Rain Water Harvesting System Top Mistakes! Don't Make These!

[@zuzax1656]

Back in the 80's, I had a coworker who had a few acres of land on the outskirts of town in southern New Mexico. On it, he had a pecan orchard. The orchard had it's own well. What was interesting was that he had installed a water tower for the orchard. The orchard well was powered by an old fashioned wind mill with an electric pump as backup. The windmill was strong enough to pump the water from the ground and to the tank (about 20 feet high). When I asked him why the 'antique', he said electricity costs money, the wind is free. Remember, back then, solar cells were expensive and not as good as today's. It might be an option for those who have land where the wind is fairly steady.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Very cool. I wish I lived in a windy area. I think a windmill would be a great addition for something like that.

[@westerncowhand7814]

Actually, almost all of Oregon has a very long drought almost all summer long. Same for western Washington, that's why they have evergreen trees not so much deciduous trees. The size of cistern for this area is absolutely enormous if you are thinking of summer irrigation.

[@zuzax1656]

@@westerncowhand7814 That would depend upon the system used for irrigation. There, he used a buried drip system. Essentially, like a surface drip system, but buried about 3-4 inches under the surface. Because it is buried it doesn't evaporate as quickly as surface drip or sprinklers in the desert heat and can soak down to the roots. Using less water for equal results. The tank was mostly to provide pressure to get the water through the network of plumbing. The point being that if you can find a way to use water efficiently in a desert, it would probably work nearly anywhere else even better. Learn and adapt, repeat. That is what truly separates us from the other animals.

[@gladtidings4all]

We keeps our under cement shed and blue roof covered. We also have solar water heater and solar water distiller on our cement roof along with wrought iron cage we built on the cement roof to protect from hurricanes. Along with our solar panels for our house and air conditioning. We live in 3.5 acre home on the island. We are retired and we started building our cement house 36 years ago when the economy was good paid cash. I’m a retired nurse, and we didn’t want to live in the states in a cheap wood house. I been married 36 years and we worked hard on our goals. My husband is a workaholic and goal oriented. I learn to do everything in KZbin.

[@Off-Grid]

We've been on 100% rainwater for several years now, set-up videos on our channel. We use it for everything in our homestead. 5000 gal is usually enough unless we have a really dry season.

[@keithhughes8010]

Just subscribed to your channel. I look forward to checking it out

[@Off-Grid]

@@keithhughes8010 Thanks. There is a playlist for the water system you should check out.

[@GretchenLee-gu5wn]

@@Off-Grid what is your channel?

[@Off-Grid]

@@GretchenLee-gu5wn The 5th Journey Off-Grid

[@gladtidings4all]

We had ours installed professionally in PR. We have 2 (800) gallons and added water filters I also collect rain water in rain barells for our plants. We keep ours covered when not need to collect water.

[@emomuzz5883]

You have saved me countless hours of wasted time and frustration. Thank U !

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@kennethalmond8922]

Good one - very accurate info! We do 3 x 2500gal tanks from roof -> leaf-strainer (same as you showed) -> 300gal 1st flush -> tanks -> shallow well pump -> water worker -> 20micron -> 5micron -> Class A UV and works very well and seems perfectly safe and good tasting water! We collect / use ~18,000gal per year from 2,000sq ft of roof in Southern Oregon. This runs our home for 9 months (~2000gal/month) but May,Jul,Aug,Sep,Oct is low/no rain... but if we conserved a bit, we could go all year. We're entering year 6 of operation and it only takes yearly filter and 1-2yr UV bulb changes - pretty minimal effort. Oregon allows roof (and only roof) capture for individuals. In early years we used 400micron sock in 1st flush for sediment - but it was just a pain to clean and now we skip straight to the 20micron filter. The 20" filters last a whole year (20,000gal) with no trouble - so just change these out each year. Sediment does settle in bottom of the large 2500gal tanks and with intake 6-8" above the bottom we avoid it.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thanks. Your system sounds awesome!

[@kennethalmond8922]

Didn't mean it as having a great system but rather wanted to contribute that rainharvest works *really well*, even if you live in a town like we do. Shallow well pumps, filters, water workers, and even UV are ordinary off-the-shelf plumbing components and the overall system is straightforward. Want to join you in trying to bring down the 'it's too complicated or unsafe or too much maintenance' factor and encourage those on the fence to give it a try :)

[@anthonyrstrawbridge]

It's my contention that treatment using Diatomaceous Earth and UV-C sterilization as antimicrobial protection in a clean well maintained rainwater catchment, storage, and distribution system is sufficient for my needs; providing exceptional quality drinking water at a very low cost. Simple filters like fine mesh screen and cotton fabric are perfectly acceptable to clarify and UV sterilize. The activated carbon filtration at the final stage is ideal to control consistent clean taste and smell but I tend to replace it within 30 days to prevent bacterial multiplication. Anyway, I'm relieved of the RO system and filthy contaminated well water.....never have been more pleased than drinking rainwater. 😊

[@steve37341]

Great info. Didn't think about sealing every single point of entry. One suggestion. Stainless steel screen. More expensive but never degrades. And, on the pond, there is a special fish called "mosquitofish" that helps keep mosquitos knocked down.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful. Thanks for the heads up on the stainless steel screen.

[@steve37341]

@@CountryLivingExperience Yes sir. Not sure if it's ok to give a recommended vendor for that. Made in the US. Family biz for decades. One I have used.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@steve37341 Sure. I always like buying USA made items.

[@steve37341]

@@CountryLivingExperience Darby Wire Mesh

[@brocklievsay8262]

any tips or pointers for climates that are really cold in the winter? Perhaps I will have to get burry-able tanks and burry them and add heat tape to the roof, gutters, and corresponding exposed pipes?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You have the right idea. Buried tanks and heat tape are your best options.

[@johnh9748]

One correction. 1000 square feet of roof only collects about 623 gallons per inch of rain. (1000 ft^2)(1/12 ft) = 83.33 ft^3 (83.33 ft^3)(7.48052 gallons/ft^3) = 623.3766 gallons I allow the 23.3766 gallons for initial wetting of the collection surface and the fist-flush (10 gallons minimum for 100 ft^2 collection surface)

[@stevepailet8258]

Recently bought a couple of spin down filters after those I have 1 1/2 inch big blue filters first one has a charcoal filter the second on houses ceramic candles these are the same filter as in the Berkey but they are shaped a bit differently Eventually after the ceramics I will put in a uv light The thing to remember about a uv is that the wather has to be clear enough that no water is being shaded by even the smallest sediment or the light might not actually hit whatever is left in the water. The big blue is a 10 inch diameter filter housing.. so they are big. They are made by Doulton filter

[@clarencewiles963]

Also check with your community as some locations are illegal. Thumbs up 👍

[@Doc1855]

Like WA state, a communist ran state

[@craigf3277]

Do it and don't get caught.

[@Doc1855]

@@craigf3277 We have a nosey neighbor who (we wish were dead) that squeals on everyone. Yet he grows weed in his basement

[@YoooItsRex]

Definitely check to make sure it’s legal first. THEN design/disguise your system appropriately.

[@paperburn]

@@Doc1855 sounds to me like you can negotiate an accord

[@RedFlyerMedia]

No e explanation! I live in an rv park, but the owner is a homesteader with a similar system for his home. I am talking with him about a small set up for my spot. Fingers crossed he ok’s the idea & design.

[@andrewsackville-west1609]

Just want to point out that *parts* of Oregon get lots of rain. Most of Oregon does not get much rain, and *all* of Oregon gets *no* rain at all for months in the summer. Thus, for truly effective rain collection, you need enough water stored to span that dry spell.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Every place is different. Everyone is encouraged to do their own research as to the rainfall in their area. As a whole, Oregon gets more rainfall than the majority of the rest of the country sans New Hampshire and South Florida.

[@andrewsackville-west1609]

@@CountryLivingExperience yes, and I don't mean to imply otherwise. You said that in Oregon, because of our heavy rainfall, you don't need a lot of storage. I'm only suggesting that in fact it's the opposite. One needs a lot of storage to get through the dry period.

[@GlenHazmatTrahan]

Thanks for the video. We had 10,650 gallons of outside storage and another 3K under the crawlspace for emergencies (think February 2021) and still would watch the collection tank overflow in our NW of Houston household collection system. A couple ideas you may not have considered-we had our tanks in the shaded woods so we painted the tanks forest green but we also painted our above ground PVC piping which made it blend in AND protected it from UV damage. The other thing we learned from the purveyor of Cloud Juice out in Fredricksburg we learned about the importance of collection and holding tanks being separate, and taking the clearest water from the collection tank to keep the holding tank even cleaner.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts re: painting the pvc.

[@Sonny-ik9rv]

Believe that having a fountain or pump in your ponds will help control the mosquito issues because they can't lay eggs in moving water.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@Sonny-ik9rv yes, that will help too.

