This article focuses on the importance of building a greenhouse rainwater catchment system to collect water from the greenhouse during rain. With droughts across the country, it is crucial to implement a rainwater harvesting system for your greenhouse to improve sustainability and reduce costs associated with maintaining crops or nursery. The benefits of year-round planting and harvesting are realized.
To create a rainwater supply from your greenhouse roof for use in your garden, you can use barrels or tanks. A rainwater capture system uses gravity, gutters, a large container, and a hose to create a free-flowing spigot, making it easy to irrigate potted plants. A roof washer is typically used to divert the first flush of collected water.
Rainwater collection for greenhouses provides a sustainable, reusable source of water that helps maintain plant health while they grow. Small aluminum gutter channels on the top of the side walls direct water to the four corners, while plastic end caps with a down pipe diverter direct water into a water butt for storage. PVC pipes direct the gutter water into three water containers, and once the water fills the first container, it flows up into the pipe to the second.
To create a rainwater collection system, gather your gear, such as copper pipes, rubber mats, putty/silicone, and a rubber mat or putty/silicone. By following these steps, you can create a rainwater supply from your greenhouse roof for use in your garden, saving you money on water usage and promoting sustainable practices.
📹 Catching Rain Water from the Greenhouse ~ Homestead Corner
… this water rain catchment system my husband puts up for us he puts it on the side of our greenhouse and it’s just it’s screwed on …
Is it illegal to collect rainwater in the USA?
The collection of rainwater is not prohibited by federal legislation; however, numerous states have enacted restrictions, and the regulation of water is primarily the responsibility of the states. Some states even provide incentives for the collection of rainwater.
Is rain water collected from a roof safe?
The Texas Department of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) advises using collected rainwater for outdoor purposes like landscape irrigation, watering indoor and outdoor plants, filling water fountains, and washing cars. However, harvested rainwater may contain harmful substances, so it is advised to avoid using it for drinking, cooking, or brushing teeth. Texas annually holds a Water-Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday, allowing consumers to purchase rain barrels, soakers, drip irrigation hoses, and moisture control irrigation systems without paying state sales taxes.
The Texas Property Code also encourages rainwater harvesting by preventing homeowner associations from prohibiting water capture systems. In addition to state incentives, many Texas municipalities offer financial incentives like discounts and rebates to encourage rainwater collection.
Why is it illegal to collect rainwater in the UK?
The belief that rainwater harvesting is illegal originates from the United States, where some states have water rights dating back over 150 years. However, the UK has no such laws and it is legal to collect rainwater from property. Key regulations for collecting, storing, and using rainwater include the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), which includes “Backflow Prevention” which outlines measures to prevent non-potable water from mixing with potable water. These regulations ensure proper water management and safety in the UK.
How to keep water from stagnating naturally?
To prevent stagnant water in a pond, install an aeration system, use beneficial bacteria, add rocks and plants, and remove debris quickly. Healthy Ponds offers products that make pond care simple. Stagnant water can lead to serious issues, such as mosquito issues, as they breed and transmit diseases like West Nile Virus, Zika virus, and malaria. To prevent this, consider adding beneficial bacteria, rocks, and plants, and removing debris quickly. Despite the potential dangers, preparing your pond for the warmest months of the year is essential for maintaining its health.
Why is it illegal to collect rainwater in Colorado?
Colorado and Utah have updated their laws to allow rainwater harvesting, although restrictions may still exist, particularly for commercial collection on farms and large commercial properties. The law prohibits rainwater harvesting on property, as it suggests that rainwater collected could flow downstream into someone else’s water supply. However, Colorado and Utah are moving towards legalizing rainwater harvesting, with restrictions likely to remain, particularly around large commercial properties.
In California, there are no regulations in place to prevent water collection, allowing homeowners to install rainwater harvesting systems like water tanks and collect rainwater from their roofs for outdoor or indoor use.
Is rain water no longer safe to drink?
A study comparing the levels of four common forms of polyfluorocarbons (PFAS) in rainwater, soils, and surface waters found that at least two forms of PFAS in rainwater, PFOA and PFOS, often exceed safe drinking water levels, as advised by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The chemicals also exceed environmental protection agencies’ standards in different parts of the world. The maximum safe levels for PFAS vary from 0. 004 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA to 2, 000 ppt for PFBS.
Excessive PFAS levels can lead to harmful effects on the immune system, cardiovascular system, fertility, and child development. It can also suppress children’s response to vaccines, making them less effective. The EPA suggests that PFOA may cause cancer in humans. Microplastics are also contaminating everyday lives, with packaging from restaurants like Sweetgreen and Chik-Fil-A containing dangerous PFAS chemicals.
Is rain water safe to drink?
Rainwater from the sky is generally safe to drink, but it collects on the roof of your property, which can pick up debris, pathogens, and microbial pollutants that can make it unsafe for drinking. As the rainwater sits in your tank, bacteria can develop, so it’s important to treat the water and add another layer of filtration before it enters your property. For more information on safe rainwater filtration, refer to a previous post.
