I have a 2000 gallon metal rainwater cistern. It filled up back in September on the second big rain. Since then, I had the gutters just draining into the yard normally. I have been using the rainwater on potted plants and the garden during the winter. I also use it to wash up after working in the yard. It took six months for it to get down to 65 percent. I closed the divert option at the gutters which takes 2 minutes and it was full after 1 hour of rain tonight. It was a little bit of a pain to setup initially but it is so fricken easy to use now. I just love it.
I love my rainwater collection system
Good for you. I would love to set one up here and if the money comes around in the next few years I will. I am in construction and the last few years have been slim pickings. I have seen these system in action and it is amazing how much water you can get in such a short amount of time.
Awesome system!
I've always wanted one of those, especially last summer when we got almost no rain. Right now I am using a kid's pool on the corner of the porch where there isn't a gutter.
he he.
As long as you didnt take it from your kids.
JuJube, I am close to you, so I think if it works for you it might work for me.... Do you happen to have any pics of your water storage?
Fabulous!! You might really start a trend in your area as you have such a valuable commodity to use, especially when it's scarce.
We have two teired horse troughs collecting rain off a roof. Love it! They stay full pretty much with all the rain we get, but of course during dry summers we're caught short.
I run out when it rains sometimes and put out bowls to collect water for coffee or tea.
Comgrats on your system. Keep us posted on how it does this summer. I expect lots of us will get inspired to collect rain in an effecient manner.
Im getting rain barrels set up under most of my downspouts.. nothing as big as yours (I wish) but once I get them all in place Ill have about 400 gallons of collection capacity..Ive got 100 gallons so far. Im using plastic barrels and I can set of 2 of them with faucets for about 60.00 a set,, My roof is huge for the size of my house and the barrels I have fill up so quickly its amazing.. the overflow runs in to a french drain to take it away form the house.. with the riding cost of water everone should have something like this in place.. even a small set up like mine will help a lot.... it just makes sense..
Good for you Jujube! That is a good system to have in place where ever one lives.
I agree with RATFOOD ~ any photos to share?
Blkraven ~ I've used plastic rain barrels for quite a few years catching runoff and I look at the water I haven't "caught" when it rains. I've even used it for bathing and flushing when the power is out for extended stays. My plants didn't mind sharing. But they are UGLY! I know you have disguised yours?
DH debated putting one in when we built the house but were afraid of cost overruns in the construction of the house. When the barn goes up we want to get serious about it.
What type of pump do you use?
Mine is small compared to my neighbor up the road. She has two 10,000 gallon systems and is completely independent with hers. She has a pump and advanced filtration systems so she drinks, waters and baths in hers.
My 2000 gallon system cost 1000 dollars delivered by Texas Metal Cisterns in San Marcos. There is a 3-6 month waiting list. I dont use a pump since mine is for outdoor use only. The water pressure is good enough to water anything within 35 feet of the cistern or longer distances if it is downhill from the cistern. This includes my garden and more than half the yard. I use a watering can for my potted plants if they are further away. I dont waste this water on grass and you would need a pump for that.
I do have a pump for my land and it was 199 dollars, about 18 x 24 inches and can pump 200 gallons per minutes. YIKES. It is gasoline and you would want an electric for the house.
Here is a picture of the plumbing. This was my first attempt so I did some foolish things. That large pipe will be completely removed to the ground. It is used as an overflow for leaves and debris from the gutter. The first 20 gallons flow into that and is then blocked with a floating ball to divert all the clean water into the tank. I basically went WAYYYY overboard with it and I dont think it looks good so I am going to cut it down to the ground or just put a 20 gallon bucket on the ground instead.
You can also get rid of the clear plastic hose if you want. It allows you to see the water level inside the tank and is handy. You can just take turn the water level gauge off and remove it for esthetics. It wont effect using the water.
We plan on growing an evergreen Passionfruit vine over the pipes this year so it looks better. Some people put lattice around the pipes too.
I put mine on a stand to get more water pressure but most people just put down some concrete.
This message was edited Mar 17, 2010 11:06 AM
Here is an example of the pipe from the gutter. You can run them under the house if you have an older house like mine or bury them under a few inches of soil. The water pressure is not very high so you dont have to worry about leaks. All the pipes meet under my house into one pipe and that feeds the cistern.
