5 rainwater collection systems you can use at home

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Every living creature or organism on earth needs water to survive. With that in mind, we think rainwater collecting in your garden is vital. Who knows when this precious resource is going to run out and leave us high and dry? If you have your own reserves you can be sure that you have untainted, lovely water on hand.

From butts and barrels through to more provincial techniques, such as tubs in the garden, we have a few ideas for you if you are thinking about starting your own rainwater collection. Just remember not to splurge it all if a drought hits!

1. Barrels

One of the simplest ways to collect rainwater is with a series of interconnected barrels. More often than not these will be underground and linked up to your guttering in order to easily catch falling drops. Additionally, as one barrel gets full, the precious resource will switch to the next and start to fill that one as well. Clever!

Aquajoy Water Gardens certainly have some great ways to disguise a system like this!

2. Mini tanks

Similar to barrels, these can work en masse, so in one collection area you could have numerous tanks stacked up and all set to overflow into one another. Again, as with barrels, these systems are often connected to guttering, meaning that the water will not be pure enough to drink without treatment.

3. Water boxes

The perfect choice for people who want to be able to drink their rainwater, a water box can be mounted almost anywhere, is solar powered and filters collected water with UV light. It's like having your own mineral reserve in your garden and certainly beats river water, which is frequently filled with bacteria and silt.

4. Containers

The simplest solution of all is to leave containers out in your garden to collect any rainwater that falls but we know you might be reluctant if it doesn't look too great. After all, you've worked hard to create a pretty outdoor space. Old bathtubs are not everyone's idea of a great ornament but they sure will collect a lot of water!

5. Complex roof systems

There's always someone out there that sees a simple solution and decides to take it a little further and make it a lot more complex! Sloping roof systems with integral guttering that transfers rainwater through to hidden tanks or barrels, are great but how do you know where a leak is coming from?

Producing water that is still at the mercy of needing to be purified, the sheer volume that can be sourced this way is what makes it a viable potential solution.

For more garden innovations, take a look at this Ideabook: Garden Inspiration.

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