the gutters makes the captured water cleaner as well from the initial capture. We make a practice of trimming trees so there is less debris in the gutter to begin with as well. Wish I was closer to NY. I would come show you the options :) Thanks for commenting!
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