Rainwater harvesting system and options for using rainwater in the home

The use of precipitation will provide significant savings in water extracted from a well or well.In addition, it will help reduce energy consumption, as it allows you to turn on pumping equipment less often. However, you don’t know how to collect nature’s free “gift” for further use?

We'll show you how to do this. The article discusses a rainwater collection system and options for using precipitation for domestic needs. The device, design specifics are described, and the effectiveness is assessed taking into account the funds spent on organizing an alternative water supply.

For interested visitors, we have selected organizational diagrams with underground and above-ground reservoir locations, presented photos with options for masking the storage tank, and collected useful videos that allow you to organize water collection on your own.

Precipitation Application Options

Everything is in order with fresh water reserves in Russia, but the most economical owners of private lands have increasingly begun to think about the rational use of natural resources.

Along with solar panels and homemade windmills, they create universal rainwater collection systems that produce positive results on dry days or during periods when the water in the well runs out.

Excellent practical experience exists in Germany, Holland, Belgium and other European countries.Considering that it is simply impractical to waste tap water on flushing a toilet tank, Europeans have come up with many schemes for using absolutely free, but no less useful natural water.

The diagram of a home water supply system includes the following important components: a water collection field (roof), pipeline, storage tank, pumping equipment, filtration system

Thanks to the use of rainwater, the cost of depreciation of the pumping and cleaning equipment, personal budget savings occur.

The system is so simple that in the absence of a completely finished factory model, you can always assemble it yourself.

The main purpose of the drainage system is to collect the maximum amount of rainwater and move it to a storage tank. The liquid is then used for various household needs: washing, washing, cleaning, watering.

No additional purification is needed for watering, but for showering or washing dishes, the water must be filtered. For this purpose, several filters are installed into the water supply, and both coarse and fine cleaning will be required.

To drain excess water or carry out cleaning procedures, another hole is drilled in the tank and a pipe leading to the sewer system is installed.

A reserve container of water can help out both in case of a shortage of water from the main source, and in the event of force majeure.

If you decide to clean the well, then volumetric tank It will allow you to wash, wash, and water your garden crops. Instead of one container, you can install several, then you won’t have to save money.

Organizing rainwater collection for your home

There are no permits or strict regulations required to install rainwater harvesting equipment. At its core, this is a variant of a conventional drainage system, but more rational.

To make the accumulation and transportation of water more efficient, it is necessary to take into account some nuances - the condition of the roof, types of storage tanks, the ability to quickly pump water into the house.

Step #1 - choosing the optimal roof shape

There is a popular opinion that only sloping roofs are suitable as a working surface for collecting water. Indeed, when water flows by gravity into gutters located around the perimeter, it is easier to organize its movement in the desired direction. To do this, you do not need to install additional “traps” and lay communications under the roof.

In fact, there are systems designed for flat roofs as well. When laying layers of insulation and waterproofing, maintain a slope of at least 3%, and install a gutter or tray to collect water at the lowest point.

Drainage devices for flat roofs also include funnels connected to drain risers. The risers can be located either inside the building or installed on an external wall.

To stimulate the movement of water to the water intake funnel, a depression within a radius of half a meter is arranged around it.

The funnel for siphon-vacuum drainage “sucks up” water, so it is suitable even for roofs without a slope. It is designed in such a way that water without air enters the system

The funnel design may vary. For example, for inversion roofs, two-level roofs are provided that collect and drain condensate from under the insulation layer and rainwater from the roof surface.

Traditional flat roofs are equipped water collection devices with one level, thanks to which rainwater is redirected into the drainage system.

All types of water intake devices must be equipped with mesh protection against volatile contaminants, leaves and dust. For trays, gutters and funnels, protective devices are produced in the form of perforated panels, mesh baskets, etc.

On exploited flat roofs, a flat protection is installed flush with the surface; on unused ones, it rises above the roof. In addition to the main funnel, several reserve ones are installed, in case the main one becomes clogged and fails.

All devices lead to one pipeline. It has an internal location, that is, it is located under the roof, and a hermetically sealed closed shape, often in the form of a rectangular box. The gravity channel is wider, the siphon-vacuum channel is narrow. The outlet is located above or near the storage tank.

Metal tiles are a practical, relatively inexpensive and convenient material for roofing work. Polymer colored coating that performs protective and aesthetic functions and does not affect water quality

The shape of the roof also does not affect the composition of the water, and the roofing material can cause poisoning or illness. As you know, asbestos, which is part of asbestos boards and slate, is very dangerous.

