First attempt at DIY Rainwater collection.

[Hellion_1]

Here is our first attempt at a Rainwater collection system. I did this primarily so I would not have to run water lines from the house to the barn, but it still has plenty of Survival/Preparedness value as the next step (in the Spring) will be to implement a Solar power system to run it.

[video=youtube_share;4EJYxJU7cDk]http://youtu.be/4EJYxJU7cDk[/video]

Feedback welcome..

 

[h20addict3231]

Nice system and video thanks for taking the time.

 

[CBR1000rr]

Amazing system and thanks for sharing!

I have a few questions but I would like to begin by saying that I know just enough to get myself in trouble so my questions may be stupid.

#1. The fill pipe is considerably smaller than the pipe it's tied into. Does this serve a design purpose or was it simply a great place to size down the pipe to fit? I ask because I would assume that the smaller pipe would cause a back pressure issue and prematurely force water out of the overflow. I know you said one heavy rain filled your tanks so it wouldn't be a problem if it did but I was just wondering.

#2. Is there any reason you chose to install only 1 shutoff? If something were to happen to one of the tanks or a pipe was stepped on, this causing a leak, wouldn't you want to be able to stop the flow from each tank to minimize water loss inside the building?

#3. How difficult would it be to add onto this set up?

Again, thanks for sharing and I apologize for my ignorance.

 

[redlegrod]

Enjoyed viewing. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Trigger Time]

Awesome!!!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[threedhuntr]

Tagged for follow up info on questions. Great build !!!

 

[pinshooter45]

Thanks for sharing, has given me some Ideas! My only suggestion would be to capture the "Flush water" or "Runoff" into another tank for a greywater system for non-potable purposes.

 

[Enkrypter]

Q: How are you going to filter the water?

Suggestion: Unless your roof is immune to bird droppings, insect excrement, and bio-debris there will always be harmful bacteria in your water tanks. Maybe I missed a portion of the video where you may have stated that it's not for drinking, but If that much water is sitting there an a static container for any length of time there will be potential for harmful bacteria or micro-organisms to grow. Bird droppings can contain all number of nasties. Should you have a raccoon scat on your roof, you'd have even more potential for a number of fecal parasites.

I'd Install anti-bacterial/anti-virus UV lights in-line with your output so that all water coming out of your system would have been exposed to a fairly potent dose of UV to neuter bacteria and viruses. This would keep algae from forming by not having the UV in your tanks and kill the bad bacteria and viruses. I'd install it after your pumps output before it hits the faucet outside. You could install a flow switch to turn on the UV only when water is flowing, so that it will only sip power and be more compatible with your future solar plans.

A common misconception with UV sterilization is that it kills bacteria. It actually doesn't, it simply breaks down certain amino acids in the DNA structures of cells to the point where the organisms either die off or are incapable of reproduction. It' basically neuters them.

Adding a UV, in-line filter would not cost a whole lot, you can even use aquarium grade sterilizers, and it would be the final touch to this system.

Switch example:
Amazon.com : Gino ZFS-03P 0.1A 100V Plastic Liquid Water Flow Sensor Switches 2 Pcs : Electronics

UV sterilizer example.:
Amazon.com: AquaTop In-Line UV Sterilizer 10W - IL10UV: Pet Supplies

I apologize if I missed something though. Great setup, best I've seen! Do you do contract work? I could see you making a lucrative living setting these systems up for people. I'm a sucker, I'd bite...

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

That looks like a great set-up for rain water storage. I have a similar set-up that I use for watering a large garden. Mine is located outside, so I have to bypass it and drain the tank each fall. Since I knew I'd have to bypass my storage tank each fall, I set it up so that the diversion structure is located only about 4 feet high, about six inches above the top of my tank. That allows easy work to bypass in the fall or to hook it back up in the spring, and it also makes the filter very easy to clean. Also, my overflow is set just above the top level of the tank and is a 3-inch PVC standpipe overflow. That does two things; First, it allows the surface water to spill over, getting rid of any floating stuff that gets through the filter, and it prevents a film from forming on the water surface inside the tank from biological activity. Second, by being located right at the high-water level of the tank, it prevents excessive pressure (like the pressure that bulges your tanks). If you had an overflow built into your tanks that was just above the tank elevation, you would have no real pressure to eventually weaken your tanks and you could avoid having that small section of PVC pipe (sticking out the wall of your building below the overflow) that will, at some point be full of water and will freeze in the winter. It would also prevent your vent from overflowing.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I would expect that, if you keep your set-up the way it is, with the repeated bulging and flexing of your tanks over time, you will develop leaks where the top of the tank meets the side wall.

