Like any other fresh water, rainwater is suitable for quenching thirst. But only conditionally. A definite yes answer to the question of whether you can drink rainwater, does not exist - it all depends on the quality of the liquid and the area where the precipitation occurred. Of course, in conditions of acute thirst and the lack of an alternative, you will have to drink it, but you always need to do this with caution.
Rainfall has been an integral part of resources throughout human evolution fresh water for drinking and watering. Their appearance was expected, and the deity associated with rain was worshiped and sacrifices were made - areas with heavy rainfall prospered, while dry areas faced famine and crop failure.
Since ancient times, rainwater has been revered as healing, but progress has made its own adjustments - rivers and lakes, the atmosphere and soil are polluted. Therefore, today experts do not recommend drinking water from the rain without purification.
Features of the formation of rainwater
Rainwater is drops from a rain cloud that fall from a great height onto the earth's surface. The formation of rain clouds is the evaporation of water vapor from all kinds of reservoirs, mountain glaciers and moisture-saturated soil, and then their subsequent condensation in the form of drops and crystals at high altitudes, where the air is rarefied and the temperature is close to 0º.
- One cloud capable of precipitation contains several hundred tons of water droplets.
- Each drop has a diameter from ½ mm to 7 mm.
- Precipitation with the smallest drops is called drizzle and is more like fog.
- When large drops fall due to air friction, they break up and are divided into several smaller ones, so their size does not exceed 7 mm.
- The intensity of precipitation is characterized by Feedback with duration - heavier precipitation is short-term, weaker precipitation lasts longer.
Previously, when the atmosphere was clear of harmful impurities, drinking rainwater was the norm. And today, in some particularly arid regions, they practice using rainfall for food purposes. However, it should be borne in mind that 1 liter of precipitation purifies 3 thousand liters of air, dissolving all the compounds present in it.
What determines the composition of rainwater?
Since water is a powerful solvent, the composition of rainwater is directly influenced by factors such as the state of the air in the area where the cloud formed and the mixture of elements in the atmosphere where the precipitation fell.
- When absolutely chemically pure water molecules evaporate, they, passing through air masses, partially manage to dissolve and absorb many chemical compounds.
- An already moving cloud is also capable, like a sponge, of partially absorbing chemicals located at the same height.
- And already the rain, pouring over the area, with each drop approaching the ground turns into a solution of compounds floating in the air, and often harmful to humans.
Therefore, rainwater in the first 15 minutes of a heavy downpour will be polluted, then the air will become increasingly fresh, and the drops will become cleaner. When it is drizzling, it takes more time to obtain purified air and water - about an hour. Over time, rain masses acquire their natural composition, which is characterized by softness and an insignificant part of dissolved impurities, provided that the cloud was initially formed in an ecologically safe place.
Note! Even in corners of nature where it is difficult to suspect polluted air, acid precipitation can occur when the pH is lower than normal - 5.6 due to the abundance of nitrogen and sulfur oxides in the atmospheric layers.
What are the benefits of rainwater
There are undoubted benefits to using purified or initially pure rainwater for drinking and household needs. Its softness, absence of salts and alkali has advantages over hard:
- easy absorption by the body;
- no risk of stone deposits in the kidneys and gall bladder;
- high-quality skin hydration without drying;
- beneficial effect on growth and appearance hair;
- no scale on the dishes;
- easy washing with less detergent, quick rinsing and softness of the washed fabric;
- when watering - more intensive plant growth.
Note! Disputes about the poverty of minerals in rainwater continue - there is an opinion that prolonged drinking of such a soft liquid, close to distilled, increases the risk cardiovascular diseases, especially with a lack of magnesium, calcium and potassium. However, there is a compelling counter-argument - a person can get all the necessary mineral compounds from food - their natural source, so a deficiency of these useful minerals in water should not affect health.
What is the harm of rainwater?
There are also significant risks when drinking rainwater. It concerns not only the unrefined liquid - you need to take into account the collection method, the collection container, as well as the composition that the raindrops originally had.
- Rainwater, if not treated, contains harmful chemical impurities, especially heavy metals, as well as bacterial contamination.
- If water is collected from the roof, the drops wash away all the dust, dirt on its surface, and bird excrement contaminated with microbes.
- Collection containers can similarly have a coating of dirt and dust, which then gets into the collected water.
Therefore, for drinking, rainwater must be filtered and disinfected after collection - by boiling or chemical reagents.
Note! Natural rainwater is slightly acidic due to dissolved carbon dioxide, and prolonged drinking can cause a shift in the mineral balance in the blood. To mitigate this risk, you can periodically drink mineral water, or infuse rainwater with silicon or mountain quartz.
Rainwater, if collected and stored correctly, can be useful at home and in the garden, which will help reduce the costs that we incur when using centralized water supply. What can rainwater be useful for?
