Eco Friendly Rain Harvesting Systems

Almost half of the water used in the United States is used in summer when hoses are used to water lawns and gardens. Water conservation is a big ecology issue and the more we save, the better off we will be. Collecting or harvesting rainwater is a perfect solution. It may not supply all the water you need, but it will greatly cut back on the amount of house water you use. The thing is, you need to collect it in a way that keep is safe and free from bacteria and other harmful substances. You need to get a special rain harvesting system. It also has the extra benefit of keeping excess water off the lawn and out of the garden so the soil will not turn into a soggy mess and the plants will not drown in too much moisture.

One of the most innovative systems is the Rainwater Pillow . It comes in sizes that can hold from 1,000 to 40,000 gallons of water. Since it is shaped like a pillow and lies horizontally rather than standing vertically it can be hidden under a deck or crawl space. It collects, filters and stores the water. You can hook it up to your garden hose, a lawn sprinkler or a drip irrigation system.

Aaron's Rain Barrels has three choices, two the come in white, but can be painted any color and one a traditional wooden rain barrel. The first one is a 59 gallon barrel that is made from food grade recycled plastic. It comes with an attachment to put on the end of the drain spout to send the water into the barrel. It is sealed so a child cannot accidently fall in. The second barrel is similar to the first except that it has an extra spigot. The wooden barrel is a solid oak whisky barrel. It comes with a rainwater diverter that is easy to install.

Arid Solutions Inc. has a different and very innovative system. Their water barrels have an octagon shape with a top that slants towards the middle so that any rain that collects will go directly into the barrel. It holds 54 gallons, but if you need a bigger system, you can stack another one on top, connect the two together and you have a 108 gallon tank.

All of the systems are easy to clean, which you should do on a regular basis. Also, you can attach a drip irrigation system and set them to water your garden while you are away.