 

[Hellion_1]

Amazing system and thanks for sharing!

I have a few questions but I would like to begin by saying that I know just enough to get myself in trouble so my questions may be stupid.

#1. The fill pipe is considerably smaller than the pipe it's tied into. Does this serve a design purpose or was it simply a great place to size down the pipe to fit? I ask because I would assume that the smaller pipe would cause a back pressure issue and prematurely force water out of the overflow. I know you said one heavy rain filled your tanks so it wouldn't be a problem if it did but I was just wondering.

#2. Is there any reason you chose to install only 1 shutoff? If something were to happen to one of the tanks or a pipe was stepped on, this causing a leak, wouldn't you want to be able to stop the flow from each tank to minimize water loss inside the building?

#3. How difficult would it be to add onto this set up?

Again, thanks for sharing and I apologize for my ignorance.

Thanks for the questions:

1. We thought about using 4" pipe all the way to the tanks, but the tank lids only take 2" threaded adapters. Another consideration was watching actual waterflow during a rain. Our 4"x6" gutters flow pretty good, but never were the downspots more than 50% full of water flow. It always had 50% of air. So we went with 2". Mostly to reduce cost.

2. If you look close, each tote tank has a shut-off valve built-in. You can probaby only see the red handles stinking out by each PVC Tee. So we can shut off all of the tanks, or individual tanks if one fails.

3. We probably could not add any more in this room. We tried to stack the tanks initally, but the water pressure, plus the weight of the tank above started causing the bottom tank cage to stress. There is a video on Youtube that shows a guy using two tanks stacked vertically. We tried that, but connected all four together(two stacks of two connected at the bottom). After filling to 3/4 capacity, we started to hear the bottom cages creaking and bulging out a bunch. We decided to just put all of the tanks on one level.

 

[Hellion_1]

Q: How are you going to filter the water?

Suggestion: Unless your roof is immune to bird droppings, insect excrement, and bio-debris there will always be harmful bacteria in your water tanks. Maybe I missed a portion of the video where you may have stated that it's not for drinking, but If that much water is sitting there an a static container for any length of time there will be potential for harmful bacteria or micro-organisms to grow. Bird droppings can contain all number of nasties. Should you have a raccoon scat on your roof, you'd have even more potential for a number of fecal parasites.

I'd Install anti-bacterial/anti-virus UV lights in-line with your output so that all water coming out of your system would have been exposed to a fairly potent dose of UV to neuter bacteria and viruses. This would keep algae from forming by not having the UV in your tanks and kill the bad bacteria and viruses. I'd install it after your pumps output before it hits the faucet outside. You could install a flow switch to turn on the UV only when water is flowing, so that it will only sip power and be more compatible with your future solar plans.

A common misconception with UV sterilization is that it kills bacteria. It actually doesn't, it simply breaks down certain amino acids in the DNA structures of cells to the point where the organisms either die off or are incapable of reproduction. It' basically neuters them.

Adding a UV, in-line filter would not cost a whole lot, you can even use aquarium grade sterilizers, and it would be the final touch to this system.

Switch example:
Amazon.com : Gino ZFS-03P 0.1A 100V Plastic Liquid Water Flow Sensor Switches 2 Pcs : Electronics

UV sterilizer example.:
Amazon.com: AquaTop In-Line UV Sterilizer 10W - IL10UV: Pet Supplies

I apologize if I missed something though. Great setup, best I've seen! Do you do contract work? I could see you making a lucrative living setting these systems up for people. I'm a sucker, I'd bite...

