Going Green With Rainwater

We all know that today, people are looking for ways to go green. Well I wanted to share a tip about rainwater. It is a free source of water, it's clean, and you can't get any greenier. When collected it can be used for watering a garden, houseplants, and even used for drinking water, and cooking. To collect it is not complicated. However you have to have space outside your home to have a rainwater collecting system.

To construct a water catching system you start with cutting a three foot section off a garden hose. The section should be wider at the metal end of the hose where the nozzle attaches. This end will attach to the middle of the collecting tarp, the other end will be sitting in a container that collects the water.

In the middle of the tarp, cut a hole, large enough to slide the rubber end of the hose through it. Carefully squeeze the metal end halfway through the hole. Just so it is tightly stuck in the hole. The metal end of the hose should not be no more than 1/4 inch above the hole on the tarp's top. The bottom part of the tarp should just rest of the hose sticking out. You will need to reinforce the hose with duct tape, around the bottom of the tarp where it pass through. Doing this will prevent the hose from coming out of it's position, and help any water from trickling out around the seam, where the metal end is touching the tarp.

You can then hammer some poles into the ground, this will support the four corners of the tarp, and hold it above the ground. Then tie the corners of the tarp to each pole, holding the tarp above the ground. Make sure the edges of the tarp are four feet from the ground. Also make sure there is enough slack, so the middle of the tarp is hanging closer to the ground. It doesn't have to be alot of slack, just enough to hang down a few inches in the middle in order to catch the rain water.

  

The last step is to place a container or barrel under the middle part of the tarp. Then placing the hose into the bucket.

 Do you have a Going Green Tip ?