Rainwater storage (pics)

[topside1]

Just wanted to share a simple idea. I have three dry creeks and 2/3rds of my ponds water has evaporated thanks to the drought of 2007. To make matters even worse the town offically announced it will be out of drinking water before February. So I bought this water storage to prepare for the worst case senieros: well runs dry or collapes, contaiminated city or well water, no water due to drought and of course quench the livestocks thirst. Luckily we received 1 inch of rain in the past 24hours, so all we need now is 22 more inches to get back to normal.

Tank is full; discovereding 1/2 inch of rainfall equals 300 gallons of roof water collected...love the tank. The tank was expensive, but what price tag would you put on H2O if you don't have any? I may reposition a water trough soon and start filling it with the roof water.....Love to take photos so I snapped a couple for show and tell.....just wanted to toss the idea at some of ya...TJ

[farmmaid]

Wonderful post, good for you. Is there a site that I could look up information on the tank?...Joan

[jlxian]

I can only imagine the level of comfort you must be feeling now, John. DH has been actively thinking about doing this very thing with a tank catching water off our barn roof.

My dad used to take great comfort by mentally calculating the number of gallons of water collected in our cistern from a good rain.

Now, I hope you get more rain to replenish the groundwater.

[mary,tx]

Nice looking set up. DH wonders about filtering out dirt and grit, and keeping algae down. Do you have thoughts on that? Also, we like the overflow, but DH wonders if that would be enough during a downpour when the tank is full. He thinks another overflow at the top intake pipe would be nice.

I like the way you are thinking and preparing ahead. Even if you brought home drinking water by the jugs, you'd need something like this for washing and watering animals, in a worst case, of course.

mary

[blue8ewe]

love this! Thanks for sharing?
Do you have a filter for what goes into the home? So it is palatable.

[Spinner]

Having it in the shade will slow alge growth. Do you add bleach or anything to the water? Do you have a inline charcoal filter or some other type of filter for the water? Does the overflow run the water out away from the house? Do you worry about saturation under the house causing mold?

This is interesting. I've been wanting to set up a system something like that. I have a huge barn roof that I'd like to save water from.

[Tater Farm]

Appreciate seeing your set up, John! Ditto Joan's question - can you tell us more about the tank & other materials you found to be the best for your application?

[chicky momma]

Hey TJ,

That looks like our back porch! Wish we had that set up, may in the future. Where'd you get that tank? Can I ask how much and what does it hold, 300 gallons? Thanks, some pictures are worth a thousand words. Lisa

[moldy]

very nice!

[topside1]

To stop growth you could buy a colored tank (black-green) or paint the cream colored one I have. The tanks cream color also blocks sunlight penetration. I placed my tank under my deck to keep it out of the sun. Plus this is the shady side of my house so sunlight should never hit the tank. It's a 550 gallon tank and bought it at tractor supply. Plenty of info on the internet, regarding algae. Keep in mind every time it rains the tank overflows and fill with fresh rainwater...glad you all like the idea, almost didn't post it...TJ

[Jim S.]

There are lots of ag tanks in various shapes and sizes that will work.

Nice setup, John. I am assuming you won't use it to drink, but for flushing and etc. That's where the vast majority of water gets used anyway.

I like the setup, but hope you never have to use it, if you know what I mean.

[jnap31]

I am buying used 300 gallon tanks in heavy wire cages for just $30! I buy them thru a middle man but they came from a place in Springdale AR and held bleach originally.Not the best plastic but bet it will work a while if I keep them in the shade or paint them.

[myheaven]

dh and I were just looking into doing something like this due to lack of rain this year. I saved the pictures nice set up.

You can put a gold fish or two to keep alge down.

[WayneR]

You might consider adding a diverter at the bottom of the downspout. It will help prevent leaves,grit and guiano from entering your tank. After flowing "dirty" water for a brief period, it can be switched over to fill your tank.

[doulanobles]

So glad to see something so simple. I alsways worry about water...we're pretty dry over here and our well in on an electric pump so if the power goes out, we're out of luck. I already know right where I want to put one!

[ruby_jane]

http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp...roductID=27165

I found this...we currently have a 350 gallon tank, would like to get a 1,000-1,500 gallon tank

[mary,tx]

Originally Posted by myheaven

You can put a gold fish or two to keep alge down.

I keep a couple of goldfish in my rain barrels to keep down mosquitos, but they do not help with algae (as far as I can tell!) and they do make their own kind of mess. My rain barrels, though, are just for plant watering, so it doesn't matter.

mary

[georgiarebel]

I'd like to have a set up like this for not only rain water, but grey water too for watering the lawn & garden during drought periods. Anyone have experience with greywater systems?

Are you planning on installing any kind of pump, or are you just using gravity?

[Shinsan]

Originally Posted by topside1

Keep in mind every time it rains the tank overflows and fill with fresh rainwater......TJ

Unfortunately, that is not what happens. When the tank is full, any extra water entering the tank will flow across the surface of the water already in there, and go out through the overflow. The water at the bottom of the tank can grow quite stale if the tank is not used regularly.

To overcome this problem, extend the overflow pipe down the inside of the tank, to about 6" clear of the bottom, preferably close to the normal outlet fitting. Next, drill a hole at the uppermost part of the overflow - this is to prevent siphoning. Now when water enters your tank, the water at the bottom is forced up the pipe inside the tank, and any excess will flow out as it normally would, but the water going out is the not-so-fresh water from the bottom of the tank. By placing the bottom of this pipe close to your normal outlet, it will help keep that area clear of small debris.
You could attach a small breather pipe to the top of the outlet, instead of just drilling a hole, and provide it with a stopper that could be inserted if you wanted to drain your tank by syphoning. The overflow pipe should also be directed well away from the foundations of your house. All of the openings to the tank should be covered with mesh to prevent mosquitoes entering and breeding. If a larger tank is considered, it could also be fitted with a connection for a fire-fighting pump.

[Shinsan]

Originally Posted by WayneR

You might consider adding a diverter at the bottom of the downspout. It will help prevent leaves,grit and guiano from entering your tank. After flowing "dirty" water for a brief period, it can be switched over to fill your tank.

An excellent suggestion. You should also cover the guttering with mesh to prevent leaves building up and becoming a fire hazard.

You can actually make a diverter from off-the-shelf pvc parts, and it will automattically divert clean water to your tank after the first flush of rain has carried rubbish to your downspout. You must, however, remember to empty the debris out of it when the rain has stopped.