Collecting rainwater can do wonders for you and your property!
The general concept of rainwater harvesting has become increasingly popular in recent years, and these days it’s becoming increasingly important for Utah homeowners to recognize the value in their rainwater and make the most of it. The general definition of rainwater harvesting is storing rainwater within large containers with the intentions of re-using it for a variety of purposes throughout one’s property.
Modern plumbing has in many ways made rainwater harvesting a thing of the past, except for in very remote areas that lack certain plumbing technologies. But in recent years there has been a resurgence in the overall popularity of this practice, even in urban areas like Salt Lake City. Countless homeowners are looking for ways to reduce their monthly bills and overall water usage in an effort to be more environmentally conscious, and rainwater harvesting is one of the easiest ways to do so!
If you’re interested in learning more about how rainwater harvesting can help you save on your home’s overall water usage then you should ultimately get a fundamental understanding of what this entails, which is exactly why we’ve created this article to provide you with some of the basic information oriented around rainwater harvesting.
The following are a few key terminologies you should know about:
Catchment Area
Your catchment area will be the part of your property that you aim to collect rainwater from, and most households will utilize their roof as their catchment area. What typically happens with a rooftop catchment area is that you’ll connect tubes and other types of pipes to your gutters to redirect the rainwater into your storage container(s).
There may be some roof types that are better than others when it comes to rainwater harvesting, but for the most part you’ll be fine even with shingles and all types of rare roofing alternatives.
Creating a land surface catchment area is also a common alternative to utilizing your roof, which can be a little less complicated in some ways. This method essentially entails utilizing a large land surface to catch rainwater, as opposed to redirecting it via your gutters.
Conveyance System
This system is the portion of your rainwater harvesting technology that will adequately transport the water you collect from your catchment area into your storage containers.
It’s important to keep in mind that you’re inevitably going to collect dust and dirt particles if you’re collecting the initial rainwater that runs off your roof at the beginning of a storm, and that the cleanest rainwater will come later once the dirt particles from your roof have been washed away.
One good strategy to mitigate the initial dirt found at the beginning of rainstorms is to utilize a flap that allows dirty water to travel through a down-pipe while also allowing cleaner water to flow directly into your storage container.
Collection System
Your collection system refers to the types of storage containers you’ll utilize for your rainwater harvesting, and there ultimately are many different types to choose from.
Plastic barrels tend to be one of the more common collection systems found within residential households, but there are also specialized rainwater tanks that have a filtering system that might work even better than generic plastic barrels.
It will be important to make sure that you’re utilizing a rather large collection system so you’ll be able to collect larger quantities of rainwater with each storm.
Benefits Of Rainwater Harvesting
There are many different benefits associated with rainwater harvesting, including the following:
- Watering plants: rainwater is exponentially better for your house plants and garden as compared to tap water, and this is because your tap water is going to be infused with several different types of hard, harmful minerals. Rainwater is also subsequently infused with many different types of beneficial minerals that plants love!
- Doing laundry: Using your rainwater supply for laundry is also a really great strategy, especially when you’re trying to wash delicate fabrics that could be damaged when put in your washing machine. Rainwater is very soft, so it’s subsequently a lot gentler on your clothes and better for delicates.
- Household chores: There are many other household chores that rainwater is very useful towards, including things like washing dishes, rinsing dirty shoes/boots, rinsing fruits and veggies, composting, and much more.
- Reducing monthly bills: It’s true that regularly practicing rainwater harvesting can end up having a pretty substantial impact on your monthly bills over long periods of time. Rainwater harvesting also provides households with a backup water supply just in case a drought occurs and water usage prices skyrocket!
Reach Out To The Beehive Plumbing Team For More Information About Rainwater Harvesting!
Rainwater harvesting is just one of the many ways in which homeowners can help save money on their monthly water bills, and it also just so happens to have many benefits for your plants and entire property!
Reach out to us online or call us at 801-661-8155 today to learn more about how rainwater harvesting can support you and your home!