How to keep rain water from stagnating?
To ensure the quality of your rainwater collection, it’s crucial to keep the tank closed but not completely sealed and airtight. This will prevent stale water and reduce stagnation. Ventilation can be achieved through a vented manway, lid, vent line, or tank overflow.
A tank overflow is essential for total rainwater quality. It provides a place for excess rainwater to go when the collection container is full, preventing it from flooding out of the manway or fill point. This prevents water pooling, which can negatively impact the quality of stored rainwater.
Another advantage of an overflow is that if the overflow part is positioned upwards, it can effectively skim and remove any floating solids. All tank overflows should be set up to discard excess rainwater away from the base of the collection container to prevent potential erosion around the foundation.
Why is collecting rainwater illegal in California?
The practice of rainwater collection is subject to legislative restrictions in certain jurisdictions, largely due to concerns that excessive harvesting could disrupt the natural cycle of rainfall returning to the earth.
Why is it illegal to collect rainwater in Canada?
The National Plumbing Code in Canada allows for the collection of rainwater for non-potable uses like toilet flushing and outdoor irrigation. However, most provinces lack significant legislation, and the law of capture is not well defined and varies for residential and non-domestic uses. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has developed publications and reports to help Canadians design and install rainwater capture systems that comply with these codes, regulations, and bylaws.
Many provinces have little to no provincial property rights pertaining to rainwater, but local municipalities have bylaws outlining criteria for capture and storage containers. Alberta has a set of Rainwater Harvesting Guidelines for residential use, which provide additional detail and support conformance to CAN/CSA 128. 1 Design and Installation of Non-Potable Water Systems/Maintenance and Field Testing of Non-Potable Water Systems. The Alberta Building Code and the National Plumbing Code requirements have precedence over these guidelines.
How long can rainwater be stored?
Rainwater can be stored in rainwater tanks for a week to indefinitely, depending on the care taken, materials used, and prevention of algae or mosquito infiltration. These tanks can be used to maintain garden thriving, clean cars, or keep pools topped up. The primary requirement for rainwater tank material is a substance that won’t break down quickly and doesn’t emit chemicals into the water supply.
Most Australian water tanks are made from high-quality plastic, which is lightweight, easy to install, and won’t degrade quickly. Other materials for tank installation include stainless steel, aluminum, and aluminum.
📹 Best Ways to Collect Rainwater
Water water everywhere… but not a drop to water your garden?! Why not save water and save on your bills by collecting rain water …
Great article. I live in a town house, so I grow on my deck. I took an old umbrella, put a hole in the top, and then turned it upside down over a 5 gallon bucket. the umbrella increases the surface area, and also slows down evaporation. If it gets full, I fill up empty plastic juice bottles with the water. It’s not elegant, but it means I don’t have to fill up water bottles from my kitchen sink all the time.
I am from Howick South Africa and my capacity for Rain Water Harvesting is +- 8 000 Litres. I use this water for household use via a pressure pump and filter as well as the garden with one tap having municipal (council) via a triple water filtration system for drinking, cooking. When the tanks run out, I switch to municipal (council) water. In a very good year I can be off municipal (council) water up to 8 months and as an average 5 to 6 months. I shall soon commission a grey water system for the garden, but not for eatable plants. From the geyser to the bathroom you can waste up to 10 litres before the hot water arrives and this collected in bucket can be emptied into the garden. I might add its important to keep the gutters ‘clean’ and to introduce a leaf catcher into the gutter down pipe.
If you don’t have a gutter or downspout, don’t let that stop you from having a rain barrel! This is my first year with a rain barrel. I put it on two cinder blocks under a corner of my gutter-less roof, and it has filled up nicely with water. I constantly use it because it’s often more convenient than the hose.
Great article Ben… Rain water is acidic. The levels of acid vary by region (more acid if you are close to industrial air pollution, downwind of a large city), but all of it is more acidic than all other water sources. It’s worth keeping in mind if your soil is also acidic or alkaline. So check your rain water every once in a while, to better understand it (and adjust the ph if desired, which is really easy to do). Cheers.
We have been using rain barrels for the last 10 years and will most likely add to our double barrel set up. We use the collected water not only for watering, but also to cleans pots, bins and tools. We sometimes go for weeks without rain here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, so it’s wonderful that Mother Nature can be bottled for later use! Blessings…daisy
We are having a bad drought here in Va right now. I have 2 water containers, one on either side of my house to catch the water. One waters my horses and chickens, the other my garden. The garden one ran dry the other day. They are IBC containers. I’m going to set up another tank at the barn before winter to catch all that I am missing. Actually just a trough hooked to the guttering. It’s so great to use that good water instead of the chemical laced water we pay for.
