Greenhouse Rainwater Collection System

The rainwater system in the greenhouse is assembled and connected! Rain is imminent in the forecast, so we’ll soon know how well it works. Ed (Riverbend Journal) was interested in this project, so I hope the photos explain it well!

All the pieces are 4-inch PVC

Dan removed the downspout from the gutter and replaced it with the set-up you see above. The clean-out plug will catch most of the initial debris washed off the roof and gutter when it starts to rain. It has a removable cap at the bottom for easy cleaning out. 

Close up. Still to do – seal the gap around the PVC pipe entering the greenhouse.

Once the clean-out plug is filled, the water will runoff into the two barrels inside the greenhouse.

(Note the overflow pipe on the right.)

So he made his own from an old screw container.

The last step was an overflow pipe. Remember in the above photo I said to note the overflow pipe? Here’s the rest of it.

The drain pipe empties out over an overgrown French drain that Dan dug years ago. It directs roof runoff away from the house and toward the garden swale, which is directly downhill from the greenhouse. 

Stepping back . . . 

What I’m really curious about, is how it will function as thermal mass next winter. Thermal mass is anything that retains heat. In this case the barrels will be heated by the sun and hopefully retain enough heat at night to help keep my plants healthy on our coldest nights. 

I’m really happy this is finally done!