Nowadays, these materials are rarely used for roofing, but if you decide to provide a drainage system for an old house, be careful. Copper and lead are also dangerous and can be found in pipes, gutters or fasteners.

Safe roofing options:

Absolutely safe and modern PVC drainage systems, the most convenient for do-it-yourself installation.

Step #2 - selection of water collectors and storage tanks

Precipitation falls irregularly, so there are no devices without a “transfer base” that directly connect trays to water collection points. It is necessary to organize a large container for storing the collected water, which will allow it to be used only as needed.

The prototype of all modern tanks is an ordinary barrel. It can still be found in summer cottages, installed directly under the drainpipe.

The effectiveness of using a barrel is conditional, since it has a small volume and is not suitable for home water supply. In addition, there are no overflow systems planned in its design; all excess spills over the edges and enters the ground.

The purpose of an ordinary metal or wooden barrel is to collect a small amount of rainwater and then use it for economic purposes: for watering or cleaning

For water storage systems, volumetric tanks are made, which can be divided into two categories:

• groundinstalled under the drainage system near the wall (or inside the building);
• underground, buried in the ground near the house.

The material for all types is the same - it is polyethylene, less often concrete, fiberglass or steel. Synthetic rainwater storage tanks are in the lead because they are not inferior in performance to analogues made from other materials, but at the same time they are much lighter and therefore more convenient for transportation and installation.

The volume of above-ground tanks is from 750 to 2000 liters, underground - from 2000 to 5000 liters.

Modern products are completely ready for connection - they have a large hatch in the upper part and a fitting with a tap in the lower part (for ground-based versions)

Large underground tanks are equipped with surface or submersible pump for forced movement of water to water collection points. The use of various equipment requires additional fluid purification. To do this, a filtration system is used: a coarse filter is installed at the entrance to the tank, and the same one is installed at the outlet.

Options for plastic tanks for collecting and storing rainwater:

If water flows to sinks for washing or washing dishes, fine filters with a mesh of no more than 5 microns, as well as multi-stage carbon units, are required.

Step #3 - organizing a drainage system

Suppose your private house is equipped with a full-fledged storm drain, including a set of gutters and trays, downpipes, sand traps and a sewer outlet to small septic tank.

Is it possible to install a structure to use rainwater in a house without major changes? Of course, but you will have to supplement the circuit with storage capacity and related equipment.

First, you will have to analyze the state of the accumulating plane, that is, the roof. You should check its integrity, cleanliness, and if necessary, change the roofing covering to a safer one.

If the storm structure of pipes and trays is in order, a large factory-made polyethylene tank can be attached directly to it. Install a fitting at the bottom of the tank for emergency draining.

In order not to disturb the design of the storm drain, the easiest way is to install a large plastic barrel for irrigation, but it will not be suitable for house maintenance

If there is a need to install a large underground tank, you will have to make adjustments to the old structure - most likely, change the location of the sewer pipes. By digging a pit and installing pumping equipment, you will have to re-lay the communications for the drains.

We offer two options for installing rainwater use systems - with an above-ground and underground tank.

Construction of a simple system with a barrel

To assemble the easiest circuit, you will need a kit for installing gutters, a filter, a ready-made water tank, a short hose and mounting hardware.

The result of the work will be a simple system for collecting water from a sloping roof with a large plastic tank as a storage tank

We purchase plastic gutters, trays and pipes of the required size at a hardware store. If you are not satisfied with plastic, we use galvanized steel parts, homemade or factory-made.

We assemble the drainage system in the following order:

• Using special brackets or hooks, we secure the gutter along the edge of the roof;
• At the corner, in a place convenient for installing the tank, we hang the drainpipe;
• we connect the main elements with a receiving funnel;
• We seal seams and joints.

At installation of gutters make sure that there is a slight slope towards the pipe (2-3 cm per 1 m). The sizes of pipes and gutters depend on the roof area. For example, a diameter of 80 mm is sufficient to equip a slope of 25-30 m².

When assembling the corner pipe to which the tank will be connected, do not forget to insert the filter. The funnel can be equipped with the same filter to retain debris and sand.

Next, we need to remove a small fragment from the pipe, and in its place insert a compact collector that redirects water to the tank

We apply markings with a marker, determining the height of the drainage installation at the level of the top of the container.

