In fact it is quite common to harvest water from green roofs in germany and switzerland.
Green roof water harvesting system.
The elmich green roof demonstrates how such a green roof can contribute to.
Here s a handy little calculator to help you estimate how much rainwater can you harvest from your roof.
So for example a 100m2 london roof pitched might send 52m3 of water to the tank per year.
Furthermore it is possible utilise rainwater harvesting of a green roof contrary to claims from other industries.
To use this calculator input the dimensions of your roof only area connected to rainwater harvesting system and the amount of rainfall in inches.
But if it was a green roof this would fall to only 23 3m3.
While metal roofing or plastic sheeting e g.
Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rainwater that would otherwise go to the drains or into the ground.
Versidrain 25p drainage and water retention trays installed on the 120 sq m elmich green roof blanketed over with geotextile fabric enabled enviromix a lightweight primarily inorganic planting media to be placed on the trays for planting on the green roof and ramp.
Typically rainwater is collected from a roof and directed in to tanks from the guttering.
Rainwater harvesting is a very simple process.
I am responding to the january 31 2010 texas water development board article effect of roof material on water quality for rainwater harvesting systems that has been resurfacing around the internet lately.
The amount of water available to a rainwater harvesting system is about 90 for pitched roofs and around 75 for flat roofs.
This water can then be reused around the house and garden.
Green roof systems are one of the best ways to manage stormwater runoff by reducing and delaying.
There s just a short list of rooftop surfaces that rainwater harvesters should avoid.
Rainwater harvest calculator length.
For green or even brown roofs the amount is 40 at best.
Greenhouse roof has the highest collection efficiency most surfaces are a ok.
Green city resources is a cincinnati northern kentucky based woman owned landscaping company specializing in the design installation and maintenance of stormwater management systems.
The good news is most roofing materials are suitable for rainwater harvesting.
By using green roofs as rainwater capture areas the amount of collected water for reuse will be reduced already due to the absorbed amount of water in the system itself.
Green roofs vegetated roofing roof gardens rain gardens bioretention rainwater collection rain water harvesting.
Rather than the rain running off the roof into the gutter and into the drainage system the tank will catch filter and store this water for non drinking uses allowing us to make use of surface water before it taking up valuable space in our sewer systems.
I am glad the article has been covered so well because it brings concerns to the quality of rainwater and stirs up questions about materials used in each system.