As we know when it rains it often really pours, but if the pipe system can’t handle the times the rain really lets loose, you’ll be losing a high % of your monthly water collection to spillage. When rain falls on the roof, it should flow through gutters and piping that allow a high water flow to the collection tank- I recommend at least 3-4” pipes for a 250 ft2 roof. 623įor example, for a 11×22 micro house in Washington DC (avg 3” rain/month), collection could be up to approximately 500 gallons for an average month.ī) Rainwater transport. Harvested water= catchment area (ft2) x rainfall depth (inches) x. Calculate the amount of water the roof may harvest by getting your local monthly rainfall, and using the following formula: Also be sure to avoid wood shingles, metal flashing or roof treatments that contain lead. While rainwater will be filtered, ideally a rainwater will not flow over petrochemical products that leach contaminants into the water- metal is perhaps the best choice. Typically this is the micro house roof, but could equally be a different structure. These typically consist of the following elements:Ī) Rain catchment surface. The good news here is that in most climates it is entirely realistic to collect, treat, and use as much potable water as you will need for happy micro house living. Here I share two years of experience designing (and redesigning) rainwater collection and treatment systems- the water that feeds the original Minim House, as well as RV-like water systems for microhomes. Currently on the lot is the Minim House off grid water system, which consists of a gutter system that fills a 250 gallon flexible cistern, an on-board 40 gallon tank, and a series of pumps and filters to make the water completely potable for sink/shower use. The Micro Showcase has had several years designing, testing and then perfecting small rainwater capture and treatment systems (currently on version 3.0).
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