We take a hacksaw for metal or plastic (depending on the pipe material) and carefully cut out an area corresponding to the size of the insert part

We take out the sawn-off section and insert the collector in its place.

The manifold is prefabricated and consists of two parts: the upper element is threaded onto the edge of the pipe located at the top, the lower element is threaded onto the section below

We tighten the water inlet tightly, then attach the hose to it. This is easy to do if you install the fitting in advance. We cut a hole of a suitable diameter under the tank lid and insert the second end of the hose into it.

If a flexible elastic hose is attached instead of a plastic or steel connecting element, the container can be moved or tilted

An important nuance: a properly prepared foundation will help excess water to freely go into the ground (or into sewer well), and not spill along the house or flood the foundation.

The area for installing the tank is covered with gravel, and a stand is made of ceramic blocks or bricks on top.

Another instruction for installing the Aquacan water collector:

The good thing about assembling factory models is that all the necessary parts and even some of the tools are included with the container.

Diagram of a system with an underground tank

A large container installed near the house can satisfy 50% of the water demand. Thanks to special wiring, rainwater will flow to water collection points that do not require high quality liquid: toilet cisterns, kitchen and watering taps. But even in this case, filters are installed.

The tank can be installed under drainage system on the surface, in the basement or in a pit dug near the house. We will choose the third option, in which the container will be completely immersed in the ground, therefore, it will not occupy a free area near the building and will not spoil the beautiful landscape with its technological appearance.

Another advantage of a reservoir buried in the soil: cooled rainwater is an unsuitable environment for the development of bacteria, therefore it will not “bloom”

We select a container with a volume of 2.5-3.5 thousand liters, and, based on its dimensions, we look for a place for installation.In addition to the dimensions, when digging a pit, we must take into account the groundwater horizons and the level of freezing.

The depth of the pit should be approximately 70 cm greater than the height of the tank, since 20 cm is a gravel-sand cushion, 50 cm is a layer of earth above the tank (freezing in the middle zone and northern regions in winter).

Next we proceed according to the scheme:

• We take out the soil and take the excess to the side;
• we arrange a compacted gravel-sand cushion;
• We install a reservoir in the center of the pit;
• fill it on all sides with a mixture of soil and sand;
• we install pumping equipment and pipes (drainage and leading into the house).

Of course, before connecting electrical equipment, it is necessary to establish a water supply system from the roof and make internal wiring. Installation of drains occurs in the traditional way, a pipe through a hatch supplies water to the container.

The pipeline from the tank leads to certain, pre-selected points. Inside the house, in the utility room or basement, there is a place for installing a pump, filters, and control equipment.

Scheme of using a rainwater collection system: 1 – water level sensor; 2 – float device; 3 – filter; 4 – surface pump; 5 – water tank; 6 – siphon; 7 – filter

After installation and connection, it is necessary to perform a test start: fill the container with water and turn on the pump. If everything is in order, the liquid will quickly flow to the water collection points.

The container should not be empty, as ground movements can cause deformation of the body. If water runs out during a drought, it must be replenished from the main source.In order not to measure the water level using improvised means, you can draw a kind of scale on the inside of the wall with divisions in fractions or liters.

Rainwater in the heating system

In some cases, rainwater is used instead of distilled liquid or antifreeze in heating systems of private homes.

Natural characteristics - softness, absence of foreign inclusions and cleanliness - make it suitable for pouring into the heating network. To remove possible contaminants “caught” in the atmosphere, it is initially passed through a filter.

Option for installing a storage tank inside the house (in a boiler room, basement or utility room): a pump, filters, pressure gauge and piping are located nearby

In addition to cleaning procedures, it helps to enrich the liquid with special inhibitors and surfactants that reduce the tendency of water to form corrosion and plaque. Chemical compounds help dissolve lime and other deposits.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Educational informational videos will help you install your own rainwater storage tank.

Video #1. How to make a rainwater collection system with an external tank with your own hands:

Video #2. Useful theoretical information:

Video #3. Preparing a plastic barrel for autonomous water supply:

The purity and natural softness of rainwater allows it to be used for household needs, irrigation, and sometimes to fill the heating system. Thanks to the large storage tank and pump, you can always use a backup water source, which is available when the well is empty.

If you have interesting information, valuable recommendations, or your own experience in installing a system built to collect rainwater, please leave comments. To place them, a block form has been opened below the text of the article.