In most cases, your home will have gutters that run along the roof to catch rainwater that hits the roof. It will usher that water away from the house via a drain pipe. This is important to prevent water from pooling up around the foundation of your house. That could cause your foundation to begin to erode; it could also lead to flooding of your first floor. Typically, you’ll go to a roofing expert for your guttering needs, but some plumbers will do that work as well. Plumbers might do the work, especially if it relates to your plumbing needs. Here is how your gutters and your plumbing could relate.

Ponds and Rainwater Collection

Many homeowners have been emphasizing using as much rainwater as possible in their day to day lives. Rainwater costs you nothing and also reduces the amount of resources used to treat water. Water that you use for filling your pond or watering your garden doesn’t need to be treated and transported by municipal sources. So, many people have rainwater collected in cisterns and actually piped into their house for different purposes. It can’t be used for drinking but it can be used for flushing toilets and washing clothes.

If you have a plumber doing work on your pipes, they might need to work on your rainwater collection as well. A common way to collect rainwater is for the gutters to run into a rainwater collection tank or into a pond. The gutters lead to a downspout. The downspout can run into a channel drain that culminates in the pond.

Basement Sump Pumps

A sump pump is a pump in your basement that sits inside of a small cistern. Water that flows into the basement for any reason will run into that cistern and then be pumped out of your house. There are several reasons this can experience problems. Many plumbers, especially those in rural areas, are trained to repair sump pumps. During the repair process, they might clean or repair your gutters as well since functioning gutters should reduce the amount of water flowing into the basement. That will reduce the workload of your sump pump.

Wells

Some rural homes are serviced by a well instead of a municipal water supply. Effectively diverting rainwater is essential to the functioning of a well. Typically, rainwater is redirected away from a well so that it does not contaminate the groundwater coming into your home. In some areas, the rainwater is actually directed into the well to create a sort of hybrid collection system.

Every industry has been affected by the move towards more green and more sustainable practices; plumbing is no different. Many homeowners are looking for ways to make their plumbing more efficient and eco-friendly. The greening of plumbing has the added benefit of saving you money. You’re charged for every gallon of municipal water that flows through your pipes. So, reducing the amount of municipal water through your pipes will reduce your plumbing bill each money. High-efficiency toilets and showers is one way to reduce water consumption. Using rainwater is a way to reduce the municipal water you use.

Using Rainwater With Your Plumbing

You’ll need to talk to a professional about using rainwater. Rainwater is not potable in its natural state, so it can’t be used in all of your plumbing. You’ll need essentially a separate plumbing system to keep the rainwater sequestered from your drinking water. However, it’s perfectly fine for every application that you won’t drink purposely or accidentally; basically, it can be used for anything that won’t touch your face or your food.

The first step to using rainwater with your indoor plumbing is to collect the rainwater. A dedicated rain barrel is a good choice since they’re designed to catch as much water as possible while also keeping out bugs and other pests. The rainwater cistern can be connected directly to your pipes as well. The pipes will then run to your toilets, your washing machine, and your garden hoses. You’ll likely need to have a pump installed to drive the water to those applications.

You’ll also need a filter. Water used for washing your clothes does not need to be drinking water quality but it does need to be clean. A professional plumber can install all of these things for you to get you up and running.

How Much Money?

Many homeowners want to know how much money they’ll save. That depends obviously on your personal use but a washing machine alone uses about 50 liters of water every time you use it. That’s about 13 gallons. Depending on how large your washing loads are, you could save a few dollars every time you run your washing machine.

You can also water your plants or fill a fish pond with your collected rainwater. A pond that is about ten feet by ten feet can hold as much as 3,000 gallons of water. Using rainwater for that can save you hundreds of dollars each year.