Duh... Rainwater ETA New Question!

[Leta]

This is very good to know, moolie. We have a simple roofline, so I think the vent will probably be enough. We are right in town, our neighbors on either side have many leaves, so we'd be cleaning gutters non-stop if we didn't put the guards up. I am going to discuss this with DH.

 

[Marianne]

Rainwater is easy to collect, but it isn't potable or recommended for food plants if you have an asphalt roof. We have rain barrels under our gutter downspouts, but only use the collected water for non-food plants and cleaning purposes.

Moolie, does that include composite shingles, too? One area that I was considering is next to the coop which we built a few years ago using new composite shingles.

 

[moolie]

Rainwater is easy to collect, but it isn't potable or recommended for food plants if you have an asphalt roof. We have rain barrels under our gutter downspouts, but only use the collected water for non-food plants and cleaning purposes.

Moolie, does that include composite shingles, too? One area that I was considering is next to the coop which we built a few years ago using new composite shingles.

Not sure what composite shingles are?

All the houses around here either have wood shakes or asphalt/gravel shingles, a few people are starting to use metal shingles.

It's the asphalt/gravel shingles that won't give you potable water, untreated (no chemical preservatives) wood is ok but cedar is expensive so I think most people use pressure treated wood shakes. Flat roofs are tar and gravel and also won't make for potable water.

A metal roof would be ideal, but they cost the earth.

 

[i_am2bz]

In these states, citizens or businesses that attempt to collect or store rainwater are in fact breaking the law. The overriding rule here is that of prior appropriation i.e. in order to have any rights to water you have to gain a state water right. However, in the drought plagued, over appropriated Western states, most of the water is already spoken for, which can make securing a water right complicated, if not impossible.

That's got to be one of the dumbest laws I've ever heard of. What difference does it make if I allow the water to run out of my downspout onto the ground or route it through my rain barrel and onto the ground. I know, I know big brother is trying to be all things to all people but they DO NOT own the rain. I'm sure the laws are made for large scale water users and storage situations but I still think that big brother is too big for his britches.

Boogity, talk to Wifezilla. She's mentioned on occasion that she's not allowed to collect rainwater where she is.

(How can a natural element that falls out of the sky onto your roof belong to the state? Beats the he!! out of me. )

 

[Ed Nigma]

I can speak pretty intelligently about DC wiring, how to hack a fridge to save tons of electricity, alternative methods of heating and cooling, greywater reuse, and composting toilets... but I have NO FREAKING CLUE where to even begin when it comes to rainwater harvesting and how to do it in a useful, sensible, and affordable way.

So, any resources, recommendations, or novice tutorials would be most appreciated.

I'm not certain how to post this, but, I have written a pamphlet on rain water harvesting and would be more than happy to freely share this information with anyone interested. Also, having built a system, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

[Ed Nigma]

also be sure yours is a state that allows collection.
some do not.

Can you name some of those states? I've never heard of such a silly thing. My state doesn't own the rain and never will. But on the other hand the EPA and the stupid elected officials are unbelievable.

blurb from a website: but I think more than just these states are affected because there are tons of laws about rainwater. remember drought states truly need ground water for everyone.....so....


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Rain. Just because it falls on your roof doesnt mean its yours. At least not in Colorado or Utah.

In these states, citizens or businesses that attempt to collect or store rainwater are in fact breaking the law. The overriding rule here is that of prior appropriation i.e. in order to have any rights to water you have to gain a state water right.

However, in the drought plagued, over appropriated Western states, most of the water is already spoken for, which can make securing a water right complicated, if not impossible.

This is a valid concern not only because the "MAN" considers rain water harvesting as interfering with the water shed, but, your NIMBY neighbors will complain about rain barrels. Many communities will allow rain barrels if they are out of sight, but, a 55 gal drum is hardly enough to water your garden. To get around these problems the system I built directs my down spouts directly in to 55 gal drums (sand filters, not collection barrels). The barrels than drain into a 5200 gal portable pool. Had to get a permit for the pool (cheap) and since the barrels are allowed no questions are asked about my cistern (pool).
We use the water to swim in, water our vegetable garden and chickens. Personally I would want to distill the water before drinking it.
Future plans are to build a small decorative silo (conveniently sized to house a 4'X20', 5500 gal tank) attached to my mini barn.

 

[baymule]

You can build your own water collection tank with ferro-cement. Here are some links, hope they help.

http://www.paceproject.net/Userfiles/File/Water/Ferrocement.pdf

http://www.i4at.org/surv/ferro.htm

http://www.ferrocement.com

http://ferrocement.net/

http://oasisdesign.net/water/storage/ferrocementtanks.htm

 

[Marianne]

I would LOVE to mess with ferrocement! I did tons of reading about it years ago, marvelous stuff.

Ed Nigma, do you have your pamplet online somewhere?

Moolie, I don't know how many years composite shingles have been around, maybe 30? They look like asphalt shingles.

 

[Ed Nigma]

Marianne wrote:
Ed Nigma, do you have your pamplet online somewhere?

I do not have the document on line (not sure how). On the advice of a fellow novice I saved it as a JPEG and uploaded it to this site.
It is formatted as a pamplet so keep this in mind when reading it.

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/thumbs/4109_rainwater1.jpg
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/thumbs/4109_rainwater2.jpg

If the uploads are not readable I can email it to you.

 

[Leta]

He sent me the pamphlet via email. It is fantastic! Thanks, Ed.