What is Rain Water Harvesting and how it can be done for your house?

​Water is the most essential requirement of our lives yet we take it for granted. We have started becoming aware of the need of water supply particularly in these parts of India. Rain water harvesting is a method used for gathering and storing rainfall from housetops or landscapes. It is done by using simple methods like using containers or complex ways such as subversive check dams. The methods that are utilized in India are as a result of old civilizations which contribute to the water supply in remote regions.

We benefit a lot from rain water harvesting. By capturing, we decrease our dependence on the water storage compartments. Thus, there will be no need to enlarge the dams or construct others. You will also not be affected by the sudden shortage of water supply that takes place more often. It is economical to yields your own water as you will save on the water charges. It is also cheap to yield comparing to digging a well. It takes a lot equipment cost and labor to dig a well. Yielding rainfall reduces the chances of floods erupting towards the homesteads. It is safe for the environment. By sparing more water on the landscape the better it will be for the living creatures. This is because when people use water from rivers and lakes it destructs the eco system.

The harvested rain fall is more suitable to plants than the municipal water. This is because the rainwater has not been deprived of any minerals through chemicals. This is why plants respond well to rain water. It is also safe for human consumption. All you need is just purification. Purchasing drinking water is quite expensive and damaging to the environment due to the plastic bottles. The overall cost of energy is reduced. A lot of electricity is consumed when pumping and cleansing water. Through rain water harvesting, all these expenses are cut down. Rainfall causes soil erosion. By capturing the rain fall you avoid the showers from flowing down into the sewerage system and destroying the terrain.

How to do rainwater harvesting

The first thing you need to consider in constructing a harvest system is the collection area, storage devices and delivery system. The collection area is anywhere where the rain showers do not fall on the earth. It can include the roof of your house. You need to find out how to do rainwater harvesting by discovering the amount of water that your roof can capture and how much water you need. A farmer who is located in an arid area with a large landscape of plants will need more water compared with own who has a small vegetable yard. The more drums that you have the more rainfall you will capture.

The delivery system is composed of the gutters and downspouts. They are located along the rim of the top. The material can be plastic or aluminum of which it is not relevant. However, the size does matter. They have to be broad in order to accommodate the water flowing off the rooftop. The common size of gutters is five or six inches in terms of broadness. A gutter of five inches will need a downspout of three inches whereas the one for six inches will need a downspout for four inches. The delivery system is also composed of filters. This is important as it will prevent debris from blocking the downspout. If you are located in a place where insects are common it is advisable to use a fine-mesh aluminum filter. This is to avoid the insects from standing on the water in the drum.

The storage devices can either be containers or drums. You also have the option of constructing your own. In either ways, the main aim is to ensure that they are located appropriately. It is good to place it near the place where water is needed most. Dig a three inches extent and broadness of your cinder block bottom. Put gravel in the area up to a level of a third of it. This is so as to make sure your foundation is water-free all the time by flattening the cinder blocks. The more you raise the drums the better because you will get more pressure while tapping the water. Sometimes rainfall can be excess and the drums will overflow. The gravel beneath the cinder blocks will redirect the water from the bottom.