Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to the field of environmental science and civil engineering, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a rooftop rain water harvester.

BACKGROUND FOR THE INVENTION:
[002] The following discussion of the background to the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was published, known, or part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction as of the priority date of the application. The details provided herein the background if belongs to any publication is taken only as a reference for describing the problems, in general terminologies or principles or both of science and technology in the associated prior art.
[003] Depletion of Spring Sources and flooding during the monsoon are the signals that tell us that catchment areas and natural water ways have to be maintained carefully. At house hold level water can no longer be wasted and citizens should participate in the process of finding a solution to the problem of water scarcity and contribute to prevent flooding.
[004] The primary source of water is rain. Water evaporating from both sea and land, falls back as precipitation and runs off as streams and rivers, settles in lakes and ponds, seeps through the soil and reaches the underground aquifer. This water then becomes available as spring, rivulets and rivers as surface sources and underground water to be taken out from wells and bore wells, but in all cases, the primary source of this water is rain. Rainfall is measured in millimeters using specified rain gauges set up throughout the country. The rainfall for a particular place is averaged over 30 years and reported as normal rainfall for a place. There are many reasons why rainwater needs to be harvested. Some of them are given below:
- Water is scarce natural resource and hence it should be conserved. It can supplement our domestic industrial and other water needs.
- The link with the hydrologic cycle is re-establishment leading to efficient and effective use of water. Water is not only becoming scarce but expensive as well.
- Surface sources and ground water is constantly getting depleted and polluted in large areas. Reduction in rain water Surface runoff is the only way to recharge the surface and sub surface water sources and prevent flooding and landslides.
- If rainwater harvesting is incorporated at the design stage of any construction project, the investment is low and the water collection is large. Centralized systems of water supply are under stress to cope with huge water supply demand of cities and villages, surface water is inadequate to meet our demand.
- It can be an individual’s contribution to reduce the ‘ecological water footprint’ i.e., the distances it has to travel to reach a house. Further, it will reduce electricity consumption and cost required to pump water from sources that are a long distance away.
[005] In light of the foregoing, there is a need for the rooftop rain water harvester that overcomes problems prevalent in the prior art.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[006] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows.
[007] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a rooftop rain water harvester that appropriately uses of our natural resources.
[008] An object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester that saves the community water supply 35-75% of demand thereof.
[009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester that saves the cost of production, storage, treatment and transportation to a great extent.
[010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester that reduces non-revenue water.
[011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester, wherein 35-75% of the total rainfall collected from the rooftop can be made available for non-potable use and remaining 25-65% will go to the ground water recharge.
[012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester that reduces the capital cost of construction / renovation of water supply schemes as the schemes require less pumping, storage and distribution network.
[013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester that saves operation & maintenance cost of community water supply schemes.
[014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester, wherein under emergency situations, this water can be used for human consumption also after proper disinfection.
[015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a rooftop rain water harvester that provides considerable saving of precious potable water being used for no-potable use / commercial/industrial activities and gardening.
[016] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide the Rooftop rain water harvester, wherein at household level, the cost of construction of this arrangement may cost beneficiary nearly 5% of the total cost of the house.
[017] Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[018] The present invention provides a rooftop rain water harvester.
[019] In one aspect of the present invention, the harvester includes a sloping roof with or without gutters connected to down-take pipes that allows rainwater falling on the roof to collectively flow down; a filter-to-filter rainwater; a first rain separator comprises a vertical pipe with an end cap or a valve; a storage system, and a soakage pit to absorb over flow of storage tank to recharge groundwater.
[020] In another aspect of the present invention, the storage system is arranged just below the roof level; or on the ground; or partially above and partially below the ground; or below the ground.
[021] In another aspect of the present invention, the recharge pit provides a porous space for rainwater to easily infiltrate and percolate into the ground.
[022] In another aspect of the present invention, the recharge/percolation pit is a large hole in the ground, filled systematically with large stones at the bottom, smaller stones at the middle and sand layer at the top.
