A rainwater harvesting system can significantly reduce the amount of water a greenhouse needs per day, which can vary depending on factors such as the type of plants, climate, and season. A 1 inch rainfall on an acre of greenhouse amounts to 27,100 gallons, with a common yield of about 65 gallons. However, losses due to evaporation, wind, and leakage of the piping system can affect this amount.
A rule of thumb for greenhouse water usage is to have available 0.3 to 0.4 gallons per square foot of growing area per day as a peak-use rate for the warmest day. Medium-sized greenhouses have slightly higher costs but provide more gardening space. Budgets may range from $5,000 to $20,000 to account for more.
To calculate the amount of rainwater collected off your roof, use a rainwater harvesting calculator. Depending on the crop, time of year, and location, greenhouse and nursery crops may need as much as 0.4 gallons per square foot of growing space per day. This can exceed the supply that is available.
Proper irrigation management is essential for greenhouse cultivation, as an inch of rain is roughly half an imperial gallon per square foot. The “rule of thumb” for greenhouse water usage is a minimum of 0.2 gallons/sq. ft of growing area, which may change to 0.3 gallons on warm days.
In summary, a rainwater harvesting system can save money and reduce ecological footprints by reducing the amount of water needed for plants. Proper irrigation management is crucial for maximizing the benefits of greenhouse cultivation.
📹 Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid when Harvesting Rain Water
Harvesting rain water doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. You can make rain barrels, create hot tub ponds, buy a cistern or …
What is the best watering for a greenhouse?
Capillary Matting is a passive watering system that uses scientific principles to distribute water to plants. Other top watering systems include drip irrigation systems, mist systems, and automated sprinkler systems. These systems ensure plants receive the right amount of hydration without drowning them or leaving them thirsty. Capillary mating is a clever passive watering system that distributes water to plants when they need it. Having a well-designed watering system can create the perfect conditions for your greenhouse plants.
How often should I water my greenhouse?
Watering your greenhouse garden is essential for its growth, but frequency varies depending on the crops and season. In late spring, summer, and early fall, watering should be done daily or every other day, while in milder seasons, it should be done once a week. Certain plants, like legumes like peas and beans, prefer more water during their flowering stage, while tomatoes and squash prefer more water during their fruiting stage. Leafy greens also prefer regular watering throughout their lifecycle. Hand watering is the preferred method, while watering out of ponds, compost tea, or banana water is also beneficial for plants.
What is the most common method of irrigation in a greenhouse?
Water is applied to the upper surface of media through various methods, including overhead sprinklers, drip or trickle irrigation systems, hand watering, or a combination of these methods. Overhead sprinklers and hand watering can waste water and wet foliage, increasing the risk of diseases and injury. Drip or trickle systems are more efficient and provide greater control over water application. Subirrigation or capillary mats can also be used for greenhouse crops, but they do not provide for leaching, increasing the risk of salt injury.
The most commonly used type of irrigation in Texas is the drip or trickle system, with emitters available in various capacities. The frequency of irrigation depends on environmental conditions, with most Texas growers irrigating their crops at least once a day during March-September. This frequency requires careful consideration of the physical characteristics of the growing media, especially in areas with soluble salts. Nutritional problems, such as magnesium and micronutrient deficiencies, can arise from excess leaching, necessitating media amendments and nutritional regimes for optimal plant growth.
How much moisture should be in a greenhouse?
The optimal relative humidity for most plants is around 80, which is ideal for greenhouse plants. Higher humidity levels can slow down plant physiological processes, leading to slower growth and lower quality output. High humidity levels also increase susceptibility to humidity diseases like botrytis or powdery mildew. Growers should understand, control, and maintain humidity to suit their target crops, rather than attempting to reduce it.
How much water do I need to water my plants?
Soil moisture is crucial for plant growth, and it is essential to check if the soil feels dry three or four inches below the surface. Most plants need one inch of rainfall a week, enough to soak into the soil about six inches. However, in hot weather, plants may need more. To ensure healthier roots and drought-tolerant plants, let the soaker hose or sprinkler run long enough for water to soak in about six inches and then not water them again for several days.
This encourages roots to grow longer and deeper, increasing their ability to soak up and hold water. Young plants need more water as they take time for roots to grow enough for trees and other plants to absorb and store sufficient water.
How do I calculate how much water I need for my plants?
To calculate the optimal watering rate for your landscape, first identify your plant type and local evapotranspiration. Use an average for the month, week, or your location’s actual weekly evapotranspiration. Then, calculate the baseline watering rate and subtract rain. Knowing your plants’ water needs is crucial for optimal plant health. Many plants thrive when soil is allowed to dry out, and may require less water than expected. Seasonal and weather-related water needs also affect the amount of water applied.
