Whether you live in an area where rain is a frequent occurrence, or a region where rain is scarce, rainwater harvesting systems are a remarkable resource for fresh water.
For a relatively small upfront investment, a homeowner or business can save money on water bills and contribute to environmental health by relying primarily on rain water harvesting, rather than drawing down the existing water table by using a well or a city’s water system.
How Rainwater Harvesting Systems Work
Water harvesting is among the simplest of natural resource management systems, based on the very simple clean collection of natural precipitation in a cistern, rain barrel, or other catchment, which is then connected to the water pipes of a home or business building.
In their most simple form, rainwater harvesting systems may consist of nothing more complicated than a water barrel into which rainfall run-off from the building’s roof is directed and caught.
Rainwater which has run off a roof may not be safely potable without prior filtering, due to chemicals or pollutants present on roofing material, but even roof rainwater is perfectly suitable for purposes of laundry, toilet flushing, landscaping irrigation and even showering.
A filter system at the kitchen counter may be used in conjunction with roof run-off to ensure its suitability for drinking and cooking. Slightly more complex rainwater harvesting systems may still be constructed individually by a homeowner, or purchased from a rainwater harvesting specialist.
A cistern installed above ground will be fitted with a water pump and pump controller, as well as a series of filters. Professional installation of such systems often includes a chemical cleansing process to cleanse the roof and render its rain run-off usable for indoor use, particularly in conjunction with filters both in the cisterns and at the taps.Water harvesting is among the simplest of natural resource management systems, based on the very simple clean collection of natural precipitation in a cistern, rain barrel, or other catchment, which is then connected to the water pipes of a home or business building.
In their most simple form, rainwater harvesting systems may consist of nothing more complicated than a water barrel into which rainfall run-off from the building’s roof is directed and caught.
Rainwater which has run off a roof may not be safely potable without prior filtering, due to chemicals or pollutants present on roofing material, but even roof rainwater is perfectly suitable for purposes of laundry, toilet flushing, landscaping irrigation and even showering.
A filter system at the kitchen counter may be used in conjunction with roof run-off to ensure its suitability for drinking and cooking. Slightly more complex rainwater harvesting systems may still be constructed individually by a homeowner, or purchased from a rainwater harvesting specialist.
A cistern installed above ground will be fitted with a water pump and pump controller, as well as a series of filters. Professional installation of such systems often includes a chemical cleansing process to cleanse the roof and render its rain run-off usable for indoor use, particularly in conjunction with filters both in the cisterns and at the taps.
Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting Systems
Rainwater is not only entirely free after the initial installation of the rainwater harvesting systems, it is also delightfully softer than any municipal system’s treated water, requiring lesser use of laundry soaps and shampoos, without the additional work of an expensive water softener.
The lack of chemicals and pollutants in rainwater make it ideal for irrigating lawns and landscaping. Soft rainwater also causes less corrosion and chemical depositing in pipes, taps, and appliances, extending the life of a household’s laundry machines, faucets, bathtubs, toilets and sinks.
A homeowner can save on the expenses of hard mineral removers and other cleaning products which are necessary when the house runs on hardened city water. From an environmental standpoint, the use of rainwater over a city’s system benefits the regional ecosystem by refraining from drawing down the water table.
Even in cities where rainfall is fairly frequent, the overburdening population begins to put a strain on the water supply–and in dryer areas like California and Nevada, cities go to great expense to import water via pipelines. Using rainwater harvesting systems for individual buildings saves expense for the building owner, and eases the strain on the environment.
