The Rainwater harvesting system is a simple, cost-effective way to collect water from rooftops and other areas with a drainpipe. These systems work by diverting rainwater from the roof into a collection tank. The water flows back into the house via a separate pipe when the tank gets filled. You can use the collected water for washing dishes, watering plants, flushing toilets, and more.
This method is highly beneficial in light of the current water shortage affecting most countries. Furthermore, water collection is relatively easy in the sense that almost anyone could be able to do it.
Components of Rainwater Harvesting System
Rainwater harvesting systems are becoming increasingly popular because they’re easy to set up and maintain and provide an alternative clean drinking water source. However, to set up a rainwater harvesting system, you must first know all the elements of the system for rainwater harvesting.
Create a system based on these elements.
Catchments: The catchment is the unfenced surface that receives the rain directly. The catchment could refer to a courtyard, terrace, or park. It could also be a playground.
Conduit: After collecting rainwater, the tube must transfer it for storage or recharge of groundwater. Pipes for water, commonly referred to as tubes/conduits can be used to transport rainwater.
First Flush: First flushes remove the water collected during the shower. The first flush is necessary to prevent contamination of rechargeable or storable water.
Filter: The filters help treat water before storage or are used to recharge groundwater. They can remove color, turbidity, and microorganisms from the filtered water.
Storage Tanks: After rainwater has been taken care of, filtered, and stored, we put it into tanks to be used later or recharge groundwater—storage containers from concrete or plastic tanks.
Recharge Structures: The rainwater harvested could recharge the groundwater reservoirs using appropriate recharge structures. The recharge structures for groundwater can be Bore wells, recharge trenches, and recharge pits.
Step to Install Rainwater Collection System
Homeowners can easily set up catchment systems with capacities of between 40 and 100 gallons to store rainwater for home and lawn use. This article will focus on more elaborate and professionally designed rainwater harvesting equipment and its installation. However, if you’re seeking a more straightforward and less expensive DIY option, here’s a helpful guide you could consider.
With the more powerful harvesting apparatus, you’ll have to seek experienced assistance from the manufacturer and a professional plumber, and you’ll also need to make some plans for yourself.
The first things to consider are:
What kind of rainwater collection system do you want to install in your home?
What size do you wish the main water tank to be?
A smaller water tank to store unfiltered rainwater above the main tank.
An overflow tank beneath the primary tank in the event the stormwater tank overflows.
A rainwater-enclosed “catchment area” on your roof, as well as other
Make the space ready for the installation of the water tank.
The first step is to dig a hole at least three times wider than the pipe diameter. Then, ensure the hole is deep enough to accommodate the entire length of the pipe. For bigger buried or semi-buried tanks, it’s common to require cranes to assist you in making the proper hole.
Set up the water tank as the primary one
After the site is prepared and the tank installed, you can install it. This tank is the most challenging and crucial aspect of the entire process, and you must ensure that everything is in order. There are, at minimum, three primary types of rainwater tanks that you can select. They include:
Cylindrical tanks, Rectangular tanks, Collapsible bladder systems
Install all the tanks for water harvesting
Once the main tank is installed, connect the additional tanks one by one, and ensure that all are linked and secured correctly.
Connect and install all pumps, pipes, and filters
Then come filtering, pipes, and pumps. The location and the method of transport will depend on the specific harvesting system. Drainpipes typically can enter the tank through one entry point.
Install the drainage and water collection systems
Rainwater harvesting systems usually take water from your roof. However, it is possible to use the drainpipes in your house and redirect them towards your home or even re-design your roof entirely and transform it into a better water-collecting basin.
Link the device to the main water supply to act as backup (if you wish to)
Having a rainwater harvesting device doesn’t mean you won’t have to connect to the main water supply. However, a backup plan is vital with the increasing water shortages we’re experiencing.
Whether you connect the mains water supply to your storage tank depends on the individual. However, combining them could enable you to replenish the tank when it is empty. This tank could aid in maintaining this water harvesting device, but it needs to comply with rigorous regulations of the government.
Then it’s done! After all the pipes, connections, pumps, filters, and openings have been installed, along with all drainpipes and water-catching devices on the roof installed, as well as connected to the tank, everything will be in good order.
