mgriffith
03-18-2010, 10:03 PM
Here is a link to a wonderfully designed downspout diverter to collect rain water from the roof. I have used one of these on my house for a few years and they work pretty good (except for some things I'll mention).
Check out this link:
http://www.gardeners.com/Downspout-Diverter/Watering_Accessories,33-991,default,cp.html
The idea is good....collecting rain water without having to run out into the rain to flip a diverter and then remember to flip it back. There are a few improvements I would recommend:
1. Use a clamp on connector instead of the rubber ring grommet and flexible hose that comes with it. When it's pouring down rain and nothing is coming out of the hose because it's clogged, you can't get the hose back into the grommet with the stream of water hitting you in the face.
2. Use a series of barrels connected together to store all that comes off the roof. During the spring rains in Missouri, I can easily catch over 300 gallons from one downspout of the two on the house, which if you use 2 gallons per day for two people, will give the wife and I five months of drinking water (run through a Big Berky, of course). It rains all year so we could just use this method if we had too.
3. Connect the barrels together with ridge PVC pipe and screw connectors so little children don't pull out the hoses and play with all the water that runs out.
I made a crude drawing that is attached. The input pipe comes in from the right, and when it gets about two-thirds full, flows over into the output pipe and then into the two other barrels. The water level will equalize between all of them. The reason to have the first barrel is to allow dirt and stuff to settle to the bottom and only clean water flow into the other barrels. Of course you need an outlet on the last barrel, like a spout at the bottom.
Hope this is helpful.
Mark
Check out this link:
http://www.gardeners.com/Downspout-Diverter/Watering_Accessories,33-991,default,cp.html
The idea is good....collecting rain water without having to run out into the rain to flip a diverter and then remember to flip it back. There are a few improvements I would recommend:
1. Use a clamp on connector instead of the rubber ring grommet and flexible hose that comes with it. When it's pouring down rain and nothing is coming out of the hose because it's clogged, you can't get the hose back into the grommet with the stream of water hitting you in the face.
2. Use a series of barrels connected together to store all that comes off the roof. During the spring rains in Missouri, I can easily catch over 300 gallons from one downspout of the two on the house, which if you use 2 gallons per day for two people, will give the wife and I five months of drinking water (run through a Big Berky, of course). It rains all year so we could just use this method if we had too.
3. Connect the barrels together with ridge PVC pipe and screw connectors so little children don't pull out the hoses and play with all the water that runs out.
I made a crude drawing that is attached. The input pipe comes in from the right, and when it gets about two-thirds full, flows over into the output pipe and then into the two other barrels. The water level will equalize between all of them. The reason to have the first barrel is to allow dirt and stuff to settle to the bottom and only clean water flow into the other barrels. Of course you need an outlet on the last barrel, like a spout at the bottom.
Hope this is helpful.
Mark