Rain Catchment Systems

Water is essential to life. Constructing rain catchment systems to provide water for livestock, gardens, and other utility purposes is like having insurance. You never know when you might need it. Be sure to check with local authorities before you invest in a rain catchment system. In many western states, catching rainwater is illegal. While some states like Colorado have repealed these laws, others have not. Some cities, homeowners’ associations and areas prohibit the installation of visible rain barrels or containers.

Rain catchment systems can be as simple as setting a bucket or barrel under a rain gutter downspout. You can then use the water collected on gardens or flowerbeds. Some people have found that adding a few goldfish to the barrel will help keep mosquito larvae in check. This water cannot be used for consumption but is great for watering plants and flowers. If you want the option of using the water for human consumption, then you can place a fine-mesh screen over all openings into the rain catchment container to keep out mosquitoes and other bugs.

Cisterns

A cistern is a large, underground holding tank for water. Many are constructed of concrete block or poured concrete that has an electric pump to supply the barn or house with utility water. Cisterns are filled by directing all the downspouts into the holding tank. Every drop of water that falls onto your roof ends up in the cistern. These systems can provide safe drinking water by adding a water purification system between the water line from the cistern and the lines inside your house.

Another option is the plastic pre-fabricated cisterns, which are long and shallow. These are easy to install and do not require digging a large hole before installation. Round and square cistern tanks that remain above ground can be purchased from most farm stores. The above ground containers are extremely heavy. A pumping system may be necessary to get the water from the tank.

55-gal Barrels

You can buy the large plastic 55-gallon barrels from specialty suppliers, large builder’s centers like Home Depot or Lowes, or as discards from food manufacturing facilities. The thing to look for is that the barrels are food-grade plastic and if you buy them used, make sure that they only held something suitable for human consumption.

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You will want to set the barrels or tanks on a stable platform, and high enough so that if you are going to use a garden hose from the barrel to the garden, that you have enough of a drop to create an acceptable gravity-fed water flow.

Build the platform using materials that are easily and inexpensive to buy. For the square tanks, you can even used pallets to support and raise the tank off the ground. You can place faucets into the barrels or tanks, so hoses can be attached allowing you to water your garden, flowerbeds, wash the car or hose off the drive. In one afternoon, you can complete a simple rain catchment system for anywhere from $100 to $500, with the major cost probably being the tanks or barrels.

The amount of water you collect is based on the average amount of rainfall your area receives and the square footage of your roof. An area that receives three feet of rain per year that falls on a house with 1000 square feet of roof will catch about 6 gallons per cubic feet or about 1800 gallons per year. If you think about how much money, time and energy goes into purifying enough water for a city, collecting your own water will reduce costs and energy use.

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When considering the different ways of building rainwater catchment systems, keep in mind that water that runs off asbestos, tar, and gravel roofs’ should not be used for anything. Chemicals that are dangerous to people and animals leach into the water making it unsafe.