How I Capture 5,750+ Gallons of Rainwater For My Garden

[@epicgardening]

The full install video is on our second channel, Epic Homesteading: growepic.co/3X5Ni4F

[@juanraro5210]

pvc is no good, actually really bad for you

[@margiemiguel8878]

Little biz idea: rectangular tanks with clamps or some sort of attachment to the wall for rainwater catchment

[@CB-sr8ee]

Love that you’re carrying a beach umbrella around like a rain umbrella. ❤

[@tonkabear2369]

Epic umbrella!

[@jamesR1990]

I read this before watching...I was not prepared 😆

[@hellkittyninja7237]

@@jamesR1990 Same 😂

[@justagirlsd3000]

This IS San Diego 😂

[@TheRooflesstoofless]

For real…that was funny 😆

[@Reindeer_jay]

We harvest from nearly every inch of roof space. Metric numbers are 1mm of rain on one square metre of roof is one litre. We have the first flush for the house water and a filter when it comes into the kitchen. All up on the house and sheds we store 25000+ litres.

[@epicgardening]

That's amazing!

[@bethannlawrence4512]

When you do a Q & A, could you address concerns with water becoming stagnant during periods between capture and use? Also any concerns with algae formation in the barrels between uses? Maybe the question is, how long can water sit in a barrel and still be used in the garden? And a second question- Are there any concerns about contaminants from the roof material in the water? Thanks. I've enjoyed learning from you. Even though I'm in Zone 4b, I find that much of what you share is applicable / translatable to this climate!

[@epicgardening]

Most definitely!

[@dannydoinko7423]

@@epicgardening patiently waiting for this lol

[@judifarrington9461]

@Epic Gardening Same here (zone 6b). Love your videos!! This is so timely. We had drought last year. Time for rain barrel installation.

[@kevinmaloney9529]

If you have a long time In between rains you can add a bubbler To prevent your water from becoming stagnant it keeps it moving and also puts oxygen into it also helps if you live in the north like me with freezing because it’ll lower the chances of it freezing as long as the water is moving it will be fine you could also put fish in it if you wanted to and make a ecosystem that will make the water and the plants healthy

[@danielingle2524]

@@kevinmaloney9529 i know this is a late comment but its still a good idea

[@theurzamachine]

Toronto, Canada has had very little rain this year compared to last year. I have 300gal of Walmart containers that I fill up with rain water for gardening. To put it this way, I haven't spent any money on watering my garden in 3 years. We also bail shower and dish washing water outside as well. It's the easiest way to save money on gardening.

[@MrRKWRIGHT]

Now that's what I call being eco-friendly, and a great way to save on your water bill.

[@epicgardening]

That's EPIC

[@theurzamachine]

@@MrRKWRIGHT It's just a lot of work. I think it's worth seeing as that water would just be sent right back to the city fur purification anyway.

[@MrRKWRIGHT]

@@theurzamachine Let's just hope the city has the right management in place in order to properly purify the water. From what I've experienced, they don't.

[@carolyncarlon9870]

@@MrRKWRIGHTAND you’d get to PAY for water with questionable chemicals including fluoride. Crazy idea!

[@humblecourageous3919]

We're in Escondido, CA. (San Diego County). We put in 3,200 gallon rain water harvest tanks December 2021 (10 tanks: five 500 gallons, two 265 gallons, three 70 gallons). We wanted it mostly to water our fruit trees in the summer. The last rain filled everything up. We have also had a laundry to landscape system for about 7 or more years which successfully waters some of our trees.

[@regardspratik]

how long does the 3200 gallons of water last you?

[@humblecourageous3919]

@@regardspratik We are low water uses (two of us use 66 gallons a day average). We save the 3,200 for the summer to water fruit trees. Since they were full before the last couple weeks where we have already gotten almost 5 inches of rain and more coming, we really wish we had not filled out swimming pool with dirt because a 10,000 rain tank now would be great.

[@rikofonseca]

What methoad do you use to store the water for so long and still be good to water plants and trees?

[@humblecourageous3919]

@@rikofonseca Plants and trees aren't picky.

[@berryster]

I think the easy part is rain collection, the harder part is what to do with your water. There's surprisingly little info on using pumps or whatever to create pressurized water for watering. I have a capacity of about 1500 gallons, and have tried various strategies to get the water into use in the garden, with mediocre results. I don't think you can just hook up your cistern to your irrigation system, for instance. Hopefully, Epic G will give us more detail about their pump system.

[@juliarroberts1621]

I believe a shallow well pump with a pressure tank is what you need.

[@samfunfun646]

Drip irrigation works well with low water pressure

[@agnesthewinemaker]

Up here in Québec we rarely have a year without much rain, but a lot of government grants for rain-barrels. I’m researching which one to get for next year and really appreciate this video in particular. Thanks very much Kevin!

[@crazygrandmaweaz8942]

60 years ago my Grandpa told me that I needed to love thunderstorms and lightening because his fields needed the nitrogen the skys were sending. I still love storms.

[@paulwalker242]

You explained this better than anyone else I've seen on KZbin. Thank You

[@PlantGuild]

I love living vicariously through the epic rainwater collection vids. Here in Colorado they have some of the stricter water-rights and residents are only allowed to have two 55-gallon collection systems. One day maybe legislation will change because the 110-gallon limit was touted by Colorado Government as “we have made a great change! You can now collect up to 110 gallons! Rock on!” 🙃

[@kenhunt5153]

Well done. If you are thinking of a cheaper method use food grade barrels. I use blue colored 55 gallon liquor barrels for mine. If you are using IBC totes you need to paint them. There is a reason why all rain catchment systems are colored.

[@renata3559]

I emptied out my fishpool last year because it became too much work to look after. Got all the stuff out and a few days later my brother came over, suggesting to turn it into a water reservoir. Its not much but it captures the water from the greenhouse roof and my shet. It takes me through the dry period in the summer

[@neilscole]

I only recently learned of the nitrification of rainwater via lightning... like literally in the past week! 🤯 I'm curious to know more about PFAS and other "forever chemicals" contaminating rain water and what effects they may have on plants, soil microbiology, and ourselves (as well as all of nature in general).

[@epicgardening]

Honestly it's a concern, but not severe enough for me to not capture and use the water yet!

[@saltycat662]

We see the effects already. People are getting sick like never before. There's no escaping those poisons at this point. We just have to live with it and do the best we can with any water we can collect.

[@trishdavi7049]

@A R even with well water in the middle of what seems like nowhere...it can be contaminated. Also some well water rich in sulphur great for gardens but stinks like rotten eggs...not very pallitable.

[@1Aroe1]

I currently live in the tropics and 100% of our household water is from rainwater collection. I love it! Unfortunately, in our home state in the US it is illegal to use rainwater in the household. Collection for gardening is allowed but only under a certain amount. Always be familiar with your local legislation (and hey, vote for greener initiatives when you can!).

[@j4genius961]

Why the hell do they have a say in what you do in YOUR house with YOUR water?! I swear the US is crazy

[@alybe2812]

Wow unbelievable, just shows you how the US wants you to depend on the government. I think I’ll just hide it lol. People need to fight against that. Natural way of living is cost effective and eco friendly.

[@JoeBlack14]

I really hope you put some Elephant Ear at the top of your pond, or at least somewhere around it. It is one of my favorite plants around my pond. Looks amazing during the summer and fall. The leaves fill with water when it rains, tilt over to pour it out, and bounce right back up. Lastly they provide nice shade for the fish.

[@davidwarland2680]

in South Australia, not sure of the rest of Austraia, all homes must have a rain water tank hooked up to th house. Rain water is free, use it, my home may use some town water in a long dry summer, but usually none used ever.

[@DeeFromBrooklyn]

It had been the best thing ever for my garden bit im working about winter here where we grey ice and snow. Think i need to drain the system before it freezes

[@analoggurl]

soooo....I learned about some of this in larger project applications for commercial and municipal engineering projects ( I was a civil engineer in my past life). I love that you are showing this on your channel. I would also like to see similar applications for a gardener who does not necessarily have these resources. How can we create DIY projects at a smaller scale using water reclamation systems?

