Make rain barrels out of food grade barrels to help keep harvested water clean.
Rainwater harvest from gutters.
Such structures may not already be fitted with guttering and so it is likely that you will have to install it to collect water into a rain barrel.
Avoid containers that once held petroleum or soap.
Rainwater harvesting quick tips.
The rain will collect in gutters that channel the water into downspouts and then into some sort of storage vessel.
Traditionally this involves harvesting the rain from a roof.
For a roof with no gutters position your barrel under the valley of the roof where two sloped planes meet.
Rainwater harvesting systems provide distributed stormwater runoff containment while simultaneously storing water which can be used for irrigation flushing toilets washing clothes washing cars pressure washing or it can be purified for use as everyday drinking water.
Modify an existing downspout to divert water into your rain barrel.
The same rainwater harvesting methods that are used to harvest rainwater from the roof of your home could also be used to collect rainwater from a shed garage or other garden building.
You can really take this as far as you want.
Here s a handy little calculator to help you estimate how much rainwater can you harvest from your roof.
How much rainwater can you harvest from your roof.