Where to use the harvested rainwater

While designing the house with rainwater harvesting, the first and foremost thing that needs consideration is its use. The design will be completely dependent on the use of the harvested rainwater.

Rainwater is the highest quality of available water to us and requires least of the treatment as compared to tap water or any other sources and can be used for both indoor and outdoor use thus representing sustainability.

There are numerous uses of rainwater and you can decide which option best suits you.

Outdoor uses:

The first thing that hits the mind for rainwater is irrigation. In fact it is the best option to not to use drinking water for irrigation. You can use the rainwater to water the gardens or the farms. The rainwater is free from harmful chemicals which may harm the plants or may even disturbs the balance of nutrients on the soil and may make it less productive.
The other option for outdoor use of rainwater is washing the vehicles. As it do not leave chemical traces, the diminishing finish and metal corrosion that may be possible with chemicals in water is eliminated.

Indoor use:

There are more uses of rainwater indoors. The most of the water used at homes is in toilets, washing utensil, laundry and bathing. This usually account for nearly 60-70% of daily usage. Most of these do not require drinking water

The rainwater is the soft water and can be used for toilets. It also helps to keep the taps and valves clean and corrosion is eliminated due to lack of salts in water.
Even the soft water used of washing clothes do not leaves traces of salt on them and less of soap and consequently less of water is required to wash.

It require some treatment before one may use it for bathing or any other use which may require consumption or contact with water. Usually rainwater is acidic in nature and can be treated with approved chemicals to neutralize the effect.

For safety reasons it is advisable to use some purification methods before using the water for uses like dishwashing or bathing. The popular choices for the treatment is UV treatment with carbon filter. These units are easy to install and requires less maintenance and will ensure that the water thus received is pure and safe for use.

The rainwater harvesting is easily integrated with greywater and blackwater management for water recycling, efficiency and self-sustainability with respect of water.