[@alexisdamnit9012]

Most people think California (and probably their own state) criminalizes rain water capture - thanks for making this video to show how it's possible to capture rain water effectively!

[@joshuawinder9029]

Man I was looking for an easy explanation for this and you always make it easy to understand , no long winded explanation just the good stuff .....thanx 😊

[@gabevalentine1473]

Great stuff! This is a goal of mine for our property too and I’m so glad you’re out here demonstrating it for us! Peace!

[@cuddlebuddy88mc]

Neat. I plan on moving back home to the navajo nation, and rainwater harvesting was something I planned on for my future garden. This helps. Thank you 😊.

[@LindaB8749]

Is your health ok Kevin? You’re looking different. Praying all is well! Thanks again for your awesome information! I live in Northern California and we haven’t gotten a decent amount of rain in forever. Would love a rain catchment system!

[@epicgardening]

Been working on a few health things

[@LindaB8749]

@@epicgardening Praying for complete healing 🙏🏽 blessings to you and yours 💕

[@saltycat662]

@@epicgardening Oh no. I hope you're doing ok. Prayers for you.

[@OurOklahomaLife]

We are doing a 20,000 gallon rainwater system right now. We haven't uploaded any videos on it yet but, will soon. It will provide all our inside domestic water to our home. We have a well for all outside water use. We have about 6900sf of roof and filled the 20,000 gallon tank in the first 3 rainfalls after we completed the tank construction. We have about another week to finish our pump house, plumbing and filter system to the house.

[@freakygardener8033]

You have to be sure to check with your city and county first! Some places it's actually illegal to make a rain capture system. I was considering it years ago, but I was told I could NOT.

[@kahlahyahysrahl7777]

God said we can, so who is man to say that we can’t? The reason why some states says NO YOU CAN NOT.....is so that they can continue to charge you for something that is suppose to be totally free. WATER is one of the bare necessities that humans needs to survive here on earth. FOOD WATER AND SHELTER. Rain water is free from Our Creator, I would STRONGLY encourage you to move to a state that says YES YOU CAN!! Florida I know is one state that actually encourages there residents to use a rain water system. 💜💜

[@JustlittleolemeSuzi]

Thank you for your stunning video, you've outdone yourself once again Many native Hawaiian family members have catchment systems feeding their homes

[@HalfNoodley]

How long did you have to wait for a rainy day to film this video?

[@camidonahue8882]

Question: Do you happen to have a video showing more about your underground reservoir? Great video 👍🏼

[@AvocaSingleTrack]

So many of these rain water/cistern videos are filled with bs from those who don't have a clue. You actually have a very good and informative video here. I like the first catch pipe idea. I will incorporate that into my cabin system.

[@sesawigreens]

Genius! We would love to try this to save water for the dry season 👏👏👏

[@znyl]

Can u show us too when it's time for maintaining the barrel? eg. cleaning them up. Thanks!

[@davidsosna5913]

Hello there. First off let me say I'm stoked I discovered this channel. Lots of great info so thank you. I'm confused about how many gallons (10 to 15) you say this first flush is removing. That looks like a 3" pipe. Even if it was 10' long that would only be just over 3.5 gallons. Even if I have the diameter wrong and it's a 4" 10' pipe it would still only be 6.5 gallons.

[@jokepp]

0:55 A better metric version of your formula would be: "For every 1m² of roof, 1mm of rain will give you 1 liter of water" This works because 1m² x .001m = .001m³ and because 1 liter = 1dm², so there are 1000 liters in a cubic meter.

[@epicgardening]

Def. better. Was just converting the imperial directly over but great idea

[@juliehorney995]

Any concerns about arsenic and other contaminants for many of us with asphalt roofs? We just installed a rain barrel and will probably only use the water for ornamentals because of this concern. Thanks, :J

[@baddriversofcolga]

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless your roof is brand new then maybe give it a while to "settle", but if you're still concerned you could always do a water test.

[@kelvinapted7032]

I am from Melbourne Australia. I collect 27,000 gallons of rain water. As the rain comes up from the southern arctic i know it probabley the cleanest rain wateryou can get, I shower in it for the garden and i drink it,even without a filter. When you pour a glass of rian water it has a miniscuse curve. Like a slight riase of water around the edge of the glass. We dont get that with the tap water in melbourne. I used to take this water with me when i visited a friend in the city. She thought i was mad, so i gave her a challenge. Stop drinking tap water for a week and only drink rain water. After the week was up i poured two glasses of water one tap water and the other rain water. I asked her taste both. She picked up the rain water one first and said,after drinking some. Yeah its water. So what. She then picked up the tap water.just as it got to her nose. She said whats this.I said drink some.She did.And said its disgusting i can smell chlorine and other things that i am not sure of. Now i am not mad in her opinion of me. Also the storage tank i use is concrete and i wouldnt use plastic,even if its the plastic that can be used for human consumption

[@lifeofray5233]

but even if its from the arctic wouldn't collecting off your roof be dirty?

[@kelvinapted7032]

@@lifeofray5233 no as its a coorbond roof. A metal roof that has been powder coated with paint that is non toxic

[@lifeofray5233]

@@kelvinapted7032 ah i see, but wouldn’t bird droppings and dust get into the water

[@LawAbidingCitizen117]

@@lifeofray5233 Then filter the water before drinking it! You tap water essentially is rain water, which collects into the river system.

[@kelvinapted7032]

@@lifeofray5233 Yes bird droppings and dust get in but in very small amounts. The first tank that the rainwater is collected has a sumersible pump in it. It sits halfway into the tank. So it cant pump ang dirt bird droppings up into the main tank. Any bird droppings dust or muddy things sink to the bottom of the collection tank.When you think of such a low amount of any contamination in 26,000 gallons its almost none existant

[@melvanini]

Most houses in Australia have rainwater tanks. I've got one in my driveway that I need to get someone to install. Had other house stuff come up that I had to pay for but it's next on the list!

[@timmsmiithgm557]

I'm contemplating rain water harvesting vs a well for a new home. Which is more likely to have the type of contaminates that can be "easily" filtered-out, rain water or well water? Put another way, which is a better candidate for safe drinking water after filtration?

[@lindasoaft9303]

Would love to have gutters and rain barrels soon!

[@kerrie8486]

I live in zone 7a it snows/freezes here. should I worry about the barrels braking ? Also I have a composite roof should I worry about watering the garden with this type of roof? Thank you for all you do

[@epicgardening]

I'll do an update and answer!

[@laurenvandiepen4356]

Super informative, thank you so much for your video. How long can the water be stored for? Northern California summers don’t bring much rain, can this be filled in the winter months and used in the summer? Also, how easy is it to connect an irrigation system to regularly water your garden?

[@BadAce67]

I might have missed it but you don’t seem to have any sort of PFAS filter on your system. Would definitely recommend. Lot of studies have shown conclusive evidence that the “forever chemicals” do in fact collect within the plant, and in some they specifically get filtered to the parts you eat.

[@hoosierpioneer]

What needs to be different in this setup if I live in a below freezing climate 5 months out of the year? Do I have to drain everything and do without rainwater all winter? It's a challenge to guess when it will freeze.

[@epicgardening]

I'm not an expert in colder climates, but I suspect there would be a few weatherproofing / expansion adaptations

[@ericfrancis7816]

So we bought a place last fall and are in the process of building our garden setup. We want to catch the water off our house, but here's the challenge: The garden is uphill from the house, maybe 10-15 feet higher than where the barrels will be. We want to figure a better way to get water up there than me carrying 5-gallon buckets. We're thinking about a solar-powered pump, but don't know how to figure out what size/capacity we'd need. Any insights? Thanks!

[@whitneykani]

This is amazing I love the way your channel has grown

[@epicgardening]

Thank you so much!!

[@mikecheck1256]

That last rain storm we had in SD was pretty epic!

[@dustman96]

I worked in water harvesting, could have used better bulkheads and prepped the tank pad better, otherwise decent install.

