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Getting Started With a Home Water Collection System

Setting up a water collection system is one of the easiest home improvement projects there is, and you’ll start reaping the benefits almost immediately.

Water collection systems used to be a common sight, particularly in rural areas. In recent years,. with increasing awareness of the importance of conservation, rainwater barrels and storage tanks have seen a big revival in towns, cities and rural communities alike.

Reasons to Use a Rainwater Collection System

Using a rain water collecting system not only saves you money on your water bills, it will also help to reduce demand on municipal water supplies, particularly during the summer months when demand is high. You may be surprised at how much water a rain barrel collects; with an average size roof, about a quarter inch of rainfall will fill the average size rain barrel.

The other main advantage is that the water you collect in your rain barrel will contain no chlorine, lime or or calcium, and have less dissolved salts and sediments than municipal water. This makes it much more suitable for watering lawns, flower beds and vegetable gardens, and for washing windows.

It’s not recommended that you use the water you collect for drinking, or washing dishes. However, with a water purification system, you can use the water for these purposes in an emergency situation.

Installing Your Rainwater Collecting System

The beauty of rain water collecting systems is that the water catchment structure is already installed; it’s the roof of your house! All you need is a rain barrel, which you simply connect to the down pipe from the roof.

You will need to install a faucet onto the rain barrel, if it doesn’t have one already. You’ll also need to install a wire mesh to prevent leaves, twigs and insects getting into the water barrel. You can also look at connecting the rain barrel into your drip irrigation system if you have one.

For more information on collecting rain water for your garden, please read this article on simple rainwater harvesting.

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