There are several methods to calculate the average watering rate, each with its pros and cons. Some methods are more accurate than others, but these are some of the easiest ways to determine your outdoor water needs.
Should I put a bucket of water in my greenhouse?
Dampening down the inside of your greenhouse is a cost-effective way to increase humidity and temperature. This involves wetting the floor with water, which evaporates, thereby raising the moisture levels inside the greenhouse. This process can be done as often as needed, but regular dampening requires proper ventilation to prevent excess moisture buildup. This method is ideal for keeping plants cool on hot days.
Should a greenhouse be in the sun all day?
Greenhouses should be placed in areas with uninterrupted sun and protection from cold winds to promote plant growth. Wood is a popular material for glasshouses, with a natural metal or painted finish. It requires no upkeep and produces minimal shade. Wood is a traditional building material, suitable for some garden styles but requires periodic maintenance. Wooden frames are bulkier and can cast excessive shade. The height of the eaves at the eaves is crucial for light transmission and plant growth. A minimum of 1. 5m (5ft) tall eaves is recommended, with a maximum of 1. 8m (6ft) or more.
What are the disadvantages of drip irrigation in greenhouses?
Drip irrigation emitters may become obstructed due to the accumulation of mineral and chemical deposits, algae, bacterial growth, or even plant roots. If not cleared, water pressure can accumulate, potentially leading to damage to the system and resulting in adverse effects on water pressure.
Should you open your greenhouse everyday?
Greenhouses are designed to absorb heat, which is beneficial for plants. However, too much of this heat can be harmful. To maximize ventilation, it is recommended to leave the door wide open or ensure multiple vents are unblocked. A simple rule of thumb for greenhouse ventilation is to ensure at least 20 of the total floor area can be opened. This means that one-fifth of the floor size should be “openable”, and smaller greenhouses may need a higher percentage. This ensures that the greenhouse is well-ventilated and provides adequate warmth for plants.
What is the perimeter watering system in a greenhouse?
A perimeter watering system is a method used for the cultivation of crops in benches or beds. It comprises a plastic pipe encircling the bench, with nozzles that spray water over the surface of the substrate below the foliage.
📹 5 Watering Mistakes You’re Probably Making
IN THIS VIDEO → Best Time to Water: https://growepic.co/3vBQlbD → Cheap Mulch Ideas: https://growepic.co/48AOphU → The …
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If you have room above ground swimming pools are cheap catchment. You can always find them end of season for free or cheaper. I bought new ones 18’ round at end of summer sale for $500 each no filters just the pool. They each hold 6000 gallons. Even in the high desert we can fill them both during the rainy season and from snow runoff. By keeping them covered we have clear water year round and plenty to water with.
FYI for people who have never used Mosquito Dunks before: after a few days, they disintegrate into zillions of little particles that float all over the surface of your container. They’re still working to suppress the mosquitoes, but looks messy. What I suggest is to buy some aquarium fine-mesh filter bags (that are used for holding biological filter media). You can put a couple of Mosquito Dunks per bag. I also suggest that you tie the bagged Dunks to a heavy object so you can sink them into your container. I’ve found that raccoons think the bags are puzzles to shred.
Rainwater collecting is definitely a local thing. Part of my youth was spent growing up on the islands of Bermuda. Almost without exception, all houses there collect rainwater. They are built atop large cisterns that are connected to the rooftop drainage systems. There is a smaller tank in the attic rafters that provides water pressure to the rest of the house. There is a small float valve (like in a toilet tank) and a small pump that refills that tank as the water level up there drops. When I was there, there was NO central water system. You collected, conserved, and used only what YOU collected. Woe be it to those who used up their family water. They had to call a government truck from the island desalinization plant to come out with a tanker truck and refill their cistern with VERY EXPENSIVE desalinated ocean water.
1:08 Make it expensive 2:10 Let the mosquitoes in 4:05 Choke the Flow 4:56 Go too small 6:24 Miss the Power of swales 7:33 Muck it up with algea 8:31 Don’t harvest rain water at all I loved the article! This is just a little note that might be useful to others and to me when I’ll rewatch this article :))
Here’s a nifty trick. I scored a bunch of 55 gallon all-plastic drums, which were previously used for a food-grade product. I linked them all at the bottom with pipes between and put a teeny tiny vent hole in the top of each one. All I do is fill one and the water fills the whole gathering of barrels, each to the same level as its neighbors. One end is where the water goes in and it falls through a series of screens before it actually gets into the barrel, so if mosquitoes want to play in the water, they are out of luck. At the other end of the barrels, I take screw thingy off the bunghole to gain access and I bought a pump at Home Depot made of pvc, which fits very nicely through the bunghole in the lid of the barrel and all the way to the bottom of it and all I do is pump the water out. As the water comes out, those teeny tiny vent holes prevent any kind of a vacuum from forming and I have however many barrels of captured rainwater at my disposal, which I use to feed my fruit trees and my container garden.
