# Installing a DIY Rain Catchment System



## LDSreliance

Hey guys. I'm starting a new project this week involving an IBC Tote as a water storage device that will be fed by rain gutters on my shed. I worked on the foundation today to make sure this beast will be level and won't sink into the mud if it rains.






Next week I am going to install the gutters and figure out how to direct the water into the tank. I'll post more later.


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## budgetprepp-n

I haven't installed it or used it yet but I bought one of these for catching the rain for my containment 
If whatever you are filling gets full the water will by pass and go down the spouting as normal (we will see)


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## bigwheel

Very cool. Thanks for the movie.


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## Urinal Cake

budgetprepp-n said:


> I haven't installed it or used it yet but I bought one of these for catching the rain for my containment
> If whatever you are filling gets full the water will by pass and go down the spouting as normal (we will see)


Any details on that? Please put it out here....


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## Arklatex

Urinal Cake said:


> Any details on that? Please put it out here....


Here you go.

http://www.oateymystic.com/


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## LDSreliance

Here is the next video installment:






This one covers how to protect the tote from the sun by making a cover out of sun shade fabric.


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## 7052

I have 4 of those bad boys (275 gal) I am in the process f hooking up to a catchment system that comes off my roof. The current plan will get 100% of the back of the roof to feed them, and I hope to include 60% of the front of the house next spring.  I built a seriously over-engineered deck to hold them and provide a level surface. I'm hoping to get the system actually working (it's an "in the works" project right now) by this fall.


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## LDSreliance

Egyas said:


> I have 4 of those bad boys (275 gal) I am in the process f hooking up to a catchment system that comes off my roof. The current plan will get 100% of the back of the roof to feed them, and I hope to include 60% of the front of the house next spring.  I built a seriously over-engineered deck to hold them and provide a level surface. I'm hoping to get the system actually working (it's an "in the works" project right now) by this fall.


Awesome. I wish I had room for more of these. What are you going to do with all that water?


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## 7052

LDSreliance said:


> Awesome. I wish I had room for more of these. What are you going to do with all that water?


For now, it'll be overkill for the garden. I have built and am in the process of installing 2 4'x16' garden boxes, 1 4'x10' box, and 1 4'x8' hanging garden (will be using rain gutters to hang between 8 and 12 sections of hanging hardens for shallow rooted plants like radishes). We also have 2 potato boxes built (2.5'x8' and 3'x6') which we won't be using them until planting time, and we have a ton of berry bushes, and the rhubarb planted behind the shed.

After the crash we all believe is coming, it'll be for drinking water as well. It'll be filtered and boiled first though. That is, *IF* I ever get the damned project finished and working! lol Too many projects, not enough time OR money!


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## bigwheel

i got a guy coming over to put a metal roof on the man cave early next week. Holler is you need him.


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## Zed

LDS those were good videos...have you given a thought about dirt, bird guano entering your system...any method to clean before entering.


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## Zed

keep more of these videos coming


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## LDSreliance

Egyas said:


> For now, it'll be overkill for the garden. I have built and am in the process of installing 2 4'x16' garden boxes, 1 4'x10' box, and 1 4'x8' hanging garden (will be using rain gutters to hang between 8 and 12 sections of hanging hardens for shallow rooted plants like radishes). We also have 2 potato boxes built (2.5'x8' and 3'x6') which we won't be using them until planting time, and we have a ton of berry bushes, and the rhubarb planted behind the shed.
> 
> After the crash we all believe is coming, it'll be for drinking water as well. It'll be filtered and boiled first though. That is, *IF* I ever get the damned project finished and working! lol Too many projects, not enough time OR money!


I hear ya. I have a list of at least 2 dozen projects that I want to start right away just no time or funds. I also have 3-4 of them that need some more finishing work before me (and my wife) will be satisfied with the results.

My setup is for the same 2 purposes. I need an automatic way to water my garden so that the water soaks the roots properly but I also want drinking water and a way to replenish it if something disastrous happens. I estimate that 275 gallons gives my family of 5 about 100 days of drinking water. Not great but it is a start.


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## LDSreliance

Zed said:


> LDS those were good videos...have you given a thought about dirt, bird guano entering your system...any method to clean before entering.


Thanks for the feedback! I love making videos and helping people get ideas of their own.

As for filtration, there really is no way to prevent dissolvable materials from entering the system. The water would have to be boiled before drinking. But having access to fresh water could be critical someday and I am in suburbia with no nearby decent size water source. I will put in filtration for large particles such as leaves and branches but I don't know what you can do about bird poop.