[@meljordan220]

Plus it adds air to the water for the fish if you have fish.

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

One thing I love about your Channel is that you Talk about More than Solar, (I'm all solared out at the moment lol) and there is more to surviving then just Free Energy. I need to Up my Game and Enjoy Seeing your thoughts and Opinions about other things in Self Presevervation, I need to Up my Water Game and start growing my own food in the space that I have.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I appreciate that. Keep moving forward with all the other aspects of self sufficiency.....you can do it!

[@ldygzlle1291]

Great job on this video. Concise and informative. I had a berkey for years until I tested the water. More ppm after the berkey than before filtering. I now use a zero pure because Science is not an opinion. Please test your water and don’t just buy a filter because someone said it was good but didn’t provide evidence. And if you still want a berkey I have one for sale cheap

[@gladtidings4all]

We use those dunks too

[@malachiarmenta6118]

Do you have any recommendations on systems that would be used to pump the harvested rainwater to power the home or agriculture sites? All new to me. Thank you

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I am not sure how that would be done. Sorry

[@aylarobinson556]

Thank you so much God Bless you.

[@melvinbush3852]

I have a pool pump on mine 400 pound to filter the water from my 250 gallon tank to the tanks I use

[@WalterPidgeonsForge]

I wonder how much roofing material choice affects the water quality.. It seems that asphalt shingles would release som toxic/damaging things as they get heat cycled and that those things would pass through any screens.. It seems like metal roofing would be a better choice if you had it to make.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It affects it. Metal is best. It is all about your filtration after the fact.

[@commonsense246]

Our system is just like your, but we have 2 5K tanks, same set up as you. We use a German Wize VOrtex filter and then UV and standard cannister filters 5micron and 2 micron I think. We test our water once a year, it's always 99% pure and bacteria free. We've never come close to running out of water.. Arkansas has plenty of rain.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome!

[@stevepailet8258]

remember that gravity can really be your friend.. With this in mind try to mount your tanks as high above your outlets as possible.. This is why cities build water towers or mount tanks as high as they are able to. This also means build your roof at a high point on your property. You will get about 40 pounds of pressure if you can mount your tanks up say 100 ft above you highest outlet.

[@gretafields4706]

I have small pressure pumps in the basement. I installed my own. Water comes into my basement at 40 lbs psi from gravity. When it goes through the pump, an air bladder squashes the water down under pressure and releases it to the house at 40-60 lbs. Psi. It has plenty volume. You dont want it over 60 or it may blow the lines apart, causing leaks where you glued line together.

[@johnh9748]

The hydrostatic head pressure of water is 0.433 psi/foot of head. a 100 foot hydrostatic head would be needed to supply water at 40 psi after friction reduction in the pipes.

[@draperone371]

Thank you ❤ 😊

[@ridingvenus]

2:54 what about Pahoa & other areas of Hawaii?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Suppose I should have said continental US.

[@juliehorney995]

Tu. Can you talk about types of roofs and their contaminants? Right now from our asphalt roof we are using the rain water only for ornamental plants.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Since we have filtration after the collection (including the berkey in the house), I am not really worried about it. Metal roofs are the best for low contamination however.

[@EK--ry3lr]

I don't know if I knew you were also in East Texas! We sure aren't having issues with low rain this year 😂

[@CountryLivingExperience]

No issues at all. More rain in July than I have seen in the past 8 years.

[@gladtidings4all]

We don’t have open water. Our cisterns are grey color.

[@umustbbornagainActs2-38]

Just ordered 2 chemguard black 500 gallon tanks. Gonna build a water tower from 4" sch 40 pipe and put one up high for pressure and the otter down low to catch rainwater and water from the creek nearby. Gonna figure the rest as i go

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome!

[@davej7458]

In my part of Oregon we have rain for six months and no rain for six months. If your rain water collection is the primary water system or is a real backup system it requires alot of storage. Tanks as you can afford them is the obvious way to go. How do you protect your tanks and collector pipes in the winter.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Fortunately we don't really have to protect the pipes too much here in the winter. The pump and pipes connecting to it will be enclosed and insulated for this winter since that is new.

[@rosa632]

Thank you for sharing. Do you have a step by step build video?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. At the end of the video, I linked the entire playlist of the build videos.

[@10InchSnow]

So inspiring!!

[@squirrel1179]

It's just a random idea, and I'm not sure if it's worth the power consumption or not. What about installing a circulatory pump with a filter on the storage tanks, kind of like on a cheap above ground pool to help pre-filter fine sediment and if any bugs do get in. I would assume you'd only have to run the pumps a couple of hours a day.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That would be a good added layer but not sure about the payoff since we have all the other filtration.

