Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid when Harvesting Rain Water

[pawelolender]

Short summary: 1.Don't make it expensive (no need) 2. Watch out for mosquitoes, 3. Make a big outflow from your tanks 4. Make tank as big as possible 5. Use swales on slopes, 6. Protect from algae - cover from light 7. Don't be lazy and save water!

[ToxicVaccines_HivHoax]

I have noticed a MASSIVE difference in my plants when they are watered with rain water vs chemical laden tap water. Every time it rains my fruit trees come to live!!

[adamkendall]

I only use organic cage free rainwater.

[mariusneumayer]

Around 4:20min. Just add a check valve on the top of the barrel. It lets air in as you drain the water out. Many people forget. By doing that water will gush out and will have pressure too. Great video

[MrGunny]

Rainwater collecting is definitely a local thing. Part of my youth was spent growing up on the islands of Bermuda. Almost without exception, all houses there collect rainwater. They are built atop large cisterns that are connected to the rooftop drainage systems. There is a smaller tank in the attic rafters that provides water pressure to the rest of the house. There is a small float valve (like in a toilet tank) and a small pump that refills that tank as the water level up there drops. When I was there, there was NO central water system. You collected, conserved, and used only what YOU collected. Woe be it to those who used up their family water. They had to call a government truck from the island desalinization plant to come out with a tanker truck and refill their cistern with VERY EXPENSIVE desalinated ocean water.

[HowHingPau]

FYI for people who have never used Mosquito Dunks before: after a few days, they disintegrate into zillions of little particles that float all over the surface of your container. They're still working to suppress the mosquitoes, but looks messy. What I suggest is to buy some aquarium fine-mesh filter bags (that are used for holding biological filter media). You can put a couple of Mosquito Dunks per bag. I also suggest that you tie the bagged Dunks to a heavy object so you can sink them into your container. I've found that raccoons think the bags are puzzles to shred.

[WhatDadIsUpTo]

Here's a nifty trick. I scored a bunch of 55 gallon all-plastic drums, which were previously used for a food-grade product. I linked them all at the bottom with pipes between and put a teeny tiny vent hole in the top of each one.

All I do is fill one and the water fills the whole gathering of barrels, each to the same level as its neighbors.

One end is where the water goes in and it falls through a series of screens before it actually gets into the barrel, so if mosquitoes want to play in the water, they are out of luck.

At the other end of the barrels, I take screw thingy off the bunghole to gain access and I bought a pump at Home Depot made of pvc, which fits very nicely through the bunghole in the lid of the barrel and all the way to the bottom of it and all I do is pump the water out.

As the water comes out, those teeny tiny vent holes prevent any kind of a vacuum from forming and I have however many barrels of captured rainwater at my disposal, which I use to feed my fruit trees and my container garden.

[valentincameron]

1:08 Make it expensive
2:10 Let the mosquitoes in
4:05 Choke the Flow
4:56 Go too small
6:24 Miss the Power of swales
7:33 Muck it up with algea
8:31 Don't harvest rain water at all

I loved the video! This is just a little note that might be useful to others and to me when I'll rewatch this video :))

[luminoustrail]

I attended a seminar of rainwater collection and the person mentioned if you paint white the water reservoir is better because the white color reflects the light and reduce the temperature of the water and less bacteria grow. Thanks to teach the people in this interesting things!

[randomamerican]

BT is great stuff! If you treat your rainwater with the mosquito dunks. The water will then also safely and effectively kill soil gnat larvae in your potted plants. Of course screens and lids also keep other contaminants out. You can use a tiny pinch of crumbs from a dunk to treat a gallon of water. One dunk will treat 100 sq. feet of water, or 748 gallons.

[tstramel]

If you have room above ground swimming pools are cheap catchment. You can always find them end of season for free or cheaper. I bought new ones 18’ round at end of summer sale for $500 each no filters just the pool. They each hold 6000 gallons. Even in the high desert we can fill them both during the rainy season and from snow runoff. By keeping them covered we have clear water year round and plenty to water with.

[phillpauley]

I learned real quick about overflowing 55 gallon rain barrels under gutters so I got a 300 and something gallon sistren. Within 1 rain it was full and overflowing and within 3 days it was green and full of skeeter babies.
I never even thought to paint it black and I had no idea about the maskito puck things.
Thank you very much! I already looked into a way to filter it for drinking but I didn't bother building it because of the algae and skeeters. Time to revisit that project.
Your video was very helpful!

[CogHillFarm]

You dang sure aren't lying about a rain barrel overflowing within minutes!  I remember being all happy when I made first 2 barrels, & I could NOT wait for the next rain....then finally the rain came, & I was outside watching my rain barrels like a proud papa...then after 3 minutes, they were overflowing with lots & lots of rain water....I  really had no idea that much water came off my little chicken coop....let alone a house!! Thanks for the video David!!

[johnmarzocchi]

Haven't had city water for over a decade, and don't really miss it. Instead, I use bath tubs that people didn't want anymore, set up high on wooden scaffolding, directly under the end of the roof gutter. The overflow from one tub goes into another bathtub, and so on. Also covering the tubs is essential if you don't want tree frogs spawning in the tub full of rain water. So, when I need more water, i open up the drain, which is 1 1/2 inch diameter.

Oh, don't forget to tell your home insurance company and local fire department if you have an in-the-ground cistern as it may help lower your fire insurance rates, and be a ready supply in case you need it for fire suppression separate from every day needs.

[peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo]

I bought 2 40-gallon faux rocks that are connected to my downpouts. They are visible from the street and I live in a development in Central Florida with an HOA and no one has ever complained because they look like a big rock and blends into the Garden. I use rain water for all of my porch plants (veggies in pots) and also for adding water to my worm bins. During the summer we have rain almost daily so I have too much. But I bought them back in 2009 and it's been a great investment 👌

[ChickaWoofRanch]

Loved the video and I solemnly swear not to violate any of the 7 mistakes made when rain harvesting! Thank you!

[christopherbrown]

Nice video. I would like to mention that painting barrels green to keep light out is even better. In the same way red things look white through a red lens, green things look black through a green lens. Plants can't use green light because they can't "see" it, but you can still see in to check for wigglers!

[catmomjewett]

We live with a cistern. Pool liner in a serious wooden frame 1/2 way underground. Don’t eat or drink it. But, for all other uses, it has served for 9 years. WAY cheaper than digging a well in an area where a paper mill threatens the aquifer. This is a great video. Thank you. 💛

[flatlander]

I was unpleasantly surprised at how quickly I emptied a 100-gallon stock tank while watering 22 tomatoes growing in 5-gallon buckets. The sudden reality that the 400 gallons of rainwater I have would never meet the needs of my little garden during a drought year is stunning. We're rethinking the entire yard/garden. Hopefully, we'll be able to acquire two more 150-gallon stock tanks before next spring's rain! And we'll still have to rethink what vegetables we grow!

Shallow ditches cut across the gentle slope of the garden, with straw bales in them, are also an option I'm considering. I've had some success growing beans and tomatoes in bales.

I'm also saving some of the town supplied water we use in our kitchen. At least 5 gallons of clean water we pay for goes down our drain every day!

[cynthiaweathers]

I live in Clarke county, Virginia. At the county government center, they have rainwater barrels on display and for sale. They encourage rain water collection.