There are many reasons why it is convenient to know a little more about rainwater harvesting for domestic use, whether we live in a fairly remote place where it is very difficult to obtain water in the traditional way or also because we want to break away from a little of the traditional systems and we want a much more sustainable and ecological home.
Regardless of the reason, today we have for you information that may be of great interest about this type of system, we also bring you a small guide so you can learn how to make a water collection system without much effort and with very little investment.
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What is a rainwater harvesting system for domestic use?
Rainwater harvesting systems for domestic use are simply fabrications, constructions or designs that will allow you to collect and store rainwater to be used later for different uses within the home (and it is even perfect for planting).
Clearly it is important to understand that these systems work perfectly in areas with high rainfall and that depending on that you will also have to think of completely different designs. What do we mean by this? That if you are in an area with little rainfall, that is, it rains little or the rain is not constant, you should have more space to store more water for a certain time.
What are the advantages of a rainwater harvesting system for domestic use?
- Saving. Water can be a fairly expensive resource, therefore, this type of system that helps us to separate ourselves a little from the monthly cost of water bills is highly recommended and advantageous.
- We take care of the environment. Rainwater harvesting is a totally ecological process in which we do not harm our environment.
- They are simple and cheap. As we mentioned before, designing and adapting a rainwater harvesting system at home is really simple and cheaper than you might expect.
- Rainwater has many uses. In your house you can use it for bathrooms, filling the washing machine, washing dishes, washing your bicycle, motorcycle or car, in short, for everything you can think of. You can even use it for human consumption if you boil it.
- Rainwater is perfect for irrigation. Do you have a planting and spend too much water on it? Create a small collection system and water your plants without any problem and with greater care with the rainwater that you have collected and stored with your simple system.
What are the main components of a rainwater harvesting system for domestic use?
Collection module
As its name indicates, the collection module is that component of the system that will be in charge of directing the rainwater and directing it to the next component of the collection system.
Clearly our collection module is one of the most important components and we must always keep it clean and make this module a good size to collect large amounts of water.
Driving module
After the water is collected, it is important to conduct it correctly to the place we want it to go, for this, we need a conduction module.
This module, like the previous one, should be kept as clean as possible.
Filtration module
It is key to have a good filtration module to remove all the dirt that the water may have brought during the collection and conduction process.
Although initially this water cannot be drunk, we still want clean water for crops, for use in bathrooms, for cleaning and for many other things.
Storage module
How much water you can store for future use will depend on the storage module. If you do not have much need you can use small tanks, but if you are in very dry areas you should store a lot of water and maintain tanks or reservoirs with easy maintenance.
Distribution module
Finally they need a distribution module to make it easy to take the storage water and use it for everything you might need.
How to make a homemade water catchment system?
As you may have already guessed, there are many ways to create and design homemade rainwater harvesting systems, today we will simply give you an option with a system that is quite simple to design and that you can create without the need to make a large investment (and without having any kind of engineering knowledge).
Steps to create a water catchment system
- Step 1. Create your collection module
The most common is to take advantage of rainwater harvesting on roofs for the collection method, this is done using channels to carry the water to the next module. So your first step is to install a roof gutter collection system.
- Step 2. Drive the carcasses to the filtration system
If you already have your collection system, you simply have to direct it correctly towards the filtration system, this can be done with a few well-installed pipes.
- Step 3. An aluminum mosquito net as a filtration system
The best filtration system you can use is an aluminum mosquito net to prevent the passage of dirt, animals and insects into the tanks.
- Step 4. Install a good tank or reservoir
Here the decision should be yours, you can create tanks of cement, plastic and many other materials. For ease and less hassle today we recommend you start with a plastic barrel that you can easily find at any hardware store.
- Step 5. Secure a distribution system
A distribution system that is easy to adapt and without many difficulties? A simple stopcock at the bottom of the barrel is perfect for quickly and easily removing the rainwater you have stored.
Now you know how to create a simple, homemade water collection system without a large investment! In the same way, we invite you to look at images of rainwater harvesting and completely different systems so that you can take some ideas and adapt them to your system.
One thing that we recommend is that you start with a simple system like the one we have explained before and that little by little, with more time and peace of mind, you add other elements to your system to turn it into something much more complete and effective each time.
To complement the information we give in this article, we invite you to also read how to make a rainwater harvesting system, so that you have more information and can make your decisions with greater security.