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## Wise Prepper

Howdy neighbor (literately). Two things i did to help with bird poop etc. First is rain gutter leaf protectors. They are like a foam triangle that snugly fit in the gutter, i placed a couple by down spout. Then the other is a relief pipe below where water goes to tank. instead of an elbow going to tank, put in a T. Below the T is just a pipe that is capped off and a water spicket on the end (just to drain it). So the 3 ft of pipe below the T takes in the first 3 or so gallons (the dirtiest water) before it diverts to my tank. Can post some pictures tomorrow if needed.


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## thepeartree

Wise Prepper said:


> Howdy neighbor (literately). Two things i did to help with bird poop etc. First is rain gutter leaf protectors. They are like a foam triangle that snugly fit in the gutter, i placed a couple by down spout. Then the other is a relief pipe below where water goes to tank. instead of an elbow going to tank, put in a T. Below the T is just a pipe that is capped off and a water spicket on the end (just to drain it). So the 3 ft of pipe below the T takes in the first 3 or so gallons (the dirtiest water) before it diverts to my tank. Can post some pictures tomorrow if needed.


That's effective... At least until that leg of the tee fills up. At that point, anthing big or solid enough to be carried by water WILL eventually show up downstream. I would add a significant settling "pond", like perhaps a 55 gallon drum. Pipe water in on one side of the top and out on the other. Just so there's no chance of direct in-out flow. You're going to have to worry about TDS downstream, but the barrel will keep out the frogs without a worry.


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## bigwheel

Is guano sorta like caca?


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## thepeartree

bigwheel said:


> Is guano sorta like caca?


Try a little of each and let us know


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## Auntie

I have two of those totes that I have filled from the outside faucet. We are not legally allowed to collect rain water. If our well had not dried up due to droughts then I could have applied for an exemption. a

We use what we call an in/out system to keep it full. A hose is connected to one end from the faucet and another hose is connected to the other end. We use this for watering gardens that are not close to the house and providing our animals with water. It keeps the water fresh and we always have a supply if needed.



> Although it is permissible to direct your residential property roof downspouts toward landscaped areas, unless you own a specific type of exempt well permit, you cannot collect rainwater in any other manner, such as storage in a cistern or tank, for later use


.

Rainwater Collection and Graywater Reuse


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## thesean75

Does anyone have the math on how many sqft of rain collecting area (rooftop) would generally be enough to water a group of people and plants/livestock?


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## Auntie

This was on the site


> You may not realize it, but 623 gallons of water fall on an average 1,000 sq. ft. residental roof, during a period of one-inch of rain * !
> 
> With a system that is 80% efficient at catching rainwater, the amount of rainwater that can be collected is significant. Assuming 30" of annual rainfall (or 2.5" per month**), 2,000 gallons of rainwater per month can be harvested using the Mystic™ Rainwater Collection System!
> 
> Our "Mystic Rainfall Calculator" allows you to calculate the average rainfall of a specified location in a fun and interactive format! The calculator provides both monthly and annual averages for a variety of major cities across America and Canada. Simply select the city closest to the preferred geographic location, along with the desired month, to see how many inches of rain falls in that area (on average).


edited to add url: http://www.oateymystic.com/HowMuchRainwaterCanICollect.aspx


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## HuntingHawk

.6gal from one square foot of roof from an inch of rain.


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## HuntingHawk

thesean75 said:


> Does anyone have the math on how many sqft of rain collecting area (rooftop) would generally be enough to water a group of people and plants/livestock?


To get by you really need 5 gallons of purified water per person per day. More or less depending on food stores. Are most of your food stores canned stuff with water already in it or dry goods like beans & rice? The 5 gallons includes washing dishes but not include showers or laundry.

If I need hot water for whatever reason I filter threw coffee filters then boil. Other then that I use ceramic filters. With two food grade buckets & two ceramic filters you can easily filter 10 gallons of water per day.

Rain is not consistent so will be times of more water then you can use & other times of worry. So simply put, collect every drop of rain water that you can.


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## thepeartree

HuntingHawk said:


> To get by you really need 5 gallons of purified water per person per day. More or less depending on food stores. Are most of your food stores canned stuff with water already in it or dry goods like beans & rice? The 5 gallons includes washing dishes but not include showers or laundry.
> 
> If I need hot water for whatever reason I filter threw coffee filters then boil. Other then that I use ceramic filters. With two food grade buckets & two ceramic filters you can easily filter 10 gallons of water per day.
> 
> Rain is not consistent so will be times of more water then you can use & other times of worry. So simply put, collect every drop of rain water that you can.


Don't forget to run rainwater through a charcoal filter first. That should take care of acid rain.

P.s. auntie, I would move out of that jurisdiction immediately. Those people may have other dangerously stupid ideas and you don't want to take chances!


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## HuntingHawk

Ceramic filters have activated charcoal.


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## LDSreliance

Here is the last installment in the installation. Enjoy!


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## jro1

Curious to know what was inside those containers?!?! I saw the corrosive label on the container in the first vid! wouldn't it be safer to get a water container from a local farm supplies?


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## LDSreliance

It wasn't a corrosive label. All detergents and soaps and cleansers used in food prep (like what was in this container) has those kind of labels. It is a food grade container. It just needs to be rinsed out thoroughly before use.


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## paraquack

Sure hope you're right.


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## jro1

LDSreliance said:


> It wasn't a corrosive label. All detergents and soaps and cleansers used in food prep (like what was in this container) has those kind of labels. It is a food grade container. It just needs to be rinsed out thoroughly before use.


If the picture shows a burning finger...then it is caustic! check the U.N. number or by god at least google for an MSDS!!!! and that stuff is likely to be in the plastic for ever!! just wait till the sun hits it! I'm sure you've done your home work, but i'm lookin out for ya! WHMIS, and TDG are good to have so you know how to read the labels!


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## LDSreliance

jro1 said:


> If the picture shows a burning finger...then it is caustic! check the U.N. number or by god at least google for an MSDS!!!! and that stuff is likely to be in the plastic for ever!! just wait till the sun hits it! I'm sure you've done your home work, but i'm lookin out for ya! WHMIS, and TDG are good to have so you know how to read the labels!
> 
> View attachment 7026


It is UN3266 which is common for cleansers and degreasers, like I said. The label also shows that it is NSF listed plastic which means it can be used for potable water. I plan to clean it out thoroughly and I hope I never actually have to drink water from the tank. The only way I would ever do so would be if the S truly HTF.

I also plan on doing some testing before I ever consider it safe to drink. I will take some water from the tank and put it in a clear aquarium on the back porch and let it grow algae. If it doesn't ever grow algae something is wrong. Also, I will put some hardy fish in the tank, such as goldfish, and see if they die. If all of them die quickly then I will know something is wrong and I will probably just get a different tank.

Thanks for the warnings guys. I really appreciate it. I will be safe.


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## jro1

LDSreliance said:


> It is UN3266 which is common for cleansers and degreasers, like I said. The label also shows that it is NSF listed plastic which means it can be used for potable water. I plan to clean it out thoroughly and I hope I never actually have to drink water from the tank. The only way I would ever do so would be if the S truly HTF.
> 
> I also plan on doing some testing before I ever consider it safe to drink. I will take some water from the tank and put it in a clear aquarium on the back porch and let it grow algae. If it doesn't ever grow algae something is wrong. Also, I will put some hardy fish in the tank, such as goldfish, and see if they die. If all of them die quickly then I will know something is wrong and I will probably just get a different tank.
> 
> Thanks for the warnings guys. I really appreciate it. I will be safe.


Hey! we gotta look out for each other rite?!?! we had one guy on here wanting to know if he could build a pvc gun that would fire shells made from toilette paper roll tubes......never heard from him again! we often look in the obituary.........


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## LDSreliance

For those interested, I shot a quick video after a couple small rain storms to show how much water I was able to collect. Remember, it is a very small roof  Also, I am NOT going to be drinking the water out of this thing unless I was going to die otherwise and only after boiling it and filtering it:


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## HuntingHawk

Rain catch water needs filtered. But to survive you first have to have water to filter.


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## Urinal Cake

Arklatex said:


> Here you go.
> 
> Oatey Mystic


Thanks Ark, found it here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E1RJVU...vptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_8u7qp1eg71_e


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## 7052

For those of us w/ larger downspouts, these will work as well.
Garden Watersaver Downspout Diverter
Rain Harvesting Pty DDCR99 Clean Rain Ultra Downspout Filter and Diverter - RainHarvest Systems Online Store for Rainwater Collection, Filtering and Sustainable Re-use.


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## LDSreliance

HuntingHawk said:


> Rain catch water needs filtered. But to survive you first have to have water to filter.


This is my philosophy. Water can be distilled if it is polluted and that is a heck of a lot better than the next option in a SHTF scenario, which is no water at all.


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