Rain Harvesting

Rain Harvesting

Rain Harvesting

In an effort to conserve water, and to live as “green” as possible, many individuals are starting to create their own outdoor rain harvesting system. Rain harvesting is the process in which a person attempts to collect and store water from the rain in their area. Rainwater systems usually consist of three individual parts.

These are referred to as the “Catchment Area“, “Collection Device” and the “Conveyance System“. Individuals that live in areas that are prone to power outages due to storms and other emergency situations often collect and purify rainwater so that they may continue to drink, clean, cook, and even flush toilets. In this guide, you will learn how to create your own outdoor rain harvesting system for emergency situations.

The first step to rain harvesting is to ensure that you have a device that catches the water. You will also want to have other devices that may assist in bringing water in from other areas near where you place your rain harvesting system. Now, we all know that rain water is, for the most part, “dirty”.

When you acquire a container to catch the rainwater you should create a fixture that will raise the rain barrel high enough from the ground that a second barrel may be placed underneath. I know this seems a little odd, but it will all come together as I continue explaining.

Now, when the top rain barrel is in place, you should perform the following steps:

1. Make a large section of holes in the center of the bottom of the barrel. Water will be flowing from these holes, so you do not want to create large holes but rather a series of small ones. You should get a piece of pipe that is approximately six inches in diameter and measure off the shape of the pipe and cut the holes within the measurement as this pipe will be connected to this area soon.

2. Next, you will want to purchase some clean cotton material that is mesh-like and line the bottom of the top barrel.

3. Now, you should put in about three inches of sand.

4. Once the sand is in place, cover it with charcoal. It is important to avoid using the charcoal that is used on the grill. You will need real, pure charcoal. You should use enough to leave a space of about one foot.

5. In the rest of the barrel, you will want to place gravel.

6. Now, you will want to cut out a section in the middle of the lid where a medium sized funnel can be attached. This will help gather the water.

7. When the rainwater is collected in the top container, it will go through a filtration process. It will then be eliminated from the bottom of the first rain barrel to the bottom one. In order to keep it clean, you will want to place that pipe that is approximately six inches in diameter to the top barrel down to the lid on the bottom barrel.

8. Prior to attaching the pipe to the bottom barrel, cut a hole in the center of the lid and place another medium sized funnel. When rain harvesting, the purified rainwater will come out of the top rain barrel to the bottom and that will serve as your storage.

9. Many individuals will install a sprout on the bottom of the second barrel. This will allow you to collect the purified water easily.

10. Once you have engaged in rain harvesting the water and it has been purified, you may boil the water to finish clearing it of any toxins and store it in one gallon containers.

This is the easiest and most economic manner to create your own outdoor rain harvesting system. Once the water is stored, it will provide you with clean water that can be used to drink, cook, or clean with. Not only that, but it will save a lot of money when it comes to utility costs. Many individuals have successfully created these types of rain harvesting systems, and now you can too!