This is my favorite feature. I have an expandable plastic drain on the bottom of the gutters so when the cistern is full, I just remove the cap and put the drain on so it feeds out into the yard and away from the house. When I want to start capturing water again, I just pull it off and screw the cap back on. I didnt realize that getting too much water would be an issue but it definitely does happen. If I get too much water and the caps are screwed in, the cistern has an overflow into my garden. I thought this was great until it flooded my veggie garden. You can do it either way but this allows me to clean the pipes at every location as well so I like it.
The total cost was around 1700 dollars. I am guess-timating.
lee
no Podster I dont have them covered up... yet.....lol... I made sure to use the plain white barrels rather than the blue or green ones I've seen.I search long and hard for them..lol... mine dont look to bad just the way they are but I am going to figure out some way to cover them.. I figure once I have all of them in place then Ill cover all of them.. Im thinking a wire trellis for vines cause I have to be able to get to the faucets.. Idreally love to build a craddle to hold them on their sides.. I could get 4 barrels in the place of 2 if I went vertical with them. Id get better water pressure and save another 100 gallons per set up..800 gallons is a lot of water saved... Lees system will pay for itsself in no time..
It will probably never pay for itself.
If I pay 3 dollars per 1000 gallons from the city and use 4000 gallons a month, that is 12 bucks a month or 144 dollars a year.
My rainwater collection is only getting 25,000 at best per year. That is a savings of 75 dollars a year.
The main purpose of rainwater collection is conservation and increased plant growth and health. If you compare a plant that is watered with rainwater and one that is watered with city water, the difference if very noticable. If you have large mineral deposits in your water, it can also effect your plants. Rainwater rocks and my very special plants only get rainwater or pondwater.
I would like to take two cuttings of the same tomato plant and grow one with rainwater and one with city water and compare the taste. I wonder if it would be different.
This message was edited Mar 17, 2010 1:31 PM
your water is a lot cheaper than mine.. my bill for 2800 galllons was 23.60... If I m figuring it correctly ( and math is not my strong point so if Im wrong please correct me) my water bill is is almost triple yours...my water useage with your city rates would be about 8.75 give or take a bit.. so youd see why I thought it would pay for itself fairly quickly..
Does that include the base fee too? We pay a base fee of 15-20 bucks every month and then pay per 1000 gallons after that.
Doesnt matter, I love my cistern.
nope doesnt include the base fee or sewage cost.and I love your system too!!!... (:-)
DH wants to bury ours, so the plastic ones would be fine for us. We would just want is for irrigation for the gardens. We have city water (even though we are way out in the boonies), and we just discovered a well on our property. We are having the electric hooked up this week. The well guy we called in says the well is "good". Still, as we get older and look to retirement we want to minimize out bills. Well water would be good for the livestock, rain water for the gardens (not the grass--I don't believe in watering the lawns).
Thank your for posting the photos, jujubetexas. I'll show them to DH after work. I think your metal cistern looks very cool! And I agree, rain water rocks the garden plants!
jujubetexas, I envious of your system - that is exactly what I want. I'm almost on the bottom rung of the water conservation ladder - actually I probably am on the bottom rung. Last Sunday afternoon was spent taking water from my two trashcans positioned strategically where the water comes off the roof. I officially retire on March 31 and am looking so forward to getting my yard back in order. A water collection system like yours is going to be high on my list of "WANTS" that will soon be "NEEDS" if the population doesn't stop being so wasteful with water. And those silly plastic water bottles that fill up the oceans and the landfills...don't get me started.
Anyway, thank you for all the information. I will mark this thread.
Ditto!!!!
Wow, wish I had room for one of those. My water bill hit 285.00 last summer during the drought. I couldn't believe it. Even during the winter, it's running 75.00 a month. At those kinds of prices, it wouldn't take that long to pay for itself. I've been wanting to add an outdoor shower. I'd love to have rainwater collection to feed it, but just don't think I have the room anywhere to put it, darn it.
Crow
if you have downspouts and by going vertical you can build a cradle in a 4 x6 ft space(maybe less) that can hold 200 gallons of water using 4 plastic 55 gallon barrels stacked one on top of each other, laying on their side.. estimated cost would be 175.00 give or take for barrels wood facults pvc and odds and ends needed..its not a huge system but every bit does help.. I go to the Habit for Humanity Restore Store to check out what lumber and other things I might need before I go to lowes or HD.. Thye might not have everything I need but prices are much cheaper and every bit saved helps
If you have a pier and beam house you cant put them under the house. They sell expandable rainwater bladders. They can hold over a thousand gallons and are only about 1-2 feet high when full.
get out!!! really??? I have a pier and beam home.. gonna have to look into that.. got a link or anything???
I have never used one so I cant recommend a site but if you Google "rainwater bladder", it comes up with tons of hits. Only a few quoted price per gallon but it looked like 2 dollars per gallon. I bet you can find them cheaper.
Here is an example of an install of a 1300 gallon bladder under a deck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g7kaqKRgYg
Interesting... Is there any reason a bladder is better than just a whole cradle farm of drums on their sides?
Has anyone ever made an aqueduct? The way my yard, house, and big shade trees are arranged, it would be oh so much better to have the large storage tank about 30 feet from the house. That distance would need to be covered at more or less gutter height. (Since the ground is sloped, it wouldn't work to bury pipes.)
Crowellli,
I'm in Houston, too, and my average water bill in a household of 4 people, three of whom are home all day, is $45.00.
And, that includes the water for the lawn, the boat motor (DH hooks the hose to the boat engine to run it in drydock), and my veggie garden, too...
I think people in rural areas pay much more than us.
we do!!! the sad part is most of these small towns can barely keep the systems going even with the higher rates..I cant tell you how many boil alerts I get or I go to fill the tub and the water is black..its frustrating.. I wish I was on a well
Jujube, Congratulations on the cistern. I am really interested in
following your lead. I can totally believe that rain water is better
for gardening. Our city water has salts and high alkalinity that
rain water wouldn't have.
Gymgirl, my water bill at the last house was in line with yours. Mine ran between 50 and 80 a month, with the 80 being in summer. I can't believe the higher bills at this house. I've had the plumbing checked, in fact spent about $10,000 on having it E-piped at the first of the year, so all the plumbing is like new with all new valves, etc. I do have a back yard pool, but I don't add water to it most months, so that can't explain it. I've also replaced all toilets and the washing machine with low water use ones and it's stil exorbitant. I've decided that the utility company checks the neighborhood and bills accordingly. That's the only thing I can figure. I think I need to check the meter. It's the only thing that hasn't been checked out and/or replaced.
Crow
one person here,one bathroom ,new toliet low flow, home all day, not watering the yard or garden over the winter and mine was almost 50.00 last month..I watered just enough to keep things alive not so they looked beautiful last summer and it ran 75.00-80.00.. Water is NOT cheap and its going to go higher. We all not just gardeners, need to do what we can for the enviorment. That why these water systems are going to become more and more important as time goes on.. sometimes the old fashion way such as cisterns and such are the smartest.Imagine how much would be saved if every home had a collection system and only used city water or a well when needed. But thats in a perfect world (sigh) and we dont have that..lol..
Rainwater collection systems don’t have to be eyesores, say Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts. An April 21-22 course will cover the construction of basic systems as well as aesthetic design. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Justin Mechell)
Harker Heights rainwater harvesting course set April 21-22
By Robert Burns
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service is offering a 1-1/2-day course on the basics of rainwater harvesting April 21-22 at the Harker Heights Activity Center, 400 Indian Trail, Harker Heights.
The drought of 2009 in Central Texas may seem like a bad dream after a wet winter, but there are many other good reasons to set up a rainwater harvesting system than an ongoing drought, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
"For many who get their water from wells, it is security if the well is running dry," said Brent Clayton, AgriLife Extension assistant. "For those on municipal water, it is a way to irrigate when restrictions come into place. Others do it for environment. Rainwater harvesting uses less groundwater."
Collecting and using rain from roofs also lessens runoff that may carry pollutants into rivers and lakes, he said.
On the first day, participants will learn all aspects of building and maintaining both passive and active-container catchments.
Passive catchments are landscapes that use rain as their only source of water. They include roof gardens, rain gardens, bog gardens and swales. Components of such systems will be shown, and participants will be walked through the steps of designing and building rain gardens and other passive-catchment systems, Clayton said.
Harvest systems range from small, simple and cheap to large, complex and relatively expensive. Participants will learn about all aspects of both, from how to modify a common 55-gallon drum for harvesting to building a 400-gallon flushable tank system, he said.
They will also learn how to cover, hide or decorate large tanks to make them more aesthetically pleasing, Clayton said. Tax incentives, building