Rainwater Capture

[whatnow?]

I have yet to make the commitment to capture rainwater mostly because of the effort to use it where I need it. My garden is slightly downhill, so there could be some gravity distribution, but I'd really be happy if I could pressurize it and combine it with the drip irrigation system. That would probably take a demand water pump to empty to rainwater tank, and a toilet fill valve, or similar, in the rainwater tank to maintain a minimum water level.

So, one major component in the system is the storage. Rain barrels are common, but hold very little water... I'd like to not irrigate using my well during late summer when there isn't as much rainfall. So, I've been toying with some ideas for large containers, one of which is to use a "free to good" home boat. It's more than a bit impractical... just thinking out loud. The other thought was to use a partially buried wooden frame and a pond liner. Whatever it is, it has to be childproof.

 

[S0rcy]

My plan for rainwater capture is gravity based with barrels up in trees on the property. I saw someone's uncle do that and it worked very well for him. Your post got me thinking about the drip irrigation though.... A pump hmm..

 

[patandchickens]

Your wooden frame with pond liner would have to be pretty fully buried, I think (like, to the waterline), as you're not going to hold much aboveground water in a wood frame without some SERIOUS engineering -- water will just blow the joints apart with its weight/pressure.

What about a large stock tank (like people use for cattle or horses) raised on a VERY VERY STABLE WIDE base and with a plywood lid bunged firmly onto it. A bit pricey to buy new but you might find a used one in good condition at farm auctions etc. You could run a hose out from the drain hole at the bottom edge, just have to jigger around iwth fittings (or not, depending on the type of tank you had).

I can't see how you could directly pressurize it, but in that respect it is no differnt from the systems you suggest, and would be more childproof.

If you were really ambitious I suppose you could rig a filter --> pump --> pressure tank --> drip lines. But that sounds awful complicated and costly.

If it were me, I would collect the water but arrange to be able to empty it from the bottom of the barrel/tank/whatnot with a hose that I could just take out and hand-water the garden with. For individual plants that take more watering, next to them you can sink a drain tile (vertically) or a bottomless pop bottle with just the top sticking out, with gravel or leaves at the bottom to prevent washouts, and fill them with a hose. The water will then slowly sink in.

Or, me, I collect buckets with cracked bottoms (the natural fate of all buckets around here ) - sometimes I drill a coupla extra holes too - and I can put one of them donw next to a plant I want to slowly water, fill the bucket with water, and just walk away and let it slowly sink in. The slow application rate minimizes runoff.

Which of course isn't what you asked about, oh well

Have fun, hope to hear what you end up using,

Pat

 

[whatnow?]

I got the below ground wood frame tank idea from the December 2007 issue of Mother Earth News.

Part about the tank:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2007-12-01/Solar-Heating-Plan-for-Any-Home.aspx?page=4
Picture of the tank;
http://www.motherearthnews.com/multimedia/image-gallery.aspx?id=118776&seq=3

They made a solar collector and used a wooden tank for the heat exchanger. The center of pressure from a liquid acts on the bottom third of a wall, so a tank 1/2 in the ground and 1/2 out should work without too much trouble. Our feed store uses a stock tank to house the ducks and freestanding wooden tanks (2.5' tall in roughly 3'x3' cells) with liners to hold the fish. Go figure.

EDITED - They are only about 2 feet tall... being up on the curb is misleading.

A demand water pump is a stock item in an RV or boat. It's a 12V pump with a pressure switch built into the pump housing. When it reaches 40 or 50 psi, it turns the pump off. A complete distribution system in a 10" long package. I had one in my truck that I used as a washdown pump for cleanup at work.

The other place we used a pump like that was at a fly-in camp in Ontario. It had a solar cell to charge a deep cycle battery at the end of the dock. The battery ran the pump which had enough pressure/volume for the six of us to take a real showers, cook, and do dishes. At one point, the pressure switch fouled and the pump wouldn't shut off, but the solar cell was able to power the pump on its own (showers had to happen at noon.)

Water is heavy, but only about half as heavy soil (and not nearly as heavy as saturated soil.) It is, however, more fluid, which changes the pressure dynamic.

Hmmm.... now I'm thinking it will look like a faux springhouse.......