Rainwater it may be useful to us and everyone who has it knows about it personal plot. Its maintenance, on hot summer days, can affect our pockets - the plants must not only be looked after, but also watered. Rainwater, which we can store near the house, is ideal for this purpose. For these purposes, a standard barrel installed under the gutter should not be used; other possibilities come into play, more aesthetic ones, a container with sediment hidden underground, or. This last method will be the most decorative for our garden plot.
We can use water in the garden for more than just watering plants. In addition, any work on maintenance, can be carried out with its use. Using a sink high pressure and a tank filled with rainwater, we can wash either our car, or the façade of a building, or a garden path.
Using rainwater in the home
Can be successfully used at home. Here we can also save money by using it for washing dishes, washing, and cleaning. You can also use rainwater at home washing machine– however, this requires a water circulation system equipped with a pump. And in this case, it is important that the water in our tank is well purified using a productive and effective filter. But it is worth remembering that collected rainwater does not meet the requirements that drinking water must meet - Rainwater should not be used as drinking water– she is not suitable for this.
To collect rainwater, you can build a reservoir on your own, or use recommendations gleaned from professional literature. In order for rainwater to be collected in reservoirs, an appropriate system is required.
If you have something to add, please be sure to leave your comment.
The use of precipitation will provide significant savings in water extracted from a well or well. In addition, it will help reduce energy consumption, as it allows you to turn on pumping equipment less often. However, you don’t know how to collect nature’s free “gift” for further use?
We'll show you how to do this. The article discusses a rainwater collection system and options for using precipitation for domestic needs. The device, design specifics are described, and the effectiveness is assessed taking into account the funds spent on organizing an alternative water supply.
For interested visitors, we have selected organizational diagrams with underground and above-ground reservoir locations, presented photos with options for masking the storage tank, and collected useful videos that allow you to organize water collection on your own.
Everything is in order with fresh water reserves in Russia, but the most economical owners of private lands have increasingly begun to think about rational use natural resources.
Absolutely safe and modern, most convenient for DIY installation.
Step #2 - selection of water collectors and storage tanks
Precipitation falls irregularly, so there are no devices without a “transfer base” that directly connect trays to water collection points. It is necessary to organize a large container for storing the collected water, which will allow it to be used only as needed.
The prototype of all modern tanks is an ordinary barrel. She can still be found on summer cottages installed directly under the drainpipe.
The effectiveness of using a barrel is conditional, since it has a small volume and is not suitable for home water supply. In addition, there are no overflow systems planned in its design; all excess spills over the edges and enters the ground.
Purpose of ordinary metal or wooden barrel– collection small quantity rainwater and subsequent use for economic purposes: for watering or cleaning
For water storage systems, volumetric tanks are made, which can be divided into two categories:
- ground installed under the drainage system near the wall (or inside the building);
- underground, buried in the ground near the house.
The material for all types is the same - it is polyethylene, less often concrete, fiberglass or steel. Synthetic rainwater storage tanks are in the lead because they are not inferior in performance to analogues made from other materials, but at the same time they are much lighter and therefore more convenient for transportation and installation.
The volume of above-ground tanks is from 750 to 2000 liters, underground - from 2000 to 5000 liters.
Modern products are completely ready for connection - they have a large hatch in the upper part and a fitting with a tap in the lower part (for ground-based versions)
Large underground tanks are equipped with surface tanks or for forced movement of water to water collection points. The use of various equipment requires additional fluid purification. To do this, a filtration system is used: a coarse filter is installed at the entrance to the tank, and the same one is installed at the outlet.
Options for plastic tanks for collecting and storing rainwater:
Image gallery
Compact container, decorated like a stone
If water flows to sinks for washing or washing dishes, fine filters with a mesh of no more than 5 microns, as well as multi-stage carbon units, are required.
Step #3 - organizing a drainage system
Let's assume your a private house equipped with a full-fledged storm drain, including a set of gutters and trays, drainpipes, sand traps and a sewer outlet to.
Is it possible to install a structure to use rainwater in a house without major changes? Of course, but you will have to supplement the circuit with storage capacity and related equipment.
First, you will have to analyze the state of the accumulating plane, that is, the roof. You should check its integrity, cleanliness, and if necessary, change it roof covering to a safer one.
If the storm structure of pipes and trays is in order, a large factory-made polyethylene tank can be attached directly to it. Install a fitting at the bottom of the tank for emergency draining.
In order not to disturb the design of the storm drain, the easiest way is to install a large plastic barrel for irrigation, but it will not be suitable for house maintenance
If there is a need to install a large underground tank, you will have to make adjustments to old design– most likely, change the location of the sewer pipes. By digging a pit and installing pumping equipment, you will have to re-lay the communications for the drains.
