This document presents the technical description and cost comparison of\nfour rainwater harvesting systems for homes, the method for its hydraulic design\nand an equation to estimate the minimum catchment area, with the goal\nto supply drinking water to segregated small communities in Mexico considering\nclimate change effects, both natural and anthropogenic. The four\nRainwater Harvesting Systems (RHS) introduced in this work are the following:\ntwo rigid, one system built with ferrocement and the other built with clay\nbricks, and two flexible: one is a commercial collector while the other is a\nsystem built with a 3/8-inch reinforcing bar mesh and covered with a linear\nlow-density polyethylene geomembrane. The RHS consist in cylindrical containers\nbuilt with diverse materials, and in the case of rigid RHSs, they can\nstore up to 50,000 liters of water. Also, rigid RHSs have a longer useful life\nand are more resistant than flexible RHSs, but their cost is notably higher. Rigid\nRHSs compete in price with commercial rainwater harvesting system\nbrands like Rotoplas , but commercial RHSs disadvantages are their lower durability,\nstorage capacity, and resistance. On the other hand, flexible RHSs are\nless durable than rigid ones, although, in the case of the rainwater harvesting\nsystem made with a 3/8-inch reinforcing bar mesh, the system can be rebuilt\nand reused and the cost is much lower. The design of the collectors takes into\nconsideration the climate variability of the study area, natural or anthropogenic.
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