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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.
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.
How do you stop your rain water from getting algae growth when you collect large amounts?
Algae needs light to grow, consider trying to black out whatever you’re collecting in.
How 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?
If 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.
There 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.
If 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.
For 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.
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This 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??
Why 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?
That 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.
Lots 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;).
And 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.
I 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.
Or 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.