Doomsday Tradecraft

Water Collection Systems

1 It all starts with your ROOF SURFACE.  Nearly all roof surfaces are fine for rainwater harvesting. 2 Your gutters should have some sort of GUTTER PROTECTION SCREENING in order to keep large debris from entering the gutters. 3 You can collect rainwater from any type and shape of GUTTER.  You do not need a special gutter for harvesting rainwater. 4 An additional filtration opportunity is with the installation of a RAIN HEAD (downspout filter) that allows for a bit of self-cleaning filtration options. 5 A FIRST-FLUSH DIVERTER helps to prevent the first flush of contaminated rainwater from entering the tank. 6 Another rainwater filtration opportunity is with a TANK SCREEN that is installed on the tank entry point.  It also helps to keep mosquitoes and pests out.

Rain Chains ⛓️

WET SYSTEM This method involves locating the collection pipes underground in order to connect multiple downspouts from different gutters. The rainwater will fill the underground piping and the water will rise in the vertical pipes until it spills into the tank. The downspouts and underground collection piping must have water-tight connections. The elevation of the tank inlet must be below the lowest gutter on the house

7 RAINWATER TANKS come in all sorts of sizes and materials.  8 Install an INSECT PROOF FLAP VALVE on the end of the overflow pipe to keep mosquitoes and pests out. 9 An AUTO-FILL SYSTEM can be installed to keep a minimum amount of water in the tank at all times.  This is very important for rainwater tanks that are connected to automatic irrigation systems in order to prevent the pump from running dry. 10 Select a PUMP SYSTEM to provide pressurized rainwater to distribute the rainwater easier or to connect to an inground irrigation system. 11 Install an IRRIGATION FILTER inline after the pump in order to catch any large debris that may have gotten through the pump. 12 A WATER LEVEL INDICATOR can be helpful with monitoring the water usage from the tank. 

Rain Water Harvesting 💧

RAIN BARRELS This method is the most common and one that many people are familiar with. This involves installing a barrel at a gutter downspout to collect rainwater. The actual barrel may be a recycled barrel or a new commercially available rain barrel.

There are basically three areas where rainwater can be used: • Irrigation use • Indoor, non-potable use • Whole house, potable use

DRY SYSTEM This method is a variation of a rain barrel set-up, but it involves a larger storage volume. Essentially, the collection pipe “drys” after each rain event since it empties directly into the top of the tank.

Precipitation Map to know how much water you receive