How to Install a 5000 gallon Rainwater Harvesting System

How to install a rainwater harvesting system
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[erichemard]

I installed the setup on my homestead about 5 years ago. I went a different route but same concept. I have a 5000 gal tank on either side of the house. Both tanks are plumbed to a water pump with a pressure tank. We use rain water for the laundry and toilets and well water for cooking and showers. I also plumbed in a manifold in which I can use the rainwater for the entire house and vice versa for the well water. It makes a huge difference during the dry season here in Texas.

[hardymichael]

4 water filter system and UV light water filter system good idea 💡 😊

[armyreconm]

Hello I write to you all from AUSTRALIA yes here it becomes extremely hot ..Water is life
I agree with most of your Video and found one fault that you could make better ..you have the water Polly running from your Cutter to your tanks, As a feed ..What you can do is have the same set up th at you have but instead of the water the water over the top from cutter to tank, Dig the pipe under ground and back up to your tank looking at your height from your Cutter to tank height it will run under it's own pressure as the Roof gutter is higher than your tank
Why do we do it this way ..
If you have pipes that run over the top they can be damaged buy dead fall and makes moving around your yard in the area of the house and tank a little hard
Great Video and a beautiful Home
Kind regards and greetings from Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[rebelonatrail]

I literally applauded when that pipe went in for the second tank!

[jamisongbj]

That "T" fitting is called a Tee-Wye and that black coupling is a Fernco style fitting. Word of advice on the Sch40 too, paint it so the sun doesn't degrade it so quickly. That kind of pipe is meant to be buried or in walls and not exposed. It will degrade and become brittle. Also, the pic you showed was DWV Sch40 which is meant for drainage. You should make sure you let people know that so someone doesn't decide to apply something that puts internal pressure like a pump on something like this and the pipe bursts. Some stainless bug screen would be good for the intake opening and you should put a flapper backflow valve inline would be a good idea so you don't somehow have water going back up to your gutters.

[crackerjax]

Where the water drops from the gutter into the pipe, you can place a bell coupling at the top of the pipe to catch the water and just place a screen over it. Love the idea of the straight down cleanout. Going to try it.

[yardman]

This video helpen me alote going to rewatch it when i hit the gym in about 10 min cause im working on setting up a rain harvesting company

[dangerousliberty]

11:40 wrap the thread tape so the tail is trailing as you screw it in. If the tail is on the leading edge it will un wrap as you screw it in

[tammyprovost]

You could do like Justin always says use it up wear it out make it do or do without and that's exactly what you did with those that is amazing thank you so much for showing this and God bless I really like this

[reubprue]

Very nice.
If you want to do away with the extra costly pipe on your next project that you were talking about, you may want to consider doing it the way I did.
I used 4 inch pipe just like you did as a down spot except instead of the crossover pipe to the tanks, I drilled a 3/4 in hole in the down spot pipe near the clean-out and attached a brass adapter 3/4 pipe thread to 3/4 garden hose.
Water in the 4 inch down spot pipe backs up and pumps water to anywhere on the property that's just under the height of your down spot pipe or gutter through the process, water seeks it's own level.
It's now portable and can be moved anywhere and as far as you want to go as long as you don't go higher then your gutter.
Or, you could bury it permanently.
I have several tanks dotted around the property hundreds of feet apart for convenience so I prefer the garden hose to remains portable.
This way you do away with a lot of expensive pipe cost and unsightly plumbing weaved all over the place.
I hope this was clear enough to understand.
Good luck!

[markwilhelm]

First off let me say I enjoyed your video, enjoy your personality and think you did a good job on the project for the most part. Kudos on admitting your weakness in this particular area and hiring someone that knows more than you to help you out.

HOWEVER, I've been reading the comments and I think you may be in denial in regards to the size of your overflow pipe.

Due to what I thought was a rather nasty conversation further down in the comments, I guess I must provide my credentials in order to qualify my suggestions as I weigh in on this subject.

I have worked at a power plant for 13 years as an operator (boilers, water treatment, turbines and the like) and now as an Electrician and Instrument tech. (We deal A LOT with pipes, valves, pressures, flows etc. at the power plant as we troubleshoot systems and improve upon professional engineering in order to make the systems work at an optimum level). I have a degree in Power Plant Fundamentals and a BS in Business Administration. In addition I have been a plumber for 15 years and own my own farm. So hopefully I'm qualified to chime in here.

As was stated by other commentators, If you have a heavy rainstorm when your tanks are already full or close to it, and your inlet pipe is 4", your outlet HAS TO BE THE SAME SIZE OR LARGER to allow complete flow through, or it WILL BACK UP and OVERFLOW YOUR GUTTER. Denying this is akin to denying that your car's gas tank will not overflow as long as your engine is running while you are fueling your car. A large inlet pipe will eventually overflow a tank if the outlet cannot accommodate the same flow. Sometimes a larger (than the inlet) effluent pipe is needed to compensate for friction loss, horizontal vs vertical run, different head pressures etc.

You will not see an overflow of your gutter if your tanks are empty enough to collect all the rain of that particular storm, or if the storm is light enough that a 1" pipe could handle 100% of the flow regardless of if your inlet was 1" pipe or 4" pipe. If you do not believe that your rain collection system's flow will ever overcome a 1" pipe, then you could have saved a ton of money and just used 1" pipe on the inlet piping. However, that is obviously not the case and a larger size of inlet piping is definitely warranted.

Good job on the project though. Nobody is perfect. Just pause a moment to see what everyone is trying to tell you.

[freddurstedgebono]

I like the first flush diverters with the ball that floats up and seals off the contaminated flushed off water

[stevenmayhew]

One suggestion to help people understand how both tanks connected at the bottom fills up at the same time even though only one is connected to the rain gutter: take two clear plastic cups, drill a hole on the side near the bottom of each, and then connect a tube between the two. Then try to fill one up without filling the other, and the water will transfer through the tube into the other cup and fill it to the same level as the first one. That will help people to understand how both tanks are able to fill at once.

[raremedium]

🤣that's what she said🤣🤣 he said under his breath.
Excellent. ❤

[sharonanspach]

GREAT VIDEO! surely taught me a lot..can't wait to see it totally working for your homestead, gardens, and animals!!

[HarposHippieHollow]

Where did you buy the tanks ? Each tank 2500 gallon ? How cold can it get before the water freezes inside the tank ? Any info would be helpful. Tnx

[phualvamelmuhtongsancollec]

In my opinion, it looks like the first flush and the pipe to the tank connector is upside down, so there will be some dirt can flow to the tank. Every tank doesn't need over flow drain pipe as long as the over flow pipe on one tank is big enough to flow out equally to the incoming rain wanter and the tanks are connected and work as one.

[sal]

Great system, I will be using your ideas thank you! I think I'll use a pvc union in the middle connector. I seen a great you tube video where they put a inline water pump from harbor freight running on a solar panel so that way you could constant pressure!

[TheDomain]

You definitely want to use a hole saw, they have every size you can think of and you'll end up with a much better hole.

[pobo]

Love your tank system. You do need mosquito netting so they done get into your tanks. A suggestion for the other side rain catchment. If you do want to add that rain to your existing tanks just run down spouts from the gutter with an elbow making them horizontal straight back and connect to your pipe going into your tank. I did this on my house and it wire great. That way you don’t have to pump it up into your tank. Good video.