Rainwater is an excellent source of drinking water whether you’re living on a homestead or surviving after a disaster. However, it’s not as simple as setting out buckets when it rains. You need to set up a proper rainwater harvesting system. And even then, you have to be careful not to make any serious mistakes.
In this video from the Youtube channel, Starry Hilder Off Grid Homestead, Starry goes over 7 common mistakes people make when harvesting rainwater. Look over this list of mistakes and make sure you’re not making them or you’ll live to regret it.
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Here they are:
- Forgetting to make sure it’s legal in your area.
- Using the wrong kind of barrel (the wrong kind will leach dangerous chemicals into your water).
- Buying expensive barrels. If you’re search hard enough, you can find them used.
- Not setting up a system for getting your water out (such as a spigot or pump).
- Not keeping your barrels covered (with sheets, screens, or even cooking oil).
- Forgetting to let rain rinse your roof for 10 minutes before collecting rainwater.
- Using a small system. It takes a lot of water to live.
Be sure to watch the video below where she expands on all of these points.
Janine says
July 11, 2017 at 5:21 pmHow do you stop your rain water from getting algae growth when you collect large amounts?
Ben says
July 15, 2017 at 3:53 pmAlgae needs light to grow, consider trying to black out whatever you’re collecting in.
Instig8r says
July 18, 2017 at 2:06 amHow do you wait before you collect the water? Do you have a cheap way to do that automatically? My rain gutters are attached to my barrels through a diverter. What should I use as a timer? How would that work? And, since my rain system is only for my garden, should I even care?
Heidi says
July 20, 2017 at 7:14 amIf it’s just for your garden then don’t worry about it. But if it’s for drinking, you can just cover the opening to your rain barrel and let the water spill onto the ground for about 10 minutes.
David says
January 28, 2018 at 9:38 amThere are other rainwater collection sites that have a calculation to the wait times…That being said, what if your not there when it begins to rain? There are flush diverters that will divert the first few gallons of dirty water from your holding tanks. Usually a 6″ or 4″ pvc pipe is used. The length will be determined by the size of your roof. Once that is filled water will bypass the diverter and start filling your holding tank. After the rain stops the diverter is emptied via a plug at the bottom.
1ik says
March 24, 2018 at 3:53 amIf you are collecting for gardening use only, no need for first flush system, however having one connected to system it would prevent accomoalation of sediments at the bottom of tank. The simple way of building first flush system is to have vertical deadend pvc pipe 100mm dia 2.2 m long installed as a “T” connection to horizontal pipe that discharges to the tank & have a floating ball inside of it.
Raymond Dean White says
August 5, 2017 at 6:00 amFor drinking water you could boil it or filter it through an AquaRain or Big Berkey system, though even a Survivor Filter or LifeStraw would work.
Holly Whiteside says
April 21, 2019 at 10:51 amNO. This is dangerous advice. You must BOTH boil and filter water appropriately before it is safe to drink. This is a common misunderstanding. Filtering correctly can take out lead, fluoride, and other particles, but it does NOT make the water safe from disease, bacteria, and parasites which are often microscopic. Similarly, boiling does not remove lead and other heavy metals which will accumulate in the body over time, so it is helpful if say, a pipe breaks on you as a temporary measure, but not for long term. In most areas, rain carries some amounts of mercury. Drinking water is not a situation to be amateurish about it. Water treatment plants continually test and view their water under microscopes to keep our water safe to drink, and use chlorine (instead of boiling) and other additives to keep us from getting things like parasites, cholera, and birth defects.
lease says
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Judy Mayer says
January 29, 2018 at 3:34 pmThis spring, I’m thinking of adding a metal roof over my deck by the side of my above ground pool. The deck is 24 feet x 10 feet. I think I want to get a rain barrel and sit on top of deck and use this water to fill pool and also use to water plants.
Suggestions??
Kerahdah says
March 22, 2018 at 10:33 amWhy would catching up rainwater not be legal? What falls from the sky, surely cannot be subject to any local by-law or constitution. How can such a law be upheld in a court of law?
Jenny B. says
April 3, 2018 at 3:05 pmThat was my thought also but its illegal in my town. I haven’t asked why but sure would like to know the rationale behind the law.
Mike says
April 10, 2018 at 3:12 pmLots of municipalities have regulations on standing water. It really does not have anything to do with how the water or why the water is being collected. The biggest reason for regulation is creating mosquito breeding pools and the disease that those little buggers can spread. In Singapore there is a minimum $500 dollar fine for having ANY standing water on your property. You could forget to bring in a Frisbee left upside down outside. If it rains and someone calls the authorities, you get hit with the fine. They are just a little more strict over there;).
Mary Lou Smith says
May 19, 2018 at 6:13 pmAnd here I was thinking that in America it was because the municipalities usually own the water system. Thank you for giving me a better reason.
LM Decker says
July 25, 2018 at 1:32 pmI have family in CO Springs area, it is illegal to collect rain water because the state of CO collects the rain water then sells it to the state of NV! You’d be cutting into the states profit. There may be other reasons too but I know that is a big one for CO residents.
Joseph says
July 1, 2018 at 6:50 amOr one could divert the water into another container for the garden, washing the floor ect. Flushing is a good use when there is no running water; just pour a bucket of water into the bowl.
Dar says
March 3, 2019 at 10:46 pmWhere would people allow it to be illegal for them to collect rainwater?
Tory says
April 18, 2019 at 2:24 pmI like to use it in my hair. Do I need to do anything special to it befor spritzing it in my hair with a water bottle?