Harvest the Rain
(Page 2 of 8)
August/September 2003
Adapted from Environmental Building News
Ready-made rain barrels, most commonly made from UV-protected plastic and fitted with lids and screens, are available in capacities ranging from 50 to 65 gallons. With a spigot and carefully fit top and screen, wooden wine barrels and recycled food-grade plastic barrels also can be made into water catchment devices. Maryland's Green Building Program Web site provides step-by-step plans on making your own rain barrel with a recycled barrel, a vinyl hose, PVC couplings and a screen grate.
RELATED CONTENT
Almost every relatively green region on the U.S. and Canada boasts at least one native "medicine pl...
Food historian William Woys Weaver has been gardening since he was a boy. But finding his grandfath...
HARVESTING IN THE MARKET January/February 1988 By Ruth Troetschler Fruit selection and care can hel...
You can use a plastic sled to wash greens and other vegetables harvested from your garden....
Collect deer droppings to use in your garden as organic fertilizer. From the August/September 2009 ...
The best barrels are made of an opaque material (metal, wood or colored plastic) to prevent light transmission and inhibit algae and bacterial growth. To stop barrels from becoming mosquito breeding grounds, fasten a tight-fitting top to them, and screen the ends of downspouts leading into the barrels. As an added measure of protection, add mosquito dunks (which release Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, a biological agent toxic to mosquito larvae) to your barrels (but make sure to label barrels "Not Potable Water"). Tahoma, Washington, resident Dan Borba, who has been harvesting rainwater since 1999, adds a tablespoon of vegetable oil to his barrels' stored rainwater. The oil, he says, coats the water's surface and kills larvae by depriving them of oxygen.
HOME SYSTEMS
For rainwater harvesting systems to be practical as the sole household water source, average annual rainfall of at least 24 inches is recommended, says Gail Vittori of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in Austin, Texas. The entire eastern half of the United States, from the southern tip of Texas to northwestern Minnesota, meets this requirement, as does much of California, western Oregon and Washington, significant pockets throughout the Rocky Mountains and even areas in Arizona.
If you just want a system to offset your water use, a small system usually can be designed for a few thousand dollars. Sole and Maitri Ersson of Portland, Oregon, installed their 1,500-gallon rainwater system, which includes a plastic cistern, well pump, roof washer and UV sterilizer, for less than $1,500. A state-of-the-art rainwater harvesting system (adequately sized for a typical family and with sophisticated filtering and purification components) can cost $15,000 to $20,000.
The cost of your system depends on whether you have an appropriate roof surface or have to replace your roof, how big and what kind of cistern you choose, and what level of filtration and purity you require.
CONSERVE FIRST
The average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day for showers, toilet flushing, clothes washing, cooking and lawn watering. By simply switching to low flush, 1.6-gallon toilets, low-flow showerheads and faucets, horizontal-axis washers and other water-saving appliances, you may be able to reduce your water use by half or more. Conserving water means that you will need less storage capacity, making it possible to buy a smaller (and more inexpensive) cistern. Similarly, if you live in an area that receives a steady supply of rainfall throughout the year, you may only need to size your cistern for a few weeks' worth of water.
Page:
<< Previous 1 | 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Next >>