We have been giving IBC tanks to plot holders to harvest and store rainwater, it is surprising how much you can gather. By making a loose fitting frame (not fixed) to the top of the IBC and stapling a very loose sheet of plastic to the frame, a hole in the middle of that and rainwater collects in the saggy plastic and drips right into the top cap of the tank. The tank keeps itself topped up year round and will be full at the end of winter. Another plot holder has a woodpile he manages for home use, he keeps it dry by covering with wrinkly tin, this is angled down at one end and feeds a water butt. Another idea is guttering attached to a fence, again angled to fill a butt. There are so many good ideas for rainwater harvesting out there, limited by your own imagination…Steve…😃
We have 4 large water butts in the garden (one next to a shed with sloped roof, 2 against walls of the house and one against our lean-to greenhouse), but due to most of our garden being in containers, even after a bit of a downpour they soon dry up again with sunny / windy weather in the summer, so we can empty those butts pretty quickly! What we have done however, is have our shower and bath drain pipes go down into our storm drain in the garage (grey water). We then use a pump with a hose to pump it out and either directly water with it or fill up the water butts. It is a bit smelly, but we’ve used it for the past few years now and none of the plants seem to mind at all. Just another great way to reuse and cut down the water bill 🙂
Love this article. Thank you for this. I have a rain catch system behind my shed with 4 55 gal drums for the drier months. They also are connected from the bottom so they fill in unison. I hate lugging the water, but the self sufficiency is nice. I got the idea from a few youtubers so I would highly recommend checking youtube for articles on this type of set up and the pros and cons (joint cracking below freezing etc). Happy gardening!
Hello Ben, great article👍 how mean not being able to collect water. We have a well and have plenty of water. A month ago the water was tested and we are good to go. The water is good like drinking water. But we also collect rainwater in 3 buds 320 liters each and a big one holdkng 1200 liters with a filtersystem in it against moos and other things that could be on the roof. I also collect water from the kitchensink from washing veg or my hands without soap, when it is not raining. I just put a big bowl in the sink and when its full, use it to water the garden. 🙋🏼♀️🌻 happy gardening
I’ve just begun researching this topic and I have a small patio garden. The setup I have at the moment is I use the starter trays placed under some of my elevated raised garden totes to collect water during rainfall, then I transfer to watering containers. I also leave containers out without lids on to collect rain as well—these I place under patio chairs. This article has certainly gave me a few more ideas to collect even more rainfall in a small area where I’m limited from doing a more elaborate set up. Thank you!!!
Where I live, we get 2,599 mm or rain annually, on average. We also just went through 7 weeks with no measurable rain. I now have two 200 litre rain barrels joined at the base and am about to add a third. Joining at the bottom means I only take water from the barrel ‘on the end’ so the system self-levels. The city provided one of the barrels for $50 (CDN), less than half the price it would be from a home improvement store.
Thank you for the eye opener. We plan to filter the water with two or three makeshift filters as it runs into the containers (made up of fabric, gravel, sand and charcoal) and have the final result running into a container with a water tight seal. As the containers fill up, there will be an exit drain for any possible (if at all) excess water use of nothing but clean water being spilled out into a drain pipe (or possible pond). ….. I thought this up as I was typing….time to get to work!!! Ttyl!
Last year I was given 2 plastic rain storage barrels with covers, each about 50 US Gallons. I have them mounted an a pressure treated wood platform but have vet to install the spigot or the crossovers for water flow. My grandfather always used rainwater but I remember no matter how hard we tried the barrels always had a thriving population of mosquito larvae. I’ve read a bit of pool chlorine granules will kill them all (who doesn’t want to kill mosquitos!) but I am worried the chlorine addition (quite mild) would harm the plants. What are your thoughts?? Tom
Hey Ben, great informative post. I’ve an IBC and intend to get another. What would be a fantastic idea is to be able to connect an IBC to an irrigation system, using a small and simple solar panel to power a pump. Any advice or ideas greatly welcomed. Keep going Ben you’re dites been a great source of information and entertainment..😂
Help! Newbie to vegetable growing. I recently moved to a new house and it has an established lidded water butt that is full. Is it safe to use the water for my veggies? Or do i need to empty it, clean it out then start again? I’m not sure how long the water has sat in there. I am so inspired by you and your website 🙂
I’ve had a 200 litre water butt from previous person that lived here. It fills with black sludge in the bottom & nothing comes out of the tap. I’ve recently researched & realised I need to clean it every year end of winter /beginning of spring! I cleaned it recently with jeyes fluid & put 2 pop socks (like the leg of tights/stockings) over the inlet guttering to stop debris from roof entering. It rained on Saturday & the water butt is full!!! I am amazed. I left 3 flexi tubs, a bucket and tub out & they only collected 1cm of water. Considering looking to see if space to fit slimline water butt to old greenhouse & new shed. Slab base…..so not sure where an overflow hose would go……unless it goes into the soil border? 🤔
I live in S. Portugal and roof guttering is both expensive and difficult to install so I use a series of 40 litre buckets under the roof drip line and an electric water pump. I then pump into 7 x 1,000 ltr tanks. I am working on finding space for at least another one tank. We get very little rain some winters so I also need to increase the number of buckets for when it does rain. We also have a borehole which I use for the automatic irrigation as the rainwater is simply insufficient for the 6 months of drought and heat.