Water: Rainwater Harvesting; Contour Lines; A-frame/Bunyip Level

by Little D Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:32 am

Water: Rainwater Harvesting; Contour Lines; A-frame/Bunyip Level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHVxviMLYVc

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Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid when Harvesting Rain Water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxcthuHEXUY

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Rainwater Harvesting And Containment For Allotment Gardens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-mdBUnjMLk

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How To Make A Rain Barrel Cheap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ivDhTDLz-Y

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RAIN COLLECTION system for drinking and showering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbXYChFqIys

by **assassin** Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:23 am

While I applaud rainwater harvesting I have numerous reservations about these systems.

In the first video it showed barels laid on their side, they take up much less room if they are stood upright.

They had a Y connector in every barrel at the bottom, this is wrong as they used 1/2" hosepipe and this is a severe restriction, by standing the barrels up and using a 40mm plastic pipe halfway up the barrel you get a much quicker transfer from the first to second barrel and if a pipe leaks or is damaged you only lose half your water instead of all your water.

Vents on the barrels were inadequate, by drilling a 1" hole in the lid and covering with a fine aluminium mesh with the edges turned up and bonding the mesh down you have a fine metal filter for your vents and if you cover these with a little fabric inside the upstands you can recycle some old clothing and place several layers inside the mesh and bend the edges over them to hold the layers of fabric down, now you have a fine mesh and fabric breather.

For the outlet I avoid standard plumbing taps and use a large bore valve, this is placed about 6" from the bottom of the barrel so the barrel bottoms can act as sumps or silt traps, I also add a blanking plug to the end of the valve in case the ball assembly wears and leaks.

by Little D Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:36 am

What about the bucket in the shower for capturing grey water?, does that need more engineering?.

Many people have many different systems, the system I built runs off an asphalt roof which isn’t ideal but, it works and provides plenty (500+ gallons) of water for the chickens and plants. The equaliser I have between the barrels runs from the top and not the bottom so acts more of an overflow than an equalizer. That is ok though as I have mastered the skill of using two taps and alternating between barrels (shocking I know).

The point of the post was to get people thinking and hopefully taking some steps towards their own (however inefficient or under engineered) rain water/grey water capturing.

All your points were covered in the other videos.

by Ausk Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:59 am

I was a child in the 1950's and 60's.
We lived on a dairy farm in SW aus.
I never saw electricity until I was 12 years old.
Our water came from wells and steel tanks and the river which often contained dead roos and cows back upstream as we would discover sooner or later. Our water for the house come from collecting water off the roof.
IMO, unless you have a very good filtering system, your going to get trouble.
In todays world, well, lets say up until the 1990, its been a very clinically clean existence for those of us in the western world. To go back to the way we lived when we were kids would just about kill us if we went back to those standards.
It all starts with water quality.
As a child we developed something of an immunity to very poor personal and family hygiene. I did not see a flushing toilet until I was 13.
The water off the roof for the house was polluted with dead birds, dead rats, dead mice, spiders, flies and cockroaches and frogs etc as well the crap from all these animals. Not to mention leaves off trees etc.
I always cringe a bit when I read this how easily people seem to think it is to live off the land, go back to nature etc.
However, with enough money spent upfront it could work OK.

by Little D Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:02 am

https://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/

by Little D Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:53 pm

Sorry assassin, I woke on the wrong side of bed today. Not going blame others or world events for my flippant attitude, it rests on me and I am sorry.

by **Lopsum** Tue Apr 17, 2018 1:31 am

absorb the critique , calm ones ego Razz

. collecting rain or other water is a good idea if needed but apart from some in circumstances such as for plant watering it is an unnecessary risk ,to obtain drinking water it is much safer to distill tap water than to filter or distill collected water where rodents could contaminate .
i have thought about it as part of a prepping scenario and if i had too i would of course , one would have to make it as rodent proof as possible and also the collection area. Colloidal silver could cure weils disease i presume Neutral

should the worst happen.

by **assassin** Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:19 am

No problem ALAB, I know you are a genuine individual.

What about the bucket in the shower for capturing grey water?, does that need more engineering?.

Yes, in many cases a bucket in a shower is not ideal, especially for those more mature in years or disabled, a much better system is to divert a drain pipe through a bucket or other trap to capture the water.

The point of the post was to get people thinking and hopefully taking some steps towards their own (however inefficient or under engineered) rain water/grey water capturing.

My point was to look at the systems and find their problems and potential issues and give resolutions, and to give any readers looking to begin a harvesting system the impetus to design better and more efficient systems from the beginning and give them the chance to collect much more rainwater. Many of us began with an allotment and the only source of water was from a shed or other outbuilding roof and this makes you appreciate water consumption and it shows up all the basic errors people make, and these are the same mistakes many of us have made, and to help people prevent these mistakes by eliminating them by using our experiences as examples.

The point of the post was to get people thinking and hopefully taking some steps towards their own (however inefficient or under engineered) rain water/grey water capturing.

Whole heartedly agree, and Ausk makes some interesting points on this with:

Our water came from wells and steel tanks and the river which often contained dead roos and cows back upstream as we would discover sooner or later. Our water for the house come from collecting water off the roof.
The water off the roof for the house was polluted with dead birds, dead rats, dead mice, spiders, flies and cockroaches and frogs etc as well the crap from all these animals. Not to mention leaves off trees etc.

Then of course their is the environmental pollution.

i have thought about it as part of a prepping scenario and if i had too i would of course , one would have to make it as rodent proof as possible and also the collection area. Colloidal silver could cure wiles disease i presume Neutral should the worst happen.

And of course there is the other contamination from flying insects which are known to harm health.

Hopefully this will encourage people to install water harvesting systems and to discuss ideas about maximum water gathering and storage and to make more efficient systems for garden and livestock watering with the minimum expenditure and to utilise local waste products to minimise expenditure.

by **assassin** Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:23 am

Lopsum

Its Weils Disease.

by **Lopsum** Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:20 am

corrected

by **assassin** Tue Apr 17, 2018 6:39 pm

I get fed up of typing Weils disease on risk assessments Lopsum.

by **Lopsum** Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:41 am

i said it right in my head Crying or Very sad

by **assassin** Wed Apr 18, 2018 3:13 am

What, Weils diseased head, get to the doctors quickly.

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