[023] In another aspect of the present invention, when the cap or valve is open, dirty rain water from the rooftop flows away from the storage system.
[024] In another aspect of the present invention, when the cap or valve is closed, the vertical pipe or container fills up and the rainwater moves through an elbow into the filter.
[025] The present invention also provides a method for storing rooftop rain water in a harvester. The method includes steps of making provisions for a roof that is as clean to be used as a collector of rainfall, drowning rainwater down through pipes or gutters as required, separating a little water from the first rain using first rain separator and filtering the rest, storing the harvested rain water in a storage system having a sump or lined pond, and connecting over flow to charge the ground water through percolation pits, open wells or bore-wells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:
[026] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in the context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
[027] Figure 1 shows an individual house harvester in accordance with the present invention;
[028] Figure 2 shows an institutional harvester in accordance with the present invention;
[029] Figure 3 shows details of R.C.C. storage tank percolation pit and use for flushing, washing and grinding;
[030] Figure 4 shows storage and reuse of rainwater;
[031] Figure 5 shows V-shaped and rectangular gutter; and
[032] Figure 6 shows first rain separator;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:
[033] While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.
[034] As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e. meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e. meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein are solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers, or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, and the like are included in the specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.
[035] In this disclosure, whenever a composition or an element or a group of elements is preceded with the transitional phrase “comprising”, it is understood that we also contemplate the same composition, element, or group of elements with transitional phrases “consisting of”, “consisting”, “selected from the group of consisting of, “including”, or “is” preceding the recitation of the composition, element or group of elements and vice versa.
[036] The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein reference numerals used in the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be treated as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In addition, several materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
[037] Referring now to Figures 1-6, present invention provides a rooftop rain water harvester that uses a very simple process:
- making provisions for a roof that is as clean as possible, so that it can be used as a collector of rainfall.
- drowning rainwater down through pipes or gutters as necessary.
- separating a little water from the first rain that will contain leaves and dust and filter the rest.
- storing the harvested rain water in sump or lined pond for further use.
- connecting over flow to charge the ground water through percolation pits, open wells or bore-wells.
[038] Sloping roofs should have adequate ‘gutters’ or down-take pipes to handle the entire rainfall falling on the roof. Down-take pipes should preferably be made of PVC and resistant to UV rays. The National Building Code says that if the intensity of rain in a place is 50 mm per hour, then one 75 mm down pipe will serve an 85 m² roof area. Usually, two 100mm diameter pipes are good enough for a 100 m² roof area. Provide a simple first rain separator and filter the rain water before storage or recharge. Use a small container, like a drum with gravel and sand, as a filter. Further, rainwater can be harvested from sloping roofs as well as flat roofs using PVC or GI gutters and pipes.
[039] The gutters can be made of PVC, GI, Aluminum, Copper or even Stainless Steel. The rule of the thumb is one cm² of gutters to one m2 of roof area to harvest the maximum possible rain. Sometimes, a splash guard is used to direct the water into the gutter. The slope is provided anywhere between 1/100 to 3/100 is recommended.
[040] The storage tank size is dependent mainly on two things - The extent of the scarcity of the water and quantity of water required for washing, flushing and gardening. Availability of open land in drive way/ kitchen garden.
[041] If the conventional building practice is to build a sump, then a separate sump can be constructed for harvesting rainwater. Collecting rainwater after filtration in separate sump would be the most suitable to avoid mixing of both waters. The thumb rule in Dehradun is building a 10 to 15 thousand liters sump for a 100 m² roof area.
[042] A soakage pit is required to absorb the over flow of storage tank for recharge the groundwater.
[043] Storage system can be located at the following places: 1. Just below the roof level. 2. On the ground. 3. Partially above and partially below the ground. 4. Below the ground.
[044] Locating the storage system just below the roof is good because water can be drawn by gravity and is therefore, the most energy efficient. However, some engineering skill is required to design such a system. On the ground storage systems are the easiest to maintain. However, it may restrict movement on small housing sites as the storage system occupies space. Below the ground sumps are the cheapest and do not obstruct movement. However, water needs to be pumped up and cleaning the sump is a required. Typically, underground sumps are the most favored solution as a water storage device. Keeping in view the space constraints in cities it is suggested to construct. The underground sump in the space available in the drive way or kitchen garden.