I learned real quick about overflowing 55 gallon rain barrels under gutters so I got a 300 and something gallon sistren. Within 1 rain it was full and overflowing and within 3 days it was green and full of skeeter babies. I never even thought to paint it black and I had no idea about the maskito puck things. Thank you very much! I already looked into a way to filter it for drinking but I didn’t bother building it because of the algae and skeeters. Time to revisit that project. Your article was very helpful!
BT is great stuff! If you treat your rainwater with the mosquito dunks. The water will then also safely and effectively kill soil gnat larvae in your potted plants. Of course screens and lids also keep other contaminants out. You can use a tiny pinch of crumbs from a dunk to treat a gallon of water. One dunk will treat 100 sq. feet of water, or 748 gallons.
You dang sure aren’t lying about a rain barrel overflowing within minutes! I remember being all happy when I made first 2 barrels, & I could NOT wait for the next rain….then finally the rain came, & I was outside perusal my rain barrels like a proud papa…then after 3 minutes, they were overflowing with lots & lots of rain water….I really had no idea that much water came off my little chicken coop….let alone a house!! Thanks for the article David!!
I keep it simple. I use a funnel (covered in mesh screen to keep debris out) connected to a hose (end of it also covered in mesh screen) which drains into a plastic muti-use coffee filter (covered in mesh screen) which the water flows through into my 50 gallon rain barrel (also double covered in mesh screen). Barrel has a top with a built in slit with a screen instaled. I drain the water a gallon at at time and either boil it or drink it through a life straw. (Not the life straw brand but a better one called a “Practical Survival” water straw. Does the trick just fine.
I bought 2 40-gallon faux rocks that are connected to my downpouts. They are visible from the street and I live in a development in Central Florida with an HOA and no one has ever complained because they look like a big rock and blends into the Garden. I use rain water for all of my porch plants (veggies in pots) and also for adding water to my worm bins. During the summer we have rain almost daily so I have too much. But I bought them back in 2009 and it’s been a great investment 👌
Nice article. I would like to mention that painting barrels green to keep light out is even better. In the same way red things look white through a red lens, green things look black through a green lens. Plants can’t use green light because they can’t “see” it, but you can still see in to check for wigglers!
Slight Correction, the problem for “slow flow” from your “spigot” from the hardware store, wasn’t just because it was too “small a diameter”. What you article shows at 4m10s is a typical kind of “pressure” tap/faucet designed for normal houses on pressurised town water systems. Turning the tap/faucet handle does NOT turn on the water flow directly but only “allows” the tap-washer to rise up off of its seat. What makes it rise is the water pressure behind it. Taps installed at the base of a water tank you likely have about 2 to 3 psi of water pressure, not the 30 psi to 80 psi of a town supply. Special low-pressure taps (faucets) are available, where turning the handle actually directly opens the valve inside. The water then flows out more quickly, even from a half-inch diameter water-tank tap/faucet. HTH
Good tips! It also helps to have the water storage higher than where you want to use it so you don’t need any pumps. You can get a bit less than 1 PSI for every 2 feet of height. You can find charts online with more precise numbers. Armed with this information, you can use drip irrigation and calculate how much water it will use. Find the flow rate (volume over time) at certain pressures that your irrigation is rated. Then use an online calculator, such as used for fuel injectors, and punch in that information and your new pressure from the rain barrels to find your new flow rate. It is surprisingly accurate!
With my swales, I place a hugelkultur mound on the low side. This slows the water even more as the wood in the hugel mound absorbs water for later use by deep reaching roots; AND, it tends to collect more topsoil/leaves/organic material to collect as garden mulch. Thank you for this and all your informatainment vids!!!
I have used “Dunks” for over 10 years. When walking around a pond I put one in the edge (in the grass) so it won’t blow somewhere else, every 3 paces (approx. 9′ or 3m). A ditch needs one per 6m square or 50 square feet. #1 thing to do is reapply (not every month as recommended by manufacturer) but every 28 days. I will climb out of bed at 11 at night to spend an hour “dunking” because I have found every time I dunk at 29 or more days there is a flush of mosquitoes for a few days. Great product.
The SWAIL (sp). I dug a pit in an uphill depression, set gravel in the base, then a 5-gal. bucket fitted w/a buried garden hose (at bottom) … then filled the bucket w/bricks (to prevent stepping though), then laid the garden hose down hill where it fills a 100 gal. stock tank. Maybe once every two years I’ll have to clean the collection bucket of fine soils. Except during extreme cold weather I collect 100-gal. in perhaps two hours. My collection tank has an overflow, therefore litter and bugs flow off. The collected water is clear and used in my garden. Water used for drinking/cooking/bathing is processed or boiled. Works great.
