Newhouse Farm

[T120]

Is there anybody out there actually using collected rainwater for all their off grid living needs?

[guydewdney]

No me - but theres someone on the Navitron forum who does. He has at least half a dozen 1000 litre tanks in his garage, with complex plumbing. It is possible, but you need some serious garage space.
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[cortina1498]

Hi T120, I am not off grid, but I collect my rainwater in 3 x 400 gallon tanks and us it for my toilet, washing machine, dishwasher and electric shower plus of course for my garden and automatic watering of my greenhouse.
Hope this helps
cheers

[Mike&Penny]

Not off the grid either but our water comes from "collected rain water". Of course the collector in this case is many acres of hillside on which rain falls and then percolates down throuhg the soil above the clay layers. Keeps popping up and going back under. So one of those places near the house where willing to pop out a length of concrete cylinder sunk in with a slab on top for a cap to keep debris out and a pipe to feed the cistern by gravity. Excess just bubbles up around the outside to run off on down the hill to the pond.

Come to think of it, isn't the source of water for just about all of you collected rain water? Might have been rain that fell thousands of years ago for those using deep wells but still collected rain.
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[martin]

Not me personally,

But I do have a friend who is, He stores it straight from the roof, (1 12000 litre tank) and then filters it and exposes it to UV to clean it. this system has been running for about a year I think and his family hav no ill effects. The system was bought in, but I don't know where from.

He is still connected to the mains should his store run dry, but this is only an 'insurence policy'.

Thanks
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[hjd10]

[b.steadman]

Hi Howie,

1 method described elsewhere was to have a header tank, with 2 ballcock valves in it. The top valve is the rainwater inlet, whilst the lower one is mains.

This way, if you run out of rainwater, the level in the tank lowers until the mains valve opens, ensuring a continual supply.

Dick Strawbridge employed this method for his spring water supply.

Further details are in his book.

Bernie
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[Cliff Top]

Having a stream I am mulling/considering the possibilities of going off grid for water to save the waterboard costs. If it would save money its worth doing.
Anyone know what the water board rules are about doing this? I suppose if you have the extraction license and a certified purifier they should be ok with it.
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Almost off grid now....heating- all wood- which we grow, sewerage- septic tank, waterwheel finally generating our background electricity usage

[Mike&Penny]

A stream would be chancy. You would definitely need a serious purifier/treatment plant as open water always subject to contamination.

That's for DIRECT extraction. Depending upon the soil types in your area, you might find that if you dug a hole down close to the stream to below the level of the stream it would stay full of water via percolation through the soil. In which case you have a "collection chamber" which gets covered up to keep surface water out.
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There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave.

[hjd10]

[annes]

[grombert]

Hey, My login still works after a year or two.
I use a 1000 litre tank to store rainwater from the house downpipes. This gives flushes for about 10 days. In the winter it stays on full rainwater flush because we get the rain but in the summer I use the tank to keep the pond and plants going. I wouldn't like to use it for anything other than the loo or the fish. I use water from the pond for the veg and top the pond up from the tank.
The loo has a micro switch in the top with a plunger that I have set so that when the ball valve drops it switches on a 12v pump - as sold for use in caravans - and this pumps quite comfortably up to the first floor; through the wall and into the cistern. The micro switch is set so the pump switches off after the standard mains water valve. When there isn't much rain I leave the mains on as well and we have dual supply and use less rain water. (it is a low pressure cold supply from a good old fashioned tank in the loft, so no problem with feedback into the mains) In the summer I have put a junction in the pipe to the loo so that I can put a hose on it instead. Because the micro switch is 'on' due to the ball valve being down a bit, when I switch 12v back on, the same pump will shove water through the hose instead and recharge the pond - or whatever.
It needs me to keep an eye on levels so the pump doesn't run dry and to turn on/off valves and 12v, but is transparent to the user (wife etc)
This is a bog standard house built in the 60's. I can recommend you try it.
Have fun
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[floatingshed]

I live on a narrowboat. I have modified the handrails along the roof so that they act as gutters. The water is filtered through polyester fibre (duvet stuffing!) and collected in a large underfloor water tank. It is then used for everything except drinking.
For drinking I fill a 5 litre water carrier and add some purifying tablets, these kill all the nasties but leave a chlorine taste so I pour it into a standard household filter jug.
Hey presto, nice clear clean water. Just to be on the safe side I only use it to make tea or cook veggies so it is always boiled.