Water in the country is not a luxury, but a paramount necessity. Okay, you can still bring drinking water with you in cans. And how to water the beds, wash dishes, wash? After work, it’s not bad to take a shower, and to heat a bathhouse — water is needed everywhere. But many people know the problems with water supply firsthand… Fortunately, nature regularly supplies us with this valuable resource — just don’t be lazy to collect it. Summer residents are not lazy: they come up with all kinds of devices that allow rainwater to be “harvested for the future” and used on the farm.
By the way, a lot of rain falls during the summer in our latitudes — there are enough problems for watering, and for a bathhouse, and for washing and cleaning. Checked! I had a dacha where all the water sources are springs in deep ravines near the village. Only the rain and were saved: they carried water from the spring for drinking and cooking, and for other needs — what fell from the sky. So, if the rainwater collection system is established, there will be no problems with water supply at the dacha. And how to fix it?
One barrel, two barrels, three…
It all starts, as a rule, with an ordinary barrel installed under the drain. Simple and without fuss.
But it quickly becomes clear that this is not enough. Firstly, in heavy rain, this lonely barrel is instantly filled, and precious moisture simply pours onto the ground. And secondly, how long will such a supply of water last? Water the beds a couple of times, at best. So, we need a big barrel!
Or even a very large one… and better — not one… Although, of course, such tanks will not decorate the site, but they will definitely get rid of water problems. There’s enough for everything!
In addition to the barrels, I had a tank for half a ton of water — it helped out a lot. But at the time of heavy, prolonged rains, it also overflowed. And the weather — it’s unpredictable, you can’t guess: in another summer it pours from the sky incessantly, and sometimes you have to wait for the next rain for a whole month. That’s where stocks come in handy, and the more the better.
But not everyone will have a huge capacity in the household, it is often easier to put several ordinary barrels. Moreover, such a water collection system can be increased almost indefinitely, attaching additional tanks as needed.
If the barrels are at different levels, the water flows from the top to the bottom itself. If the containers are located at the same height, we recall the school physics course — that part of it where it was said about communicating vessels. The diagram shown in the figure above will help refresh your knowledge — everything is clear, very clearly.
Well, you can do it like that — vertically. It all depends on what type of capacity you have, what kind of space you have for their placement, and simply how it is more convenient for you personally. And by the way, do not forget: you can collect water not only from the roof of the house. A bathhouse, a shed, a shed for firewood — use any structure that has a roof. Greenhouse — including:
If the greenhouse has a pitched roof, it is more convenient to put drains, of course. But, as you can see, it is quite possible to attach a water collection system on an arched, even covered with a film. And watering the plantings in the greenhouse is then more convenient: the barrels are next to each other.
Autonomous water supply due to rain
Some suggest going even further: to build large underground storages where collected rainwater accumulates, and use these reserves for any household needs – from watering the garden and lawn to plumbing in the house. Like this:
Where there is a lot of rain in the season, and there are problems with other water sources, the idea seems promising. On the other hand, in my opinion, this option is suitable only for regions with a warm climate: in our conditions, the system will be idle for most of the year, and the costs of its construction simply will not pay off. And draining water from an underground reservoir for the winter will be more difficult than emptying ordinary barrels…
How to collect water in an open field
As we can see, all the proposed options are designed for the fact that there is some kind of structure with a roof on the site, to which a drain was attached. And if there isn’t one? For example, is the plot new, in an open field? There is a solution for this case as well:
All you need is a barrel and a piece of thick plastic wrap or tarpaulin. Well, some more supports to stretch this same tarpaulin on them. And even an old umbrella is suitable for modest needs. By the way, this design can be useful not only for those who are just starting to develop the site, but also for those who live in arid regions. It’s a shame that so much water is lost when every drop is literally worth its weight in gold!
In this case, of course, stationary structures are more convenient, so as not to pull the tarpaulin every time the clouds come. It is only important to take care of the strength and reliability of the entire structure: a strong wind can break it or overturn it while the barrel is empty.
It is clear that the larger the size of the funnel that catches raindrops, the faster the barrel will be filled. But you can go another way: put two (three, four …) “catchers” smaller in diameter. I don’t know how practical it is, but it looks interesting, right?
To keep the water clean
Rainwater is good for everyone, but there is one disadvantage in its collection systems: leaves and other debris entering the tank from the roof and from the drain. One of the solutions to the problem is mesh filters—lids that are installed on barrels:
But this option is not suitable for everyone. Perhaps a more universal solution is filters built directly into the downpipe:
The designs can be different, the main thing is not to forget about this option in principle when building. Clean rainwater is stored better, and it is more pleasant to use it, you agree.
An idea for those who do not need a stock
Do you have any problems with water on the site or just don’t like barrels and cisterns under drains? Then, perhaps, you will like such a landscape solution:
From such a stream, water may not flow out onto the road, but flow into a pond, for example… Also, by the way, quite a reservoir for collecting water, only much more pleasant to the eye than an iron barrel.
Do you have a rainwater collection system at your dacha? And if so, how does it work?