I was unpleasantly surprised at how quickly I emptied a 100-gallon stock tank while watering 22 tomatoes growing in 5-gallon buckets. The sudden reality that the 400 gallons of rainwater I have would never meet the needs of my little garden during a drought year is stunning. We’re rethinking the entire yard/garden. Hopefully, we’ll be able to acquire two more 150-gallon stock tanks before next spring’s rain! And we’ll still have to rethink what vegetables we grow! Shallow ditches cut across the gentle slope of the garden, with straw bales in them, are also an option I’m considering. I’ve had some success growing beans and tomatoes in bales. I’m also saving some of the town supplied water we use in our kitchen. At least 5 gallons of clean water we pay for goes down our drain every day!
My garage doesn’t have any gutters. I’ve been cleaning out old trash cans and buckets from around my property and scavenging in my neighborhood. When rain is forecast, I set under the garage dripline. Between rains I move the water from the buckets into the trash cans that actually has a a lid. I dip my watering can into the trash cans to water which is fast and easy. I actually have an old tire laying around that I put the mosquito dunk stuff in. Lure them in and then kill the larvae. Yay!
Thank you so much for making this article! I’m currently doing research into what I can use to bring water into my tiny house when I build it, and this helps a lot! I was really worried I’d have to invest in a bunch of super expensive equipment right off the bat, and the amount of water collected over a one-inch rainfall was really helpful in terms of keeping my hopes up about this system!
Semi-urban lot here. Most of my flat ground is in the front yard & I need much of the rest for the actual garden. (Although front yard food forest is in my mid term plans!) So, no hot tubs for me, but I hope to install a couple of rain barrels. You’ve convinced me that 3-4 would be better than the 2 I’ve planned on… should be able to hook 2 together by each downspout, right? And I need to get some swales e into my slopes pronto! Good vid, thanks for the solid advice. Not really a prepper but I do like to garden! 😁
The pvc valves are the best way to go you can get poly tanks that match the colour of the different types of coated zinc roofing but plain black tanks work just the same but are much cheaper so swales will save you so much and if at the end of the swale you can dig a pond that gives you a really large storage
One thing I already thought about are the mozzies since I am very allergic to insect bites. I have 2 rain drums and made covers out of stretched pantyhoses – perfect. Even in Cornwall you need to harvest rainwater, because when it does eventually get hot and dry, the waterboard puts out a hose pipe ban for house owners. One way of not having to repair the leaking water reservoirs and pipeines in England, very clever…
I love the idea about using a pvc shut off valve instead of a faucet,i almost made mistake #3,thanks for sharing.I have used dishwashing liquid in some of the buckets that i collect water in and it seems to help with mosquito larvae,because it creates a film over the water just like oil and kills the larvae.But on my new rain barrels i will definitely put a lid on them.I will try those tablets you spoke about,just to make sure.
thank you sr. I started my rain water collection with leaf filters/gutters. and screened 55 gallon rain barrels w/ just garden hoses . I ran all barrels to a sup pump in a buried container I placed a 1500 gallon tank, the sump filled the 1500 gallon tank in in less then 2 hours of rain so I bought 2 more 1500 gal tanks (4500 gal). they were filled in no time. 2 storms did the trick.i live in Fresno County ca. (Drought) so if I can do this in the high desert you can too. oh ya I almost for got im collecting this h20 off of a 1200 sq ft roof. with 3 rain gutters.
I live in a semi-desert area, and I managed to live for two years with only a small tarp, 3×4 meters, that I hung up to collect water into two 250 liter barrels whenever it rained (very rare), then I filtered it through a tiny Mini Sawyer filter in a gravity-fed setup, just 8 liters at a time, and stored it indoors in barrels and bottles. This was for drinking and cooking only, as I had a stream nearby that I carried up water from in buckets, for cleaning an watering plants.
Haven’t had city water for over a decade, and don’t really miss it. Instead, I use bath tubs that people didn’t want anymore, set up high on wooden scaffolding, directly under the end of the roof gutter. The overflow from one tub goes into another bathtub, and so on. Also covering the tubs is essential if you don’t want tree frogs spawning in the tub full of rain water. So, when I need more water, i open up the drain, which is 1 1/2 inch diameter. Oh, don’t forget to tell your home insurance company and local fire department if you have an in-the-ground cistern as it may help lower your fire insurance rates, and be a ready supply in case you need it for fire suppression separate from every day needs.
I bought 2 huge 1800 gallon burial type plastic food grade tanks (new) off Craigslist for less than half retail Both will be for drinking/bathing water but one will also power a small hydro system whenever it’s raining. I’ll have a lot of roof surface area (In a rainforest!) for collection. Lots of people’s plans crash and burn and your plans can prosper from this if you have cash
I love how you say to go big go big or don’t collect rainwater what a waste especially in the city when you have to pay a water bill. I would like to collect rainwater just to purify it and sanitize it to drink and save tons of money on tons of gallons of water. Any tips on simple sanitation of water as well as simple filtering?
