Rainwater Harvesting Advantages - Disadvantages
Posted by MARTIN PFAFF on
Why Harvest Rainwater
Due to a range of factors, increased infrastructure costs, unpredictable weather patterns and increased consumption, water bills/ rates are or will be rising and are likely to continue to do so for quite some time. In addition many homes & businesses are looking to become greener, more efficient and more self reliant and look towards these technologies as sound investments. Rainwater Harvesting is one of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce water consumption and become more efficient.
The idea behind the process is simple. Rainwater is collected when it falls on the earth, stored and utilized at a later point. It can be purified to make it into drinking water, used for daily applications and even utilized in large scale industries. In short, Rainwater harvesting is a process or technique of collecting, filtering, storing and using rainwater for irrigation and for various other purposes.
To reduce the consumption of groundwater, many people around the world are using rainwater harvesting systems. This practice has been around for thousands of years and has been growing at a rapid pace. Till today, rainwater is used as a primarily source of drinking water in several rural areas. The best thing about rainwater is that it is free from pollutants as well as salts, minerals, and other natural and man-made contaminants. In areas where there is excess rainfall, the surplus rainwater can be used recharge ground water through artificial recharge techniques.
In an urban setting, harvesting is usually done with the help of some infrastructure or The simplest method for a rainwater harvesting system is storage tanks, in-ground or above, a huge range of different sizes and forms is available on the market. Water can be stored here until needed or used on a daily basis. The roofs our homes are the best catchment areas, provided they are large enough to harvest daily water needs.
Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting is an effective and eco friendly method of reducing water usage in your dwelling, which will lead to reduced water bills. Making the switch to an eco friendly rainwater harvesting system is neither complicated or time consuming and will result in a wide range of benefits for your home or business.
1. Easy to Maintain: Utilizing the rainwater harvesting system provides certain advantages to the community. First of all, harvesting rainwater allows us to better utilize an energy resource. It is important to do so since drinking water is not easily renewable and it helps in reducing wastage. Systems for the collection of rainwater are based on simple technology.
The overall cost of installation and operation is much lesser than that of water purifying or pumping systems. Maintenance requires little time and energy. The result is the collection of water that can be used for several applications even without purification.
2. Reducing Water Bills: Water collected in the rainwater harvesting system can be put to use for several non-drinking functions as well. For many families and small businesses, this leads to a large reduction in their utilities bill. On an industrial scale, harvesting rainwater can provide the needed amounts of water for many operations to take place smoothly without having to deplete the nearby water sources.
It also lessens the burden of soil erosion in a number of areas, allowing the land to thrive once again. In fact, it can also be stored in cisterns for use during times when water supplies are at an all time low.
3. Suitable for Irrigation: As such, there is little requirement for building new infrastructure for the rainwater harvesting system. Most rooftops act as a workable catchment area, which can be linked to the harvesting system. Rainwater is free from many chemicals found in ground water, making it suitable for irrigation and watering gardens.
4. Reduces Demand on Ground Water: With increase in population, the demand for water is also continuously increasing. The end result is that many residential colonies and industries are extracting ground water to fulfill their daily demands. This has led to depletion of ground water which has gone to significant low level in some areas where there is huge water scarcity.
5. Reduces Floods and Soil Erosion: During rainy season, rainwater is collected in large storage tanks which also helps in reducing floods in some low lying areas. Apart from this, it also helps in reducing soil erosion and contamination of surface water with chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and fertilizers from rainwater run-off which results in cleaner lakes and ponds.
6. Can be Used for Several Non-drinking Purposes: Rainwater when collected can be used for several non-drinking functions including flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering the garden, washing cars etc. It is unnecessary to use pure drinking water if all we need to use it for some other purpose rather than drinking.
7. Rainwater for drinking purpose: With the right sized system and equipment rainwater can be used for drinking purpose.
more info: www.aloaqua.co.nz
Disadvantages of Rainwater Harvesting
1. Unpredictable Rainfall: Rainfall is hard to predict and sometimes little or no rainfall can limit the supply of rainwater. A proper designed system will ensure that you get the best out of it, it also should have a "mains water" top up to ensure that you don't run out of water.
2. Initial Cost: Depending on the system’s size and technology level. Like solar panels, the cost can be recovered in the years to come, which again depends on the amount of rainfall and sophistication of the system.
3. Regular Maintenance: Rainwater harvesting systems require regular maintenance, this also depends on the sophistication of the system. Self cleaning rainwater filters ( PURAIN ) help to minimize maintenance and keep the water clean.
4. Certain Roof Types may Seep Chemicals : Certain types of roofs may seep chemicals. Check with some specialists ( [email protected]) for your existing building and address it with your architect if you want to build.
5. Storage Limits: The collection and storage facilities may also impose some kind of restrictions as to how much rainwater you can use.
Rainwater harvesting is a system that is gaining speed over time. The right sized system ensures that you will benefit the most from it.
For the right system size, equipment and components please contact: