Revision as of 18:09, 23 May 2019

Catch water run off from the roofs in Blue 55 gallon poly barrels. Link several barrels together so they all fill as one unit.

• Family Handyman Magazine article about rain barrels
• Do’s & Don’ts When Making A Rain Barrel For Rainwater Collection
• 5 WAYS TO PROPERLY STORE AND KEEP YOUR RAINWATER CLEAN

Blue Barrels will naturally exclude sunlight and do not need to be painted though they can be as long as the barrel is sanded lightly first to scuff the surface and a spray paint appropriate for plastics is used. Since our barrels have white translucent tops, those need to be painted.

Water collected in rain barrels should not be consumed directly, it should be chemically treated and filtered first. Chris is talking about using a filtration system to bring water into the camp building. I like the ceramic model we have in New Hampshire. There are better units available. Mom chose the she did because it looks good.

• Amazon.com Ceramic Water Filters

YouTube

• Rain Barrel Irrigation System
• Large Rainwater Harvesting System
• Installing a Rain Barrel for Beginners

I expect the system to look something like ...

• Water Flows into the gutters and is collected in a gang of Barrels.
• Water is then pumped through Filters and into a Pressure Tank.
• The Pressure Tank flow leads into the Cabin in the sink. (Where do we route the waste water?)
• There needs to be a way to make water available outside the building. Should this exterior water be filtered or not? I'm leaning toward YES, FILTERED so we can drink it and we get to take advantage of the pressure tank when using exterior water.

The Barrels need to be up on a stand, might as well put a sloped roof on it.. The Pressure Tank should be protected from the elements. We need to be able to drain the entire system in the Winter to prevent freezing. I like the idea of shut off valves between each major component to facilitate maintenance of the systems.

Filtration

• Big Berkey Stainless Steel

Barrels

• Craigslisting with a BUNCH of barrels for $15 each with Screw-on lids - They are an hour and a half away!
• Food Grade Barrels in Raleigh - Lids don't come off.
• Barrels with Removable Lids in Goldsboro
• iBC Totes are a good choice for water storage.

First Flush System

• Rain Harvesting WDDS98 Downpipe First Flush Water Diverter Kit

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