We offer two options for installing rainwater use systems - with an above-ground and underground tank.
Construction of a simple system with a barrel
To assemble it yourself easy scheme You will need a kit for installing gutters, a filter, a ready-made water tank, a short hose and mounting hardware.
The result of the work will be simplest system collecting water from a sloping roof with a large plastic tank as a storage tank
Plastic gutters, trays and pipes required size we purchase in hardware store. If you are not satisfied with plastic, we use galvanized steel parts, homemade or factory-made.
We collect drainage system in the following order:
- Using special brackets or hooks, we secure the gutter along the edge of the roof;
- At the corner, in a place convenient for installing the tank, we hang the drainpipe;
- we connect the main elements with a receiving funnel;
- We seal seams and joints.
The good thing about assembling factory models is that everything necessary details and even some of the tools come complete with the container.
Diagram of a system with an underground tank
A large container installed near the house can satisfy 50% of the water demand. Thanks to special wiring, rainwater will flow to water collection points that do not require High Quality liquids: to toilet tanks, kitchen and watering taps. But even in this case, filters are installed.
The tank can be installed under the surface, in the basement or in a pit dug near the house. We will choose the third option, in which the container will be completely immersed in the ground, therefore, it will not occupy a free area near the building and will not spoil the beautiful landscape with its technological appearance.
Another advantage of a reservoir buried in the soil: cooled rainwater is an unsuitable environment for the development of bacteria, therefore it will not “bloom”
We select a container with a volume of 2.5-3.5 thousand liters, and, based on its dimensions, we look for a place for installation. In addition to the dimensions, when digging a pit, be sure to take into account the horizons groundwater and freezing level.
The depth of the hole should be approximately 70 cm greater than the height of the tank, since 20 cm is a gravel-sand cushion, 50 cm is a layer of earth above the tank (freezing in middle lane and northern regions in winter).
- We take out the soil and take the excess to the side;
- we arrange a compacted gravel-sand cushion;
- We install a reservoir in the center of the pit;
- fill it on all sides with a mixture of soil and sand;
- we install pumping equipment and pipes (drainage and leading into the house).
Of course, before connecting electrical equipment, it is necessary to set up a water supply system from the roof and do it. Installation of gutters takes place traditional way, the pipe supplies water through the hatch into the container.
The pipeline from the tank leads to certain, pre-selected points. Inside the house, in the utility room or basement, there is a place for installing a pump, filters, and control equipment.
Scheme of using a rainwater collection system: 1 – water level sensor; 2 – float device; 3 – filter; 4 - surface pump; 5 – water tank; 6 – siphon; 7 – filter
After installation and connection, it is necessary to perform a test start: fill the container with water and turn on the pump. If everything is in order, the liquid will quickly flow to the water collection points.
The container should not be empty, as ground movements can cause deformation of the body. If water runs out during a drought, it must be replenished from the main source. In order not to measure the water level using improvised means, you can inside Draw a kind of scale on the wall with divisions in fractions or liters.
Rainwater in the heating system
In some cases, rainwater is used instead of distilled liquid or antifreeze in heating systems of private homes.
Natural characteristics - softness, absence of foreign inclusions and cleanliness - make it suitable for pouring into the heating network. To remove possible contaminants “caught” in the atmosphere, it is initially passed through a filter.
Option for installing a storage tank inside the house (in a boiler room, basement or utility room): a pump, filters, pressure gauge and piping are located nearby
In addition to cleaning procedures, it helps to enrich the liquid with special inhibitors and surfactants that reduce the tendency of water to form corrosion and plaque. Chemical compounds help dissolve lime and other deposits.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Educational informational videos will help you install your own rainwater storage tank.
Video #1. How to make a rainwater collection system with an external tank with your own hands:
Video #2. Useful theoretical information:
Video #3. Preparation plastic barrel for autonomous water supply:
The purity and natural softness of rainwater allow it to be used for household needs, irrigation, and sometimes for filling heating system. Thanks a lot storage tank and the pump, you can always use backup source water, relevant during the emptying of the well.
If you have interesting information, valuable recommendations, own experience in the design of a system built to collect rainwater, please leave comments. To place them, a block form has been opened below the text of the article.
Rainwater
Rainwater is believed to be very beneficial. Indeed, clean rainwater is useful for washing hair, washing clothes, and cooking food with it. But it was clean maybe a hundred years ago, or even two hundred years ago. And then you could drink it, wash dishes with it, and cook food with it. Alas, it is not advisable to do all this in our time.
The composition of rainwater depends on the area in which the clouds formed, on air pollution where precipitation falls, on the direction of the wind and other circumstances. The air, and therefore rainwater, is polluted primarily by transport, industrial and agricultural enterprises.
Experts note that now almost any rain is “acidic” to one degree or another, and therefore it is better not to use this water for personal purposes.
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