[@DanteVelasquez]

I'm obsessed with rainwater capture.

[@Kalumaneveah]

Love how rare rain is over there that you feel the need to use a beach umbrella

[@tangocat4370]

So informative as usual. Love the epic “umbrella” 😂

[@epicgardening]

😁

[@MrEzekiel1982]

Nice video. I almost asked about the contingency plan against a prolonged deluge. But I suppose that comes to my mind because I don’t live in San Diego but on the wet east coast :)

[@ivanguajardo7111]

I like your 500 and 250 gallon barrels. If you like them could you please post the brand, and if you don't like it could you say which one you would have gotten?

[@foamer443]

I second that. have only been able to find some not so great models at HD that seem rather underwhelming.

[@82Julian]

Great Kevin 💪✌️ these is more than a gardening channel... awesome and thanks!!

[@LittleKi1]

Leading from the front! How did you end up using last year's catchment water in your garden?

[@epicgardening]

Irrigating the in-ground beds!

[@pickleslabs]

I love this idea of rainwater collection. I just wish I had space!!

[@sarahs.6239]

Love this. Thank you for the education. Laughed out loud with the big umbrella. 😄

[@VashtiPerry]

Thank you. I really needed someone to explain this to me.

[@nikvalentino]

This is awesome, thank for the tips and love your content. I had a question for you on overwintering hot chilli peppers if I may...Should I be cutting back the leaf growth or allowing this to remain?...I started with just the thick trunks of the peper pant as per your recommendation and I now have a decent canopy of foliage growing and wondered if I should be trimming, or removing anything...Any advice on this would be appreciated :)

[@HeyItsMaori]

In my future home I want to use and reuse as much nature and stuff already on my property. I am saving this video for that.

[@MillCityJam]

Great Stuff - Love your underground H2O reservoir. I live in Fallbrook and looking to do something very similar to that.

[@k.chriscaldwell4141]

One must multiply the square footage of one’s roof by the Cosine of the pitch of the roof. A vertical roof (wall) will capture no rain, a horizontal/flat roof will capture rain on every square foot, and a 45 degree pitched roof will only capture 71% of the rain of its flat counterpart.

[@helenjohnson7583]

I would love to use copper guttering! This is very inspiring!

[@jodijuneallen512]

Hi Thanks! How do you clean the cistern? Where do i even look for something like that

[@demeaningplebny1363]

The first flush filter is a great idea, but doesn't the drain eventually get clogged with debris? How do you clean that?

[@cruzin7749]

Next summers project... thanks for the ideas 😁👍

[@robertkollar779]

Where did you find contractors to do that work? I’m up north in Orange County and wouldn’t go as far as you did, but want to get quotes on some of that type of work.

[@lisef4855]

Hi. To add to one of the comments below about stagnant water, what about mosquitos? Anytime we have standing water in our area (Phoenix suburb) the mosquito population explodes. I don't want a water catchment system that breeds them.

[@JohnP58]

Dam good setup What about the qty of water when a huge amont of water fall. Your filter or dirt splitter will handle the over flow debit? This may contaminated the filter water (maybe?) Great setup again 👍

[@epicgardening]

It'll overflow @ a certain point but ideally the overflow from the cistern handles the throughput

[@seanpidduck]

As a chartered mechanical engineer who loves gardening. This is literally abit of me lol! Unfortunately, I live in England so this would all be a massive waste of money because we get more rain in one day than you probably have in 6 months haha

[@epicgardening]

Yea you need sunlight capture! :P

[@vbowker]

What about contaminates from the shingles getting into the barrels with the water? Wouldn't that make any food grown from the water to be unsafe?

[@kevinhenson942]

Nice setup Kev👍🏽

[@judymckerrow6720]

I thought it never rained in California.🍂🍁🍁🦃💚🙃

[@gracey3282]

Love your advice and videos! Keep up the good work 👏 🙌

[@epicgardening]

Thank you! Will do!