This is strictly for grey water for now. Eventually we will look at filtering it for drinking. Like you said, bird feces can carry all sorts of bad stuff. When we get to that point, we will be looking at UV as well as everything else. Thanks for the info and links.

As far as installing these things for others? This project has given me a distinct hatred of the PVC isle in Home depot.

 

[Hellion_1]

I would expect that, if you keep your set-up the way it is, with the repeated bulging and flexing of your tanks over time, you will develop leaks where the top of the tank meets the side wall.

We are watching that. We may look at lowering the overflow alittle, but it won't help a whole lot. We are looking at putting something across the top of the flexible tanks to keep them from bulging. Still working on that one.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

We are watching that. We may look at lowering the overflow alittle, but it won't help a whole lot. We are looking at putting something across the top of the flexible tanks to keep them from bulging. Still working on that one.

It's a great system. I'm sure, like anything else, you'll tweek it over time as needed to fix any snafus that pop up.

BTW: I'm jealous of that nice pole barn. Wish I had the space.

 

[Mark 1911]

That's awesome. How many gallons capacity in your tanks?

 

[pinshooter45]

Lots of ways to purify water, from simply adding a sufficient amount of bleach, Boiling, filtering...

 

[Hellion_1]

Mark 1911: The four tanks added together eqaul 1100 gallons.

Update: Ok boys and girls. It is raining heavily again this morning. I went out earlier to drain some water from my bulging tanks. I am getting a little less comfortable with the amount of bulging that is occurring. While I was out there, one big thing hit me like a brick. I have no means of stopping the water from coming in. So as soon as the rain stops, I will be putting another shut off valve in the fill line so that I can completely divert the water. This will allow me to work on the system without fear of outside water coming in. It will also allow me to shut the water flow off to the tanks BEFORE they fill to capacity. This should help relieve the over pressure issue.

 

[Enkrypter]

Mark 1911: The four tanks added together eqaul 1100 gallons.

Update: Ok boys and girls. It is raining heavily again this morning. I went out earlier to drain some water from my bulging tanks. I am getting a little less comfortable with the amount of bulging that is occurring. While I was out there, one big thing hit me like a brick. I have no means of stopping the water from coming in. So as soon as the rain stops, I will be putting another shut off valve in the fill line so that I can completely divert the water. This will allow me to work on the system without fear of outside water coming in. It will also allow me to shut the water flow off to the tanks BEFORE they fill to capacity. This should help relieve the over pressure issue.

I know they cost more, but with the kind of storage you are wanting, I'd be going to local farm equipment swaps looking for some poly fertilizer tanks. They come in all shapes and sizes, very rigid, and durable. The only down side is that they tend to cost a lot new and a used one would have had all kinds of nasty pesticides inside them and would require using harsh chemicals to neutralize any residue and require even more rinsing.

I'd look into getting a Nurse Tank. They don't move, don't flex, and are designed to be put on a flat-bed trailer for portability. They'd be perfect in your shed, but do cost considerably more than what you've spent thus far. If you can get a bead on a used one at a local farm auction, cleaning it might be the way to go.

You can clean them out like a pool. Fill em up, sock them with Hydrocloric Acid and remove any residue, then add in chlorine to base out the acid and bring PH down to a normal level. You can even use pool PH testing strips to tell how you are doing. Bring it down to a zero level, then dump it. I'd fill it back up again and add in a bunch of powdered charcoal. This will remove any smells and again, PH balance any remaining acids.

Here's what I am talking about: 1250 Gallon Poly Leg Tank | Equipped for Easy Transport and Installation

 

[erice1984]

Suggestion: a way to get water from the tanks without requiring electricity.

 

[Hellion_1]

Update to the system.

We made some changes to the collection system and now are happy with it. Next will be solar power for the entire system and a hand pump method of getting water. Now to the video.

[video=youtube_share;-Kdr-wasa94]http://youtu.be/-Kdr-wasa94[/video]

More updates to come....