Rainwater harvesting calculator

Rainwater harvesting calculator: yearly litres or gallons a roof collects from its area, rainfall and efficiency, and the share of household use it covers.

Обновлено Проверенные примеры: 5

The area the roof covers on the ground, not the sloped surface.
Share of the rain that reaches the tank after first-flush, splash and evaporation losses; installers typically assume 0.75–0.90.
Другие параметры
litres a day
Попробовать
Water collected per year
L
Water collected per year: 68,000 L
Знаков после запятой: 0; До ближайшего, при равенстве — к чётной цифре
In other units
68.00m³ / 17,964gal
Average per month
5,667L
Average per day
186.3L
This is a yearly average. Rain rarely falls evenly, so size a tank for the longest dry spell rather than the annual total.

A 100 m² roof with 800 mm of rain a year yields about 68,000 litres (68 m³) at 85% efficiency — 186 litres a day on average.

Rain on the roof

68 m³a year
Collected68,000 LLost12,000 L
Как выполняется расчёт S
  1. Rain volume on the footprint

    100 m2×800 mm=80,000 L100\ \text{m}^2 \times 800\ \text{mm} = 80{,}000\ \text{L}

    One millimetre of rain on one square metre is one litre.

  2. Allow for losses

    80,000×0.85=68,000 L80{,}000 \times 0.85 = 68{,}000\ \text{L}
  3. Other units

    68,000 L=68 m3=17,963.7 US gal68{,}000\ \text{L} = 68\ \text{m}^3 = 17{,}963.7\ \text{US gal}

О калькуляторе: Rainwater harvesting calculator

The yearly harvest is roof footprint area × rainfall × collection efficiency. One millimetre of rain on one square metre is one litre, and one inch on one square foot is 0.623 US gallons. The efficiency, or runoff coefficient, removes the water lost to first-flush diversion, splash-out from gutters, evaporation and overflow.

Homeowners use it to size a rain barrel or tank and to see how far the water goes. The default roof of 100 m² under 800 mm of rain at 0.85 efficiency collects 68,000 litres a year, 186 litres a day on average, which is 62% of a household using 300 litres a day.

The result is a yearly average. Rain arrives in bursts, so a full tank overflows in wet months and runs dry in long dry spells; tank size decides how much of the average you can actually use.

Примеры с решением

100 m² roof, 600 mm of rain, 0.8 efficiency

Roof footprint area
100 m²
Rainfall per year
600 mm
Collection efficiency (runoff coefficient)
0.8
Water collected per year
48,000 L
In other units
48.00 m³

Источник проверки: 1 mm on 1 m² = 1 L, so 100 × 600 × 0.8 = 48 000 L by hand

1,000 ft² and 1 inch with nothing lost

Roof footprint area
1000 ft²
Rainfall per year
1 in
Collection efficiency (runoff coefficient)
1
In other units
623 gal

Источник проверки: TWDB manual: about 0.62 gal per ft² per inch; exact 1000 × 0.09290304 m² × 25.4 mm / 3.785411784 L = 623.377 gal (Python decimal)

2,000 ft² roof, 32 inches, 85%

Roof footprint area
2000 ft²
Rainfall per year
32 in
Collection efficiency (runoff coefficient)
0.85
In other units
33,912 gal

Источник проверки: Python decimal: 2000 ft² × 32 in × 0.85 = 33 911.7 US gal (the TWDB 0.62 rule of thumb gives 33 728)

No rain collected when efficiency is 0

Roof footprint area
150 m²
Rainfall per year
900 mm
Collection efficiency (runoff coefficient)
0
Water collected per year
0 L

Источник проверки: Definition: V = A × R × 0

Вопросы

How much rainwater can I collect from my roof?

Multiply the roof footprint by the rainfall and a collection efficiency. Each millimetre of rain on a square metre gives one litre, and each inch on a square foot gives 0.623 US gallons, which the Texas Water Development Board rounds to 0.62. A 2,000 ft² roof under 32 inches of rain at 85% efficiency collects about 33,900 US gallons a year.

What collection efficiency should I use?

Between 0.75 and 0.90 for most systems: the Texas Water Development Board manual says most installers assume 75 to 90%. Use the lower end for composite or asphalt shingle roofs, which the manual puts at about a 10% loss, and where a first-flush diverter discards the first 1 to 2 US gallons per 100 ft² of roof in every storm.

Should I measure the sloped roof area or the footprint?

The footprint: the horizontal area the roof covers, length × width from eave to eave, whatever the pitch (Texas Water Development Board). A steep roof whose eaves enclose 10 × 10 m has a 100 m² catchment, the same as a flat one. If only some gutters feed the tank, count only the area they drain.

How much water does a household use per day?

The Texas Water Development Board puts a water-conserving household at 25 to 50 US gallons (95 to 189 litres) per person per day, and cites a 1999 American Water Works Association study in which water-conserving homes averaged 49.6 gallons. Enter your household total under More options: a 300 litre-a-day household gets 62% of its use from the default 100 m² roof.

What size rainwater tank do I need?

Enough to carry the household through the longest expected spell without rain, which is the rule in the Texas Water Development Board manual. At 300 litres a day, a 30-day dry spell needs about 9,000 litres of storage. A tank much smaller than that spills in wet months and runs dry between storms, so it captures less than the yearly figure shown.

Насколько точен «Rainwater harvesting calculator»?

Точность зависит от введённых данных и допущений метода. Десятичная арифметика использует 50 значащих цифр, но оценки, численные методы и исходные данные могут быть менее точными; округление на экране не устраняет эти ограничения. Решённые примеры, проверенные по независимым источникам: 5. Например, «100 m² roof, 600 mm of rain, 0.8 efficiency» проверяется по источнику 1 mm on 1 m² = 1 L, so 100 × 600 × 0.8 = 48 000 L by hand.

Откуда взята методика?

Texas Water Development Board, The Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting, 3rd ed. (2005), ch. 4 — 0.62 gal per ft² per inch; 75–90% efficiency; BS EN 16941-1:2018 — On-site non-potable water systems, part 1: systems for the use of rainwater.

Об этом калькуляторе

V (L)=A (m2)×R (mm)×CV\ (\text{L}) = A\ (\text{m}^2) \times R\ (\text{mm}) \times C

Источники

  1. Texas Water Development Board, The Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting, 3rd ed. (2005), ch. 4 — 0.62 gal per ft² per inch; 75–90% efficiency
  2. BS EN 16941-1:2018 — On-site non-potable water systems, part 1: systems for the use of rainwater

Проверено по источникам

В калькулятор включены решённые примеры с ответами из независимых источников. Их количество: 5. Они входят в набор тестов, и вы также можете запустить их здесь.

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