New Society Publishers Essential Rainwater Harvesting: A Guide to Home-Scale System Design

Description

Design a rainwater harvesting system for any home in any climate. Water is a crucial resource increasingly under stress. Yet rainfall, even in arid climates, can make up a sizable portion of any home, acreage, or farm's water requirements if harvested and utilized with care. The key is appropriate planning and high-quality site- and climate-specific design. Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios – primary, supplemental, and off-grid supply – this step-by-step approach covers: Considerations for full-property water security Demand planning and conservation strategies Supply calculations and design implications for extreme rainfall and drought Materials selection and water quality System and site assessment Sizing and design of gutters, conveyance, tanks, and pumps Pre-filtration, filtration, and disinfection options System maintenance and upkeep This practical resource provides DIYers, trades, and rainwater practitioners with the essential tools, methods, and technical know-how to design, build, and maintain rainwater harvesting systems anywhere. Rob Avis, P.Eng and Michelle Avis, P.Eng own and operate Adaptive Habitat, a leading edge property design firm for resilient homes, acreages, and farms and Verge Permaculture, a globally recognized award-winning education business. They have over 20 years of combined experience in project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies, which they share at vergepermaculture.ca from their suburban house and yard that they've transformed into a model of cold climate urban permaculture in Calgary, Alberta. Review: Review - Everything good - thank you Review: It's a tool, and like all tools, the results depend mainly on knowing how to use it. - Full disclosure, I now have two copies, one purchased via desertcart and one as part of the associated 8 week course the Avis's put on based on the book. I'm only halfway through that course as of this writing. This book, is a tool, it's background information and context. If you're just looking for how to connect a pipe to a gutter and divert it over to a scavenged ibc or plastic drum to spray some water on a plant, this is not the right book. Perhaps try Pinterest. If you want to get into the systems analysis, design, biological reasons why it's not about the tank, or the valve but the entire - system -, and you don't mind taking 2-3 days to recreate the incredible spreadsheet tool given in the book and learn how to use it, then it is the book. It's not a step by step, grab stuff from the tip or reclaim store book. It's written by two engineers, but in language readable by non-engineers willing to put in some time, effort and thinking.