[@jimoray3]

Great content as usual. Many blessings

[@Ctobefree]

How do you remove the nano nano and what is sprayed in air that lands in it?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Multiple layers of filtration

[@mgoh1984]

Harvesting rainwater is great if you can, but the best water for irrigation is from rivers or ponds, then rainwater.

[@NatureZone101]

Very helpful. My question, which many people don't seem to address is about droppings on the roof? Birds, Squirrels, etc and going to leave feces / urine on the roof no matter how hard people try to keep it clean. How is all of that addressed properly to the highest degree of safety?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

The multiple filters I pointed out collect a vast majority of the sediment from those things you mention. At then end of the system we have a Berkey filter to purify for drinking. Some people use a small amount of bleach in the tank or a UV light treatment system.

[@NatureZone101]

@@CountryLivingExperience Thanks

[@gretafields4706]

Yes. What worries me is the oily or dirty film off of a metal roof. Rsin just doesnt seem to clean off my metsl roofs, ever.

[@PaulDukich]

What do you do about contaminants in the water from the roof such as bird droppings and such?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

With the multiple layers of filtration, I am not worried about it. The Berkey is the last line of defense for us for drinking water.

[@PeterLawton]

His first-flush diverter handles the bulk of that, and his Berkey handles the rest.

[@sashi5827]

The top mistake is using plastic. Even if you just use it to water the garden your plants take up microplastic into their cells

[@IdiotF0ol]

@sashi5827 you don't have pvc plumbing in your house? Pretty much all plumbing is pvc these days.

[@backwardsrun]

I don't know much about the subject but honestly I think your onto something, what other material would you use that is water tight, concrete seems toxic, glass seems ideal but could break it humm not sure the answers are.

[@sashi5827]

@@backwardsrun you just gotta ask yourself how they would’ve done it 100 years ago. I’d say metal, wood, clay, or you could even make your own out of stone and mortar.

[@gynocentrismergomgtow]

How have the Berkey filters been performing on your rain harvested water?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Great. No issues.

[@kcmgfarm2389]

There wasn't a link in the description for the 2500 gal tanks, how much are they? Love these types of videos Kate

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thanks. We got the tanks through Home Depot. Here is a link to one...homedepot.sjv.io/bax9kv

[@appalachianheartsong5487]

@@CountryLivingExperience Lowe’s has a 2500 gal tank (looks nearly identical) for $1800, which is really good since we generally see prices around $1 per gallon.

[@keithhughes8010]

Very well done video

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you

[@iiinsaiii]

Nice system, but you over fill is higher then your fill line. Shouldn’t it be lower? Once it’s fill it will be flowing back out the full line before it reaches the over feel line.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. It looks like the inflow is higher but it is actually not. It is slightly higher. Camera can be deceiving.

[@stever2583]

Interesting system... Inefficient though! Collection, Filtration, Storage - you need focus. Collection is simple right - Not so much. When you collect with just simple slopes you are also collecting all the debris and soils of animal life, pollution, feces from whatever critters get on your slope system. Slow the collection of water down, turbulence just moves tons of debris with the water. Next have a rough filter, Scotch brite is a remarkable collector of debris that is easy to clean. Scotch Brite's come in many sizes. On your slope have a screen, under that have the scotch brite's, under that have a wash board system. Don't think of this system as necessarily vertical - angled is better but the basic angle should be no more than 45 deg. With any luck the world where you life has nothing else to throw at your collection. The screen diverts the large debris, the Scotch Brite's collect bits of leaves, bird feces, bugs etc. And then the washboard - you want it to divert the water over it yet have the washboard at a slight angle at right angle to the basic slope. (that angle removes the sand and grit that clogs everything if given a chance. At this point you have close to 95% of the debris filtered out. Next comes the true filtration, I would suggest a 3 stage in diminishing diameters. Get the best system you can afford here. Direct the water into the clean storage tanks. Keep the entirety of the system critter free - even mosquitos and smaller. Use micro screens where possible ( they are made of Stainless Steel and come in unbelievably fine mesh. The entrance to the storage must be clean, sealed and somewhat critter proof. If you can keep your over flo away from the ceiling of the storage1-2 inches is plenty.Condensation combined with any life form can create a hazard you do not expect. @ 2 inches from the bottom of the storage have a connection tree (large hose connection for irrigation, regular hose connection, and a small diameter connection attached to a clear poly tube that you keep attached to the storage vertically. That is your storage capacity meter.