[045] A recharge pit is made to create a porous space for rainwater to easily infiltrate and percolate into the ground. Usually, surface ground cover is affected by a phenomenon called crusting. This is the hardening of the top one inch of the earth’s surface which prevents rainwater from easily entering the earth. In agriculture, the fields are ploughed to break up the crust. But with all other kinds of land, some provision should be made to facilitate the percolation of water. A percolation pit is a large hole in the ground, filled systematically with large stones at the bottom, smaller stones above it and finally sand. It is dug in the low-lying portion of any given land area with sufficient catchment to collect rainwater. The rainwater then filters through the sand and stone and percolates into the ground.
[046] The sand layer at the top of the recharge pit needs to be raked and cleaned regularly to ensure infiltration of water. The catchment area should also be covered with grass, shrubs and trees to prevent soil erosion and runoff.
[047] Water from the first showers of rain will carry a lot of dust, leaves and debris and therefore, should not be harvested. Similarly, when the roof is being cleaned, the dirty water that results should be left out of the rainwater harvesting system. A first rain separator is a device which does just that. It can be a simple vertical pipe with an end cap or a valve. When the cap or valve is open, the dirty rain water from the rooftop flows away from the system.
[048] When it is closed, the vertical pipe or container fills up and the rainwater moves through the elbow into the filter. The first rain separator is a very important component of the rooftop rainwater harvesting system. Using a T-junction at the end of down pipe, connect one end of the T-junction to the first rain separator and the other end of the inlet of the storage unit.
[049] Rainwater is amongst the purest forms of water that one can get. However, in a rainwater harvesting system, the rain comes in contact with several surfaces, such as the roof or gutters. It is possible that during its flow along these surfaces, it gets mixed with birds dropping, leaves or dust. Apart from keeping these surfaces clean and using a first rain separator, we can filter the water before storage to get water fit for consumption at the end of the harvesting process. Usually, the sand filter is placed below the vertical down-take pipe.
[050] Use of harvested rainwater in an urban area:
- For non – potable purposes like gardening. Flushing and washing clothes;
- For all purposes, but you can do this only after confirming the potable qualities of harvested rain water and after proper chlorination;
[051] Use of harvested rainwater in a rural area:
- For non – potable purposes like gardening. Flushing and washing clothes.
- For meeting the drinking water needs of domestic animals.
- For small irrigation like drip irrigation.
[052] The disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein.
[053] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully revealed the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.
, Claims:We Claim:
1) A rooftop rain water harvester, the harvester comprises a sloping roof with or without gutters connected to down-take pipes that allows rainwater falling on the roof to collectively flow down; a first rain separator comprises a vertical pipe with an end cap or a valve; a filter that filters rainwater; a storage system, and a soakage pit to absorb over flow of storage tank to recharge groundwater.
2) The harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage system is arranged just below the roof level; or on the ground; or partially above and partially below the ground; or below the ground.
3) The harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recharge pit provides a porous space for rainwater to easily infiltrate and percolate into the ground.
4) The harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recharge/percolation pit is a large hole in the ground, filled systematically with large stones at the bottom, smaller stones at the middle and sand layer at the top.
5) The harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the cap or valve is open, dirty rain water from the rooftop flows away from the storage system.
6) The harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the cap or valve is closed, the vertical pipe or container fills up and the rainwater moves through an elbow into the filter.
7) A method for storing rooftop rain water in a harvester, the method comprises:
- making provisions for a roof that is as clean to be used as a collector of rainfall;
- drowning rainwater down through pipes or gutters as required;
- separating a little water from the first rain using first rain separator and filtering the rest;
- storing the harvested rain water in a storage system having a sump or lined pond; and
- connecting over flow to charge the ground water through percolation pits, open wells or bore-wells.