Using the average rainfall for my area (find yours here), I have calculated that we get an average of:
22.2 inches of precipitation each year.
Then to figure out the size of my total roof catchment area I measured the length x width but added 2 feet extra to each to allow for the overhangs. So I had:
47 ft x 37 ft = 1739 square feet of total roof catchment area
Since one inch of water equals roughly 600 gallons per 1000 square foot catchment area I estimate my potential gallons to catch off the roof per each inch of water to be:
600 x 1.739 = 1043.4 gallons
Now figure in the yearly rainfall to figure out the total yearly catch:
1043.4 x 22.2 = 23,163.48 potential gallons per year
So now I need to figure out how many rainbarrels that would take and what kind of system I would want {plus where on earth to put them}.Since we don't have secondary water we have to use our municipal water for watering our lawns and garden, I wonder how much less municipal water I would use if I used rainwater for the yard instead. I still need to figure that part out. Seems like it would be nicer to be able to use what Mother Nature is already providing.
I used the calculations based from here, if I did my math wrong feel free to let me know.
3 comments:
This is exactly what I've been thinking about!
It's raining here too and I started eyeballing the roof line thinking that I'd like a rain barrel for every 8' of roofline.
Now I'll do the calculations - um, that's not my strong suit, maybe I'll find someone else to do it - and see how my eye ball measured up.
if pete and I had a house with a yard and a garden, etc we would totally be doing this. we've already talked about it.
so you should totally do it!
You can do it verde! I'm no good at math either and somehow {I think} I got the calculations right!
And someday Anna you will be able to do it too! That will be so exciting!
Post a Comment