Best Answer
A rain water tank collects rainwater from the roof of your house. Rain itself is generally clean... and roof runoff is a lot cleaner than water which runs off of the land%26#039;s surface. With a roof, most all of the rain which falls on it will run off--you can calculate how many gallons a rainstorm will give you in this quick way: one inch of rain, over 100 square feet of roof, will yield about 60 gallons of water! So, a typical house might fill a large tank in just one rainstorm.The rain water tank can be located above ground, but if freezing is an issue than it should be located below ground or inside the building. The roof gutters and downspouts are directed into the tank, which should also have an overflow in case you get a lot of rain.
You do need to filter and chlorinate roof water before you drink it, but to water the garden no treatment is needed. I%26#039;m a civil engineer, and I have a rain tank here in PA.
Other Answers (2)
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It is called a cistern, and all it is is a barrel with a screen cover to keep bugs and leaves out. Mine is hooked to a drip irrigation tube, I never touch it. I also keep 3 ponds which retain rainwater. When I see a plant that needs some water, I scoop it out of the pond and carry it over, and with the fish in the pond the water is also fertilized. I live in Florida, we are in a drought, and I am about to start harvesting my winter tomatoes. I don%26#039;t have gutters, so it isn%26#039;t as efficient as it could be, but I use no additional water for irrigation. It is a smart idea, and when water rules are tight, my grass is still green. Good Luck!
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by absorbing water in land and evaparation