Harvesting rainwater is one of the most self-sufficient and environment friendly methods of using water. As much as 80 % of rainwater that falls onto your catchment area can be collected by applying simple methods. This DIY Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting handbook walks you through an easy  process of building a small rain barrel system. If you want to start small and inexpensive, this might be a good option for you.

To get a better estimate of how much water can be collected from a rooftop, please have a look at our second Rainwater Collection Calculator (Rainwater Collection from Rooftops).

Some additional tips about at home rainwater harvesting to remember:

• Never drink untested and unfiltered water. The rainwater collected using this method can be used for purposes such as watering your garden.

• Never place your barrel close to utility services or septic tanks.
• Drain your barrel once in a while.
• You can place some pea gravel around your barrel. This will be helpful in case of overflow.
• Consider installing a gutter debris filter.
• Clean the gutters thoroughly before installing the rainwater barrel.
• Consider installing a first flush diverter to reduce contaminants.
• You can expand your rainwater collecting capacity by connecting an additional barrel.
• Set up a seasonal maintenance schedule.

We hope you find this handbook useful and hope to hear from you in case you try out this solution.