Rainwater harvesting is becoming an increasingly popular option for eco-friendly households and for people looking for a sustainable living option. Harvested rainwater can be used in many different ways around the home and around your property. With this in mind, many people choose to use the rainwater collected from their roofing. Though this can be done with proper guttering, there are other methods you should consider for maximizing your harvesting.
Rainwater Barrel
Using a rainwater barrel is one of the most common methods in this type of natural resource harvesting. Rainwater barrels can be placed at the end of a downspout or as part of a guttering system. If you choose to use a barrel for the collection, you will need to consider how you want to catch the runoff. There are options of a simple runoff with no guttering or a direct guttering runoff that is either closed or open. Your roofing contractor can help you with a design for the guttering that will not put too much pressure on your roof and will run directly into your rainwater barrel. They can also discuss options for the enclosure of that barrel to ensure that no debris gets into the rainwater.
Roofing Diverter
A roofing diverter can be put in place by your roofing contractor. A diverter works as a rain catch on top of the roof that will divert the rainwater into a direct and specified area. For example, the pitch of your roof may not be conducive to rainwater collection in a barrel. However, your roofing contractor can develop a roofing design that will slope and capture the water, divert the water to the proper gutter and downspout, and help the water flow more evenly into the barrel or rain catch. This can be done without removing existing roofing through modifications to current roofing.
Internal Universal Downspout
You may decide that you want to have a rainwater catch that is within the home. This is ideal if you already have a pre-existing gray water system or if you would like to use a gray water system and want the water readily available. Your roofing contractor would place a universal downspout at a specific spot on your roof. A drainage pipe would then be connected to the universal downspout and run through the walls of the home into your basement or to the area where the rainwater is being collected.
These are ideas that you can discuss with your roofing contractor for your rainwater harvesting needs. Keep in mind, most roofing contractors will also have ideas that may be more beneficial to you for the proper harvesting of your rainwater. If you have any questions, you can discuss those at the time of consultation with your roofer and they can help you with the answers and suggest good alternatives to your design if necessary.
Contact a local roofer today for more information.
Share14 January 2021
When you want to make your home shine, there are some very important basic components you should be mindful of. For starters, you should evaluate the exterior of your home to determine whether or not the siding or exterior cladding needs to be replaced. Next, you should check to see if the roofing needs to be replaced, since it really can make a powerful difference. Roofing can take up a great deal of the visual space from the outside, so think carefully about how yours looks. Pay attention to issues like aged, curling shingles or roofing that contains dips or divots. Check out this blog for great tips about roofing.
