Rain catchment system: The beginning.

[Whirlibird Survivalist]

Yup its only 30 gallons but there’s a 275 gallon tank behind the wall.
All non potable, but I’m working on a food grade tank to match to go on top.

This one is for the flowers, not for people, a proof of concept in action.

[tweva Survivalist]

Whirly that’s great. Does the 275 gln tank fill first, then overflow goes into smaller ones?

I put in gutter on the 2 outbuildings (1 side) near my main food garden with linked 85 gln barrels raised up on cinderblocks for watering. Pressure with a hose is fairly decent for my purposes. Oh, might paint them black to reduce algae growth. Just a thought.

For redundancy I built a stand that I can put on deck outside kitchen window so small barrel is higher than the sink that we can run a small hose through the window to the sink if solar well pump goes caput or something.

Thanks for pic!

[74 Survivalist]

Whirlybird,
Thanks for starting this thread! Also it”s nice to see other’s peoples progress.

[74 Survivalist]

Tweva,
If you paint them black they will heat the water, (if they are standing in the sun) this might not be good for the plants. I’ve killed grass and plants with the hose & solar heat. You could build a shelter with a few pieces of plywood to shade them and achieve the same thing.

I have’t got around to this yet but I want to place a tank in my attic and connect it my domestic water system. Then the gravity will provide pressure to flush my toilets and use the sinks. I have the cold water to the kitchen sink isolated from the rest of the system now, so if I set up a filter system I could use the 55 gallon food grade drum I bought for drinking water and install it in the attic as well. The water tanks can be heated with solar, furnace or stove for washing or to prevent freezing in the winter.

A lot of dirt comes off a roof system so I think pre-filtering before it enters the tanks would be desirable. I use poly bags in 55 gal drums in my studio for filtration and think they would be useful for anyone that wants to remove debris from a water collection system. The bags resemble a feed bag: Inner polyethylene liner bag
Closed bottom
6.5 oz. woven polypro
2200 lbs. weight capacity
For 60 gallon cyclone
24″ x 42″

In my system a use two drums in series similar to the picture Whirlybird posted. I put a filter in the first drum and let water transfer from one to the other near the top of the drums. When the bag is full I replace it. In a domestic system without a crane, I would replace it based on a schedule so it could be handled manually.

[Robin Survivalist]

“I have’t got around to this yet but I want to place a tank in my attic and connect it my domestic water system. Then the gravity will provide pressure to flush my toilets and use the sinks. I have the cold water to the kitchen sink isolated from the rest of the system now, so if I set up a filter system I could use the 55 gallon food grade drum I bought for drinking water and install it in the attic as well. The water tanks can be heated with solar, furnace or stove for washing or to prevent freezing in the winter.”
74
I advise against any tank in the attic. That is a huge amount of weight. Farmers/Ranchers have tanks that sit on steel legs about 15 feet in the air. These are normally used to hold gas and diesel for the equipment used. I suggest you think along that line and install them outside of the kitchen and bathroom. You can paint them or provide shelter from the sun over them depending on usage.
Robin

[tweva Survivalist]

Agree Robin – no tanks in the attic for me. Before I could relocate the W/D from upstairs (house came that way) had a problem and ended up having to re-drywall and paint living room ceiling downstairs.

74 – forgot about the heat of black – than an opaque white. If algae grows in the tank it eventually plogs it up. My rain barrels are shaded almost all day by the eves and position of the buildings thank goodness. They came light tannish color.

[74 Survivalist]

Thanks Robin,
I have load bearings walls in the center of my house with steel beams in the spans. I can easily install addition support if it’s needed.

Along those lines, I reinforced part of the ceiling already Where I’ll be placing a sand bagged firing postion.

[wildartist Survivalist]

Thanks for the post and pictures! We need to get on this. Water supply is our weakest link. We have one 55gal food grade barrel but not hooked up yet. At present might let it overflow into non-food-grade (pool chlorine) barrels for washing/garden etc. Anyone else’s photos and ideas are appreciated too!

Hmmm…not crazy about a tank in the attic…a friend had one with disastrous results.

[Robin Survivalist]

Wildartist, search this forum for posts by “NETexas Granny.” She posted a picture of her system. Think of wine barrels on racks in the winery.

Robin

[74 Survivalist]

Each to their own, for me it solves the sanitation issues of low or no water pressure when power goes out. Elevated tanks have been in use for 150 years so it’s really not like an unknown factor. A small pump can keep a tank filled where without one you are dependent on higher capacity pumps.

[wildartist Survivalist]

Thanks, Robin! Will check that out also.

[freedom Survivalist]

Like the system, this is close to what I am going to build out with 55 or 65 gallon barrels food grade plastic.

[Whirlibird Survivalist]

Tweva,
The 30 gallons fills first, then I have to move it to the larger holding tank. This is a work in progress.

I know I need to add an overflow, but wanted to get it going first.

We had rain twice now today for 6 gal captured so far.

I have already decided to cut a boat pump in line to avoid buckets as soon as I can.

[undeRGRönd Survivalist]

<div class=”d4p-bbp-quote-title”>74 wrote:</div>Thanks Robin,<br>
I have load bearings walls in the center of my house with steel beams in the spans. I can easily install addition support if it’s needed.

Along those lines, I reinforced part of the ceiling already Where I’ll be placing a sand bagged firing postion.

Cool Stuff!
74, you probably know this, but for the record, water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. 55 gallons would be 440 pounds plus the tank. Additional bracing is a good idea!

"ROGUE ELECTRICIAN" Hoping to be around to re-energize the New World.....

Cogito, ergo armatus sum

[74 Survivalist]

Thanks RGR,
I’ll be good as long as I keep the tanks on top off the wall. They can carry a tremendous amount of weight. I also have a double fire place in the center of the house and I think there is room for 55 gallon drums on the shoulders of the chimney.

I have an extra electric hot water heater I have plans to install in the attic as well. My first plan was to convert it to solar, circulating water from a solar collector through the tank. But now I think I will use a heat exchanger on top of the furnace to scavenge radiant heat. It requires installing a loop from the furnace to the tank,with a small circulation pump. The loop will use the cold fill and hot outlet on the tank. I’ll use the drain for the domestic side of the system and the pressure release for the fill. Air will escape out the tap like a regular closed system under pressure. The fill can act as an air inlet when water is drawn from the tank under gravity by installing a tee off the fill line with a check valve preventing entry of pressurized water from the pump. The tank can be filled from a rain water catch basin and be tied into the domestic water by installing check valves in both sides of the system.

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