[@aliceDarts]

In my area, it is kind of illegal to harvest rainwater. I am guessing that it is because since I live to close to the major city (metropolitian) the rainwater is more acidic than water. I wish I could collect it because my plants could use it when winter is over.

[@epicgardening]

You in Colorado?

[@aliceDarts]

@@epicgardening I'm in montreal. It's an early winter atm. 😅

[@foamer443]

@@aliceDarts Toronto - You could probably do it on the sly. Not like Epic, but if you can slip in a couple of raised barrels that are out of sight. You'd probably need to empty them for the winter thou.

[@dollyperry3020]

Why did you choose above-ground cisterns rather than in-ground?

[@steveb4656]

Above ground tank(s) can be gravity flow systems (no power needed for pumps). Cisterns would require a pump to get water where you want it.

[@dollyperry3020]

I know you could get it into the tank without pumps...I can also see a likelihood of needing a pump to get the water out.

[@epicgardening]

Dramatically more expensive to do in-ground, the cistern is 2x cost for same size

[@luccala]

Such a great topic! Let's goooo!

[@barrychenkin7564]

here is a less complicated way to calculate water capture potential - 1" rain on 1sqft = 1/2gallon of water ----so a 1000 sqft surface yields 500gallons in a 1" precipitation event

[@LadysFarm]

I need this trick

[@zoemeow7677]

Classy 👌 looks dope 💯✨

[@bean_ctm724]

What would change if i had the filter already on the full gutter

[@TheRooflesstoofless]

I wonder if this would work with hand in hand with a French drain system🤔. I don’t see why not but I know is I’m not thinking of everything

[@trickynik12]

Greetings from sunny Spain ☀️😎

[@epicgardening]

Hey Nicola!

[@tiffcat1100]

Uk is sodden & soaking at present but next year there will still be all the usual panics over ‘unprecedented’ drought and threats of hosepipe bans :(

[@delmicortave]

So massive and so impressive

[@iagofernandes4449]

Rain water is distilled water. the best water for biology. "mineral water" minerals are not even bioavailable a lot of times.

[@DoctorsSong]

There are different rain collecting laws depending on where you live. So check your local laws before setting up your own system.

[@amyfluffyfluff880]

Are you in a state where you are allowed to collect rainwater ? I've heard that a lot forbid you from harvesting rainwater

[@ashleighormsby8232]

Awesome content some good ideas for sure

[@zachrupert9193]

I like the fit

[@kahlahyahysrahl7777]

How much does a system like this would cost

[@angellaracuente6343]

does rain water get effective from pollution if you live in the city?

[@ashleyburroughs636]

Would you say the size of your tank is good for how much rain you receive? Would you go bigger or smaller? I’m also in CA so same rain amounts and trying to assess what size tank is best

[@steveb4656]

You need to access the amount of rain you get and when it comes, year round or in a season. Then how much water will you be using. When will the next rainstorm come?

[@epicgardening]

For me it's great - this is roughly the size of the entire year's capture potential off of my roof

[@ashleyburroughs636]

@@epicgardening okay good to know! I’m also from the SD area so all the info you put out is extremely helpful to me!

[@juedejude]

7 months has passed, did this system work like you designed?

[@janejolly-by8xr]

well done

[@angrykatrants]

BLUE GOLD💙💙💙

[@johnnyblaaa]

Epic Video! Could you explain what the main benefits and downsides between a raincapture-system and a groundwaterfed system are ? Greeting From Germany!

[@steveb4656]

Rainwater falls freely. RW capture systems involve some effort and costs to set up initially but if planned right, it can be used as a gravity flow system that doesn't need power to use the water. A groundwater fed system needs a pump to get every gallon used up to the surface. Electric rates keep going up and up so it will end up costing you more and more for every gallon used.

[@1polynation169]

Wondering if you chose copper for a reason other than esthetics ? ( I've heard copper and water can interact in a good way )

[@epicgardening]

Longevity too!

[@huehue5286]

It's insane how we don't harvest rainwater for stuff like gardens, toilets, etc. It's literally a free resource.

[@rosered6542]

do u have a begginer video of this?

[@josephschaumberg4136]

Very informative