How to HARVEST RAINWATER from your roof

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison presents on rainwater harvesting from your roof.

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[ldean]

He was my Permaculture professor at Oregon State.... He's classes are amazing, he's so insightful., and most importantly engaging ... and basically a World Boss on Permaculture.

Thanks you again for being an amazing professor, Andrew. You've changed my view and perceptions on how we can make a better world.

~ A grateful former student

[tonydoggett]

Every rural house is set up this way in Australia. Colorbond steel or similar provides the best drinking water. Never let mosquitoes get in the tanks, our tanks have fine stainless steel mesh screens.

[arefasgharpour]

Im about to start my farm in iran, and i cant tell you how much your videos helped me, thanks alot✌️

[KiniAlohaGuy]

I use a water catchment here on Hawai'i island. I have a similar method to harvest water. As an extra filter to prevent fine sludge, I use two nylon knee-high stockings catch any fine dirt from entering the tank that passes by the first flush. It works to keep the USDA grade tank lining fairly clean. I use a simple toilet float to lift the house inlet flow hose. It keeps the inlet hose off the tank floor. It prevents pumping in any rubbish collected on the tank floor into the pressure tank. Next I use a filtration system that uses, rope 20u, carbon 5u, UV light, and calcite, to filter the water to drink. All at 50psi. My tank is corrugated steel covered with a black nylon mesh cover. No leaves or trees around the gutters. On long sunny days, I use a small amount of bleach to reduce algae growth. The amount of rainfall depends on the maintenance needed.

[LeHerbiet]

If you add some steps from the German standard DIN1989 for rainwater harvesting, you’ll notice pre-filtration, calmed inlet, overflow siphon and floating suction, all great ideas to keep water in the tank clean and sludge to a minimum.

[fueledbylofi]

A swirl filter, like used in aquaponics, could be used just before the tank to replace the "first flush" and filter out all of the solids and make it easy to dump the build up. Its basically a barrel with a pipe inlet that feeds the incoming water through the side and down to the bottom of the barrel then another pipe that is pointed upward in the center of the barrel that then goes down from the very top rim of the barrel (the water level) and makes a 90 degree turn in the middle of the barrel to the outgoing water. water fills in bottom, fills up to the top where only a thin layer of the cleanest water gets through

[cajanir]

Simple and easy to understand. Great video! It's crazy to think how much rainwater just flows down the streets in cities and into the sewers. Worse yet the same cities then have water restrictions when the supply is low.

[galaxymetta]

When building my new house, i incorporated flat concrete roof to catch rain and act as a roof top balcony for recreation. I also have 6 ground level storage tanks, which are all connected by underground piping, spread out around the house to more conveniently collect rainwater. The rainwater is then pumped through a pressure tower sand filter to supply water to my 3 storey house. So i am basically self sufficient. Cheers.

[joatanpereira]

Literally every house in the sertão (a dry region in Brazil) is like this. Since water can be expensive, people store rainwater for months, sometimes even years lol.

[Eric-gikg]

I have seen/watched dozens of videos and read as many articles on rain harvesting...
By Far this short video has/ IS THEE Best description of How the system works.
Pure basics..
I started with twelve 55 gallon barrels not knowing the 1st clean - out, or about algae buildup from the sun...I Definitely do now. Since my first attempt with 55's, I have graduated to the IBC totes (275 gallon).
Hopefully my New system will have 12 totes.

[chrismeister]

Been on rainwater’s collection for 27 years. Love it

[RetreatfarmFarmvilleVirginia]

I Use two 2500 Gallon storage tanks for my aquaculture operation and i just adapted a pool vacuum for cleaning the bottoms of the tanks once a year. Works very good and is dirt cheap.

[solarwizzo]

I am on 100% rain water useage in my New Mexico mountain home for 9 years now. Blue gold indeed!

[SeattlePioneer]

Here in Seattle, we get about 40 ( one meter) of rain per year, but have a seasonal draught in the summer lasting 3-4 months.

Being a frugal person, I despise pouring water on the ground and then buying citiwater. So for twenty five years or so I have collected rainwater and used zero citiwater.

But being frugal, my rainwater collection system is simple and frugal as well. I have a 600 gallon steel tank I bought thirty years ago from a metal surplus junkyard for $30 or so. It originally contained an aircraft engine for shipping by the military! I also have six 50 gallon plastic barrels in my basement that I picked up for nothing over the years, and a bunch of five gallon plastic buckets used to store water as well. The barrels in the basement are filled with the best water collected during rainstorms and such.

I use one downspout to fill the 600 gallon tank, and two other downspouts to fill two fifty gallon plastic barrels. Water from the downspouts goes through a window screen before emptying in the tank/barrels. First flush rain is just diverted manually onto the ground, and when it is running clean, is diverted into the barrels/tank.

When full, the outdoor barrels are covered with a steel top to keep insects/sunlight out. The steel tank is covered with plywood unless it is being filled.

I bring water into the house for use in five gallon buckets. If needed, I'll pour water from one bucket into another through a bath towel to filter it. So no pumping or elaborate equipment is used or desired.

During the summer draught, I'll minimize clothes washing by sorting out towels and such that are dried and saved for washing until the rains return. Clothes drying is done on a clothesline.

A considerable amount of water is used watering a small garden.

I don't use a regular toilet, a massive water waster.

I live alone, having never married or had children. So I am free to pursue my hobbies and interests as I may choose, and using rainwater is a hobby for me.

[crypton_l]

You're a really good teacher Andrew Millison! Thank-you for these videos 👏 🙏🙏

[Bombuzzz]

What a great method for presenting information. This is the first video (and of yours) Ive seen like this and am looking forward to more. Love the drawing techniques and callouts. Looks like engineering drawings. Thanks Andrew!

[Rainbowhippow]

Been nomading with my bf for three years now. Have gotten pretty efficient at it. Packing the car for another excursion and watching this to empower me with the knowledge to build a sustainable little abode one day. Not that I’m bored of traveling AT ALL, it’s just my life has just been much much more empowering and better for my self sufficiency than I could ever imagine. Feels like we can do anything. Yay to life skills!

[mashallahali-ahyaie]

Raise the storage elevation for gravity flowing. Search for storing the rainwater at ceiling level to benefit gravity flowing, as well as coping with winterizing.

[HomesteadForALiving]

Working on my rainwater catchment on our 576 sf house in Tennessee!

We’re designing all of our 5 acre farm from that starting point. Everything above the exit point of the totes will be food forest. Everything below it will be our gravity-fed drip irrigation annual vegetable beds for personal and commercial use, as well as nursery and greenhouse.

Trying to make everything as passive as possible!

[orhidee]

Thank you for the useful information! Greetings from Romania 🇷🇴