I have three 55-gallon containers to catch rainwater; store it in plastic totes, empty kitty litter buckets I find on the curb, and anything else I can find. I use it for flushing, indoor plants, rinse in laundry (not wash — I use hot), washing dishes; it goes on my strawberry garden and my veg garden. My dog prefers rainwater over tap water any day. I use it to rinse off the patio and wash my car. I probably have one of the lowest water bills ($7.00 a month) around. I do not drink it, but use rainwater for everything else possible. I try to divert the first few minutes of flow off roof to a separate container to remove roof dirt (goes to garden) then the flow is fairly pure, but the debris floats to the bottom of the 55-gallon drum anyway.
Haven’t read anything in the comments so here go some specifics about water many over look when planning where to place and support the weight of your collection system. If this is overlooked it can have tragic consequences. If this was covered in a previous article then please disregard. You should know: 1 gallon = 8.3453 lbs 7.4805 gallons = 1 cubic foot 1 cubic foot = 62.4271 lbs. Cheers
Hi there, Where I am living in the southeast of England/UK, we are going through one of the most hottest summers and in most area’s are put on water hose pipe ban to stop using more water for our gardens and vegetable allotments. We have the English dream of a life time as opposed to rain, rain and more rain, replaced by heat, heat and still more sun!! Many home owners that have water collecting systems will not necessary have considered all contributed information that has been gathered here, I write to thank you very much for you and your viewers comments, all very informative and worthwhile reading. Massive Building program/development. In the UK we are going through a massive house building time and because of such we need to be aware that in these areas of higher growth/building, the impact on citizens living in these areas is unseen but made worse for asthmatics and those suffering allergies and possibly not thought too much about for those unaffected. The building/works in these areas causes a great deal of fumes and dirt / dust that requires more water then ever to clean off windows inside and out, all building walls,ceilings, paint works, house gutters, roofs, greenhouses, conservatories, cars etc., the air /rain falling and catching the dug earth and dirt debris that is being built enters our bodies and enter our systems. However also enters the system we live in that now include building chemicals which filter into the air/water system that on its way is used by vegetables/fruit and local farms, local streams contributing to the bigger rivers, Where building developers move in, they should receives direct instructions powered by law makers overseen by those locally elected to safeguard existing and forthcoming residents that elect them, that all areas defined to be built on prior to the build and throughout the passage of development taking place, that the developers are responsible for the area’s rodents population prior to and during develpment.
To get rid of the mosquito problem, you should build a ring of flat ponds around your house and add a drop of dish liquid and put a candle/electric light above or in it, that reflects on the water. Especially at night, this will help you a lot, here’s why: Mosquitoes love water and land on its surface, and they also love bight lights, which attracts them. So they fly to the enlightened pond and try to sit down on the water surface. Now comes the dish liquid in play, which lowers the tension of the water surface on which the light weight mosquitoes usually land. If that tension is gone, they sink into the water and since their wing surface is too big, they can’t get up again and drown. It works pretty well and I wonder why that isn’t used in tropical regions as a standard to keep the nasty insects away from the houses. And it is not just cheap and effective, but modern dish liquid isn’t ecological harmful and with all the dead insects on the bottom of the pond, you have great fertilizer (food for very bad times;-). Maybe it’s necessary to build two rings to be 100% effective and/or shield the light off to the outside, so that only insects that are within the ring are attracted by the light. But if I was in a tropical place, I would try that to get rid of the mosquito problem.
Thanks man! I even drug up a used hot water heater, I was given a black ” kettle” I guess it’s for a small potted patio, I got a small blue barrel and a big white one but it’s cracked across the top. A semi rusted inside 55 gallon metal ( think I’m gonna line it with big leaf bags to catch in instead of rustin it through I’m building 3 catch places and stacking with upper overflows to the bottoms. Thanks for your help man
Cool article Dave. Hey what if you have a shingle roof? Shingles are made of petroleum and as they age they decompose and could leach out toxic chemicals. What I can be sure of is how high the concentration of those chemicals could become over time. I wager most people have shingle roofs so should they attempt to harvest rain water from the roof for irrigating gardens and orchards?
Great tips! My 25 year old very large water garden liner gave up the ghost (along with the skeeter minnows, Boohoo) and I’ve seen several local ads for free old hot tubs … did you just have yours out in the open or did you have roof water piped in for the initial fill and maintain when using a lot for your garden? Wet blanket question: How hard was it to get rid of the hot tubs when you moved?