[@lfuqua981]

Should one put chemicals in the tank to keep it free from algae?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You should get the black tanks so that algae doesn’t grow in the first place. You can add a few caps of bleach if you like

[@arthouse9696]

Great video, thanks! I’m wondering how long you can safely store the water with this set up (dark tanks, screens and secure openings, Dunkits)? Do you have to do anything else or add anything else for it to last 6 months or more? maybe up to 8 months? Thinking of subtropical regions with an actual monsoon season of 4 to 5 months with the rest of the year dry.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. I honestly don't know what the longevity of the water would be. I have never researched that. Theoretically, you can filter any water not matter how old it is.

[@arthouse9696]

Thanks 😊

[@Roninphoto]

Just found your channel. Moving to Texas and want a rain water carmtchment system. If I need help in setting one up who should I seek out?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Welcome to Texas. I advocate all DIY on my channel. I do it all myself so I don’t know of anyone. Sorry

[@Roninphoto]

@CountryLivingExperience Thanks for the response. On critical high ticket projects I don't trust myself.

[@honeybee6674]

Should I build it on the high of my property? There is no structure out there. Can I send you a picture of my property so you see how it is shaped? I guess I would have to have a plumber put it together.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It all depends. You need a roof to collect it. If it is going to be too cost prohibitive to build a structure with a roof at the high point and then add a water tank, then don't do it. I might add it next to your house, collect rainwater off the existing roof, and add a pump. That will cost a lot less I am sure.

[@troydefond2307]

the Berkeley is not great. I would look into it. y'all need some type of uv filter for ur drinking water for it to he safe.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Berkey is better than most. I have looked at many. I know UV is good, I may add that in the lineup.

[@springflowerdark2137]

Could you link the filteration parts? I did not see those listed

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sorry, yes. Here they are: Parts Used In This Video: Norwesco 2500 gallon Rainwater Collection Tank: www.homedepot.com/p/Norwesco-2500-Gal-Black-Vertical-Water-Tank-40631/206479621 Blue Mountain Co. Rainwater Harvest Parts: Leaf Eater: amzn.to/3F49NxR First Flush:amzn.to/3zRM28d Over Flow: amzn.to/2ZMHWC8 Tank Level Guage: amzn.to/3CWWbmb 3" PVC Pipe and elbows as needed. 1.5" PVC Pipe, 1.5" male threaded to female slip, 90 degree elbow, 1.5" DWV (Dish Washer) Trap Adapter Vent

[@mikeeggleston1769]

What part of east Texas?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

We are near Tyler

[@dellmerlin6328]

I live in a dryer climate. Is it a good or bad idea to collect rain water from a solar panel array?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Absolutely. It is glass on the solar panels you would be collecting from.

[@user-kl4vd4gg3u]

For my pond I have stocked Gambusia Holbrooki native to the SE US and Florida for mosquito control. I don't want to be "that guy" who introduced an invasive species, and Florida already has too many ecologically detrimental invasive species unfortunately :/

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Very cool

[@Lydiak2016]

Can you paint tanks to kept algae out of tanks

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yes. You will probably need several coats of paint.

[@Lydiak2016]

Ok thanks

[@jameslee-dp6cb]

I'm glad it's working for right now, but you need to understand something. Rain water won't work in the future unless you treat the water. As more methane erupts from the Arctic tundra, it rises into the upper atmosphere where it traps 10 X more heat than CO2. As temperatures rise more and more methane will erupt. Methane has a life cycle of about 10 years. This means it stays in the upper atmosphere for about a decade. Then it mixes with water vapor and rains down as acid rain. In sufficient amounts, rain water will become toxic. You will need to mix the rainwater with limestone to remove the acid in the water. A PH reading will have to be monitored carefully. Be aware, too much lime is not good either. A charcoal system would help as well. Charcoal has a way of neutralizing the PH of water. Good luck.

[@gretafields4706]

I live in coal mining area. We get pollution from northern cities in the air too. Something made the rain actually reddish one day. I had dishes sitting in the yard. The rain fell in them. It wasnt from a well. I guess it was acid rain???

[@dmark6699]

Good investment for emergencies. Do you use cloramine in your water?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

For sure. No we don't add anything to the water.

[@SomeSnowboarder]

Did anyone tell him about the "Berki" thing yet?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Um, I did a video on it.

[@Forest_Actual]

Thank you!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome