The Rainwater Barrel

Technorati Tags: plastic water tank, rain water barrel, rainwater barrel, rainwater harvesting, Rainwater hog

Is there anyway you can collect rainwater through a collection system and in turn somehow filter it and make it drinkable and clean enough to be used for taps and shower systems?

Any help would be appreciated, Many Thanks

rainwater is good.
better some places than others, but good.

the real problem is how you collect it.
your catchment system will introduce more stuff you don’t like than the water had in it in the first place.

K — maybe you should look at your site. they sell water systems. it’s not surprising that they’d tell you to be careful of rainwater.

eg rebates for installing solar hot water or rainwater tanks, free light globes etc. I want to make a case to my city council (who do very little in this way) so I’d like to know the government body as well as the incentive they offer. Thanks

They do nothing but tell me use stuff that doesn’t exist. My solar hot water….it’s dark 6 months a year here. My Hydrogen powered car…not enough electricity to make hydrogen, they are all talk and no action.

…that require solar panels on the roof? I think they should definitely create those. I think they should have new building codes that also require geothermal pumps, rainwater collection systems, and passive ventilation. Maybe they should add thermal glass, too. I think for commercial and industrial buildings, they should require wind turbines and skylights on the roof. You have to have bathrooms in buildings now. You can no longer have an outhouse outside. So I say, why don’t they include these in new building codes?

Personally I believe the long term affects these building codes would have on a business would be more feasible than spending thousands of dollars on electric and water bills each month. The addition of thermal glass, wind turbines and skylights for a building constructed to last more than a century, would be a great investment for the business and environment!

One product is called HEET. It comes in a yellow plastic bottle.

It depends on how much rainwater you’ve got the tank. If it is a lot, you might want to siphon the tank, then fill it with gas to dillute it — then add the bottle of Heet.

First we wrote the hilarious (but very instructional) book; now here comes the DVD. This is a clip from the 43 minute video that you can purchase at http://www.rainwatercollection.com

WHY, OH, WHY? Because…Rainwater has a hardness of ZERO. No chlorine. No salt-spewing softeners. No ground-water contaminants. You’ll use less detergent, your skin will feel great, and your heart will soar with freedom and independence.

HOW, OH, HOW? It ain’t brain surgery. All it takes for you to install your own rainwater collection system is a combination of common sense, moderate coordination between brain and hands, some money, a good idea where the plumbing supply store is, and this video.

You’ll learn how to size your system, position your tank, install a roof washer, glue together PVC pipe, dig trenches, install a filtration system and SO MUCH MORE!

Oh the fun you’ll have…

Duration : 0:1:25

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Technorati Tags: collection, rainwater, rainwater collection, richard heinichen, richard's rainwater, sustainability, sustainable, tanktown

I’m looking at a piece of property that lacks the space for both a septic system and a well. It is rumoured that city water lines will be run to the property within 10 years, but in the meantime, are there any practical, cost-effective alternatives to well water? I was thinking about water storage tanks for domestic use and rainwater collection cisterns for greywater usage. Would having potable water delivered to the tanks via tanker truck be cost-prohibative? Has anyone out there put some sort of alternative system in place?

sounds like yu have looked at all the options

eg rebates for installing solar hot water or rainwater tanks, free light globes etc. I want to make a case to my city council (who do very little in this way) so I’d like to know the government body as well as the incentive they offer. Thanks

My city encourages conservation. We have a variety of programs. Online energy and water audit, home energy and water audit, rebates for energy efficient appliances. Water conservation is a big issue right now, we have been in a drought for a couple of years, so the new program they are offering is cash to remove grass and install water wise landscaping. I put a link to my cities website, you can look at the utilities to see all the rebates. We also have non voluntary recycling, we put everything into our garbage and the Material Recovery Facility uses both manual and mechanical methods to pull recyclables, we have exceeded a 60% diversion rate. We also have a Utility Exploration Center which combines a museum with other educational opportunities to teach our residents how to conserve resources. We do school tours and a variety of classes from gardening and landscaping, shopping green, worm bins, composting, gift making, energy efficiency for the home, and many others.

This is a vid of a 22,000L concrete rainwater tank being installed at my house.

Duration : 0:4:20

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Technorati Tags: concrete, excavator, landscape, rainwater, tank, trucks, volvo, Water

This is a great video because it not only shows you that Rain water barrels are not hard to install but it gives several reasons why you should get one.  Water is one of the most abundant things on the planet but fresh drinkable water is slowly becoming an”endangered species”.  Collecting rainwater helps reduce the amount of fresh water you use to water your plants or lawn. Not only that but rain water that is collected in a rainwater barrel is much better for your plants than tap water. She is quite entertaining so lets see what a rain water barrel full of money looks like.

Technorati Tags: Collecting rainwater, Rain Barrel, rain water barrel