Thank you for this excellent article. We are getting 2 used 275 gal food containers off craigslist to harvest rainwater from our gutters–My fellow homesteader (my almost 4-year-old) and i love your articles. She calls you “Deva”–which is kind of cool because one meaning of the word “deva” is a plant spirit. Would love a couple big solar panels to harvest sunlight too, but can’t afford that yet. Ever consider doing a vid on sun harvesting with cheap options? (if any exist).
Seriously, that rap capped it off. Well done, my friend. Worth a sub and have to check out your website just to see what else you’re rappin’ about, or what’s next? I’ve been designing large, customized and hidden rainwater storage for awhile and you nailed it– doesn’t have to be crazy expensive, a barrel or 2 isn’t enough, and the worst mistake is to do is nothing. I love that you talked about swales.
Good article and it’s all true. Many served as reminders, thanks David… my water collector is legendary… it is multi level. Advice I can give is to not be scared to experiment with your collector. Garbage cans work very well but take forever to fill, they are best used as mini cisterns if you will. I use them as “Long Term Storage” during a severe rain storm. An inch of rain? Where do you live?? Other advice, collect as much as you can, if you have to get rid of it, it’s rain water. Another piece of advice is, avoid IBC’s, too complicated for nothing.
I was at the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2007 and picked up a pamphlet from the Philadelphia Water Department because they had a table at that show. One of the sides of the pamphlet stated that when Philadelphia gets 1 inch of rain per hour the average size row home roof can collect as much as 1,100 gallons of water (20 barrels each one 55 gallons in size) per hour. I don’t know what would happen to the ecology of the entire planet if we all collected rain water (there would probably be a LOT MORE drought in certain areas), but imagine how much water we wouldn’t waste (or pollute) if there was a nationwide campaign in “wealthy countries” to put rain barrels with pumped filtration systems in the back yard of every single family home in the whole country.
I am seeing conflicting reports of the legality of collecting. Obviously the laws are different all over the country and the world. Before building a system, check the local laws. Then, you COULD modify your plans to be more discrete and creative about just what your system looks like. 😉 It’s kind of like CCW. Concealed means Concealed. Then, STFU and don’t be bragging to all your neighbors about your accomplishments. 🙂
My mistake, I didn’t fully clean the existing (empty) water tank in the basement and didn’t stop enough ‘bits’ getting into the tank when all the new guttering was fitted. I now have a bad amonia smell coming from the tank despite adding some bleach to kill any algae. I’ve since added a filtration sock to the tank (that I used to use for the pool) that can filter the water down to one micron so no more ‘bits’ getting in. Any suggestions on how I kill the amonia smell? Is it a full drain and clean or can I add a product that will do it? The water is not for drinking, just plants and the pool, Thanks for any advice.
Saving rain water is great ! Thank you for the article, We also save our kitchen sink water and we have an ECO-HOT valve in our bathroom ! What’s that ? It’s a valve that fills your toilet tank with the cold water from the HOT water pipe! After the hot water arrives at your ECO-HOT valve; the valve turns off the hot water and turns on the cold water to finish filling the toilet tank. This draws the hot water to your bathroom so you don’t have to run it down the drain waiting for hot water. Yes you do have to flush the toilet before a shower but doesn’t everyone use the toilet before showering ? It’s better than using the toilet after a shower or IN the shower!
In Melbourne, Victoria, Australia new houses must have a rain barrel or solar water heater, which was a response to drought! My home has a huge concrete tank which supplies all the water needs of the home except in summer to water the garden! We use a filter and a electric pump. The tank has a lid to prevent mosquitoes from entering.
I’ve broke a few of those rules one you didn’t mention I put fertilizer in my rain white barrel plugged up everything had to tear it apart I didn’t like valves a choke point so I siphon just stick a hose in the top of the rain barrel to the bottom then I hang up the hose to stop flow and not lose my siphon perfect flow
Do you have IBC containers upcycled in the US? I’m in the UK, and picking up two 1000 litre containers this week, washed out and food safe for about £60 each, they vary from around £50-£80 each, and I have 4 or 5 suppliers within a 20 mile radius. At the moment, the GBP is worth just a fraction more than the dollar, so just replace the £ with the $.
Question: Is there an advantage to using rainwater instead of well water? Do you have well water? Why don’t you use that? I have a well so I don’t have to pay anyone for water here. I’ve never really thought of saving rain water till recently because I never really had plants before now Just trying to learn abour useful stuff lol Thank you in advance if you get around to answering this 😄
Im 53 and grew up on tank water with lots of “wrigglys” we called it protein water 🤣, andwe all drank from each others tanks. The house tap had a carbon filter. I never got sick from it, even when we pulled out the dead magpie. My parents just added something to the tank, that tasted like bleach “probably was bleach”. It was rain water or bore water, and bore water is less preferable.
Rainwater is nice!! 👍But my cottage here in Cornwall, UK, has a well!! (Kind of a covered over one though.,) But there’s a little hole: and my dad used to pump up water with an electric pump; and use it in the greenhouse! (That WE USED to have: that mum sold after he died.) The pump is still there: in the utility room, over the well. I haven’t tried it or gone near it in years. I suppose it’s possible to have it reconditioned… Dad used to claim that the well water (not really drinkable: it had clay sediment in it, which would have to be filtered out) used to grow a lot LESS green mould and algae on soil than did regular tap water. Could this be true?! Is it true of rainwater? ☺️
Thank You ! We were without running water for 4 days. Irony? It was raining cats and dogs for two of the days. I dipped in our pool for flushing. I gathered rain water in trash cans. Now I plan for preparedness. I was not ready. We had 40 jugs of water put back. Not enough to live long. And the chlorine factor in the garden. YES!.Thanks again. Dani From Louisiana
I collected snow recently and let it melt for my house plants. I noticed that it had a film after melting and was worried about introducing bacteria or other harmful agents to my living babies. I’m in Washington state so I’m thinking our rain water is pure enough. Should I boil it before using it? Or does this defeat the purpose? I don’t want to keep buying distilled jugs in the store when I have such a great source from the sky! Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks for the article 🙂
Yesterday (12/29/18) just as an experiment in case of emergency, I collected rain water just in a clean white 5-gallon bucket placed on my terrace. No tarp, no filtering. Nothing other than this bucket. I collected about 1/2 a gallon. Can this rain water simply be boiled, cooled then consumed? I’m in New York City and just looking for simple ways in this urban environment to harvest water. I’m looking for an extremely simple way to drink rain water if need be. Please respond. Thank you and have a Happy New Year 🙂
You get to drink from the fire hose!!! Classic movie!!! Great!! love the article!! Also another tip…. just had our roof painted and started collecting water a few days after and contaminated my supply. Then had to have them cleaned out which was over due anyway. Just a heads up, only start collecting again after a few good downpours. 👍
I live on rain water in the bush (12 or 13 ton) It filters through a bit of shade cloth goin in and a common garden watering system (5 dollars) filter through an inline pressure switch pump used for weed spraying commin out to the house. That goes through a converted gas bottle to stop the flow pulsing. The system has worked for 20 years and no one gets sick drinking it (though I boil it just in case) Tropics add problems maybe.
I collect rainwater from my barn roof. The gutters feed directly into two 500-gallon above-ground tanks. Tank A overflows into Tank B; Tank B overflows into my horse trough. The horse trough is the only water whose surface is exposed to mosquitos, and I use Mosquito Dunks there. Don’t really have a mosquito problem. (I’m planning on hanging some bat houses near the barn, though.) I set up this system to supplement springwater for use at the house, but I found that rainwater from the barn supplies all my watering and washing needs. I pump water from the two 500-gallon barn tanks into a 2100-gallon storage tank to get me through dry spells. I buy filtered water for drinking and cooking. The only real problem I have is keeping algae and blue-green bacteria under control in the tanks, as they are all above-ground. If I ever set up this system again I will use opaque tanks. For these existing tanks, I painted the big one, and I’m building sheds around the others.
also get as much water as possible dont let it backup and evaporate grab your barrels and fill it up until you got it all and dont filter your delivery tube i have seen people connect there gutter to pvc then filter it you will back it up and it will evaporate just but it in the barrel and filter it when you need it
My well gets low in summer but it’s 3 feet from my back door so I was going to have my eave downspouts funnel rain water off my roof into the well and use the well as a well/cistern (it’s 16 feet deep but half full and is blasted with dynamite thru a boulder so a big rock cavern down there, not dug or a tiny tube from a drilled one). Thoughts?
Yes,my house that I bought 3 years ago is 13 years old,it has a rain water tank that is feed from the left side of the house.it feeds 3 toilets and the washing machine, the only problem is that every pigeon in our area lives on my roof and the water is disgusting.my first load of white towels came out gray. I disconnected it.
I’m living in this house we are renting, the owner doesn’t mind too much what we do as long as it’s HOA approved (arg HOA) we don’t have gutters we have another year before we move or more and idc as much about whether or not I’m able to take the system with us at the next place (would rather someone who rents out the place be able to use it but it’s whatever) Do you have any suggestions? Also, can you store the rainwater in large containers/old large bottles? 🤷🏼♀️
What is required of a lid or screen? Does a lid that is not tight still attract mosquitoes? I have garbage bins on wheels with lids but the lids are not very tight fitting… a little catty wonkous. Also I have asphalt shingles… it looks like small bits and dust like particles are mixed in … is this harmful to soils and plants? Can this truly be filtered out if needed for drinking?
Great vid and thanks for the tips. Question – how long can the rainwater be stored in plastic trash cans or rain barrels in this FL sun come dead summer? I once considered doing this a few years back but passed it up. Now that I’m into gardening and water quality, I regret not been having this set up for our FL rain seasons for many reasons. Good sense of humor by the way hahaha.
Look at your yearly forecast. If it says 1 inch . For every foot you have account for that 1 inch. Dont count small less that in foot areas. If you have 3000 sq ft of roof you will have 3000 inches of rain. Essentially. It can be slightly more os slightly kess because of wind and other variables. But make sure you know your inches and have a rain meter near by. Also a tank meter. Have a shut off valve not to over flow have the valve on the tank and the gutter elbow. I’d say 3000 inches of rain is about 300 gallons.
Another mistake, no overflow route. Previous owner of our house put in some small rain barrels with just mesh on top and no overflow, so they immediately overflow and run water against the house and ruined some stucco in one area. Luckily there is not much rain here so we caught it before structural problems arose.
I like this guy. Always judge how many seconds your system will take to fill a 5 gallon bucket, then design accordingly. I use a small submersible pump connected to a garden hose that is rated at 800 L/h, or 211 US gal / h which is = 3.52 gallons per minute, or ONLY 17 seconds to fill a 5 gallon bucket. I power that with a 12V motorcycle battery and a shitty little 2.5W battery minder solar panel and a switch. Oh yea, the pump is rated at 10W, which is more than the solar panel but the system is for intermittent use and the motorcycle battery can power it much longer than I ever use it for.
Fortunately for me I went to a few Casinos and won quite a bit of money. I then played the Lotto game for Pick Four and won some more money. With that money I bought a farm in Puerto Rico and it has a flowing river through the Middle of my property. The farm had a small shack. So I knocked it down and built my house. Here we get a lot of rain. Especially during the rainy season. So I built my house to harvest rain water and store it. Mosquitoes were a big problem. But pantyhose took care of that. I decided to expand my system and purchased a Water Distillation System with a Reverse Osmosis backup system. I’m completely off the grid so solar energy is my source of electricity. Since I had the money I went BIG on my systems. The average rain downfall gives me around Four Million Gallons of Rain water every two Months during the rainy season. So my Architect told me to build an Olympic size swimming pool under the house. The soil engineers told me that an Olympic Size swimming pool can hold up to Four Million Gallons of water. That swimming pool became my water storage tanks. My property has hills and mountains. Thus the large amount of water flow. Having eight children water is essential. Especially clean, safe drinking water. So I purchased a UV WATER STERILIZER SYSTEM for my water storage system and an aquarium pump just to keep the water moving and to prevent that old water smell. I don’t consider that I wasted my money on my rain water HARVESTING systems. Because I went to the Casinos with very little money and walked out with over $70,000.
Haha great ideas one of my rain barrels fell over yes I went cheap on amazon anyways I get what I pay for soft plastic. Anyways the idea came to mind to use my recycle bin in the meantime so I did. Yet with the heavy rain today and trash days Tuesday you mentioned use trash can and I am…lol. Great 👍 ideas
Duckweed helps keep algae down also and if have ducks they love it probably chickens and some fish do as well as it’s high in protein!! It only takes a tiny bit to start it and it grows like a weed!!! Is really good to help keep.algae down in ponds as is lillies!!! anything to help keep as much sunlight from below water surface!!!
Might anyone have thoughts about letting water mosquito free in Massachusetts? It’s too cold for guppies and mosquito fish are illegal because they are invasive. Ideally, I’d like an approach that doesn’t entail adding animals the I have to feed and care for to my system. My family is vegan so we have zero use for aquaponics. We are trying to get some bat houses installed to attract a colony of bats but finding that difficult because the house is 40 pounds and you can’t hold on to a 40 pound weight up a ladder and also screw the darn thing in.
Too late on that “not choking the flow” part, though I’m not stupid enough not to realize that the cure for that was to install a larger valve. I’ve got like a 3/4 inch pvc valve on my 55 gallon now and it fills up a gallon jug in seconds. If I wanted to do something bigger, I don’t know if it would be more or less cheap to build a container out of butyl rubber roofing and treated wood than to get a discount solid container.
Well, this is timely. Yesterday, my rain barrels spigot came unscrewed, and I couldn’t get it back on, so I had to drain it. I opened it up, and couldnt reach the bottom to put it back in, so I had to turn it on its side and fully empty it… Hollllly crap, I found a dead bird that was inside the bottom 🤮 soooo gross. The water was black at the bottom too. I hosed it out and bleached the whole thing inside and out. Sooo, moral of the story, put a screen at the top of the barrel or, even better, at the top of your gutter. I’m pretty traumatized, tbh.
i live in a semi desert area where it only rains like 2 times a year. i was wondering if i could harvest a bunch of rainwater when it rains and let it sit for a couple months without it going bad. would I get issues with anaerobic conditions or is there a way to prevent this by somehow injecting the water with oxygen?