Essential Rainwater Harvesting: A Guide to Home-Scale System Design
Ebook
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Overview
“You owe it to your family to follow the prescriptions in this book and be prepared for droughts and shortages through rainwater harvesting.” —Jerry Yudelson, author of Dry Run: Preventing the Next Urban Water Crisis
Water is a crucial resource increasingly under stress. Yet rainfall, even in arid climates, can make up a sizable portion of any home, acreage, or farm’s water requirements if harvested and utilized with care. The key is appropriate planning and high-quality site- and climate-specific design.
Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios—primary, supplemental, and off-grid supply—this step-by-step approach covers:
This practical resource provides DIYers, trades, and rainwater practitioners with the essential tools, methods, and technical know-how to design, build, and maintain rainwater harvesting systems anywhere.
“Go to it! Become a rainwater harvester! Embrace your downpipes and filtration systems! And all the while with this brilliant book stuffed into your back pocket.” —Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement
“Inspired to save your own rainwater for garden and home? Essential Rainwater Harvesting is bursting with personal, practical, and precise information to get gardeners saving water right now.” —Donna Balzer, author of No Guff Vegetable Gardening
Water is a crucial resource increasingly under stress. Yet rainfall, even in arid climates, can make up a sizable portion of any home, acreage, or farm’s water requirements if harvested and utilized with care. The key is appropriate planning and high-quality site- and climate-specific design.
Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios—primary, supplemental, and off-grid supply—this step-by-step approach covers:
- Considerations for full-property water security
- Demand planning and conservation strategies
- Supply calculations and design implications for extreme rainfall and drought
- Materials selection and water quality
- System and site assessment
- Sizing and design of gutters, conveyance, tanks, and pumps
- Pre-filtration, filtration, and disinfection options
- System maintenance and upkeep
This practical resource provides DIYers, trades, and rainwater practitioners with the essential tools, methods, and technical know-how to design, build, and maintain rainwater harvesting systems anywhere.
“Go to it! Become a rainwater harvester! Embrace your downpipes and filtration systems! And all the while with this brilliant book stuffed into your back pocket.” —Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement
“Inspired to save your own rainwater for garden and home? Essential Rainwater Harvesting is bursting with personal, practical, and precise information to get gardeners saving water right now.” —Donna Balzer, author of No Guff Vegetable Gardening
"This book is essential for anyone intending to live a healthy sustainable lifestyle. Rob and Michelle Avis are brilliant permaculture designers of the highest caliber worldwide. Their work is always accurate, precise, and detailed, and this book is exactly that. It will probably be in print for the next century. Buy one for yourself and it will be useful for all future generations."
— Geoff Lawton, Permaculture consultant, designer and teacher, www.geofflawtononline.com
"Essential Rainwater Harvesting is chock-full of detailed advice for how to design a personalized rainwater harvesting system for a wide variety of purposes. The authors have many years of professional experience to draw on, giving you all you need to know to accomplish a successful plan. I wish I had this book when I built my first harvesting system."
— Kelly Hart, author, Essential Earthbag Construction www.naturalbuildingblog.com
"Rapid and massive climate change in the decades ahead will strain water resources in unprecedented ways throughout the world. You owe it to your family to follow the prescriptions in this book and be prepared for droughts and shortages through rainwater harvesting. You’ll learn everything you need to know to make it happen by following ’the Avis method."
— Jerry Yudelson, P.E., author of Dry Run: Preventing the Next Urban Water Crisis
- Title: Essential Rainwater Harvesting: A Guide to Home-Scale System Design
- Authors: Rob Avis, Michelle Avis, Peter Coombes
- Series: Sustainable Building Essentials
- Publisher: New Society Publishers
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 319
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781771422628, 9780865718746, 0865718741, 1771422629
- Resource ID: LLS:9781771422628
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-21T12:39:44Z
Rob Avis, PEng, co-owns Adaptive Habitat, a leading-edge property design firm, and Verge Permaculture, a globally-recognized, award-winning education business. He is co-author of Essential Rainwater Harvesting and lives in Alberta, Canada.
Michelle Avis, P.Eng is co-owner and operator of Adaptive Habitat, a leading edge property design firm for resilient homes, acreages, and farms and Verge Permaculture, a globally recognized award-winning education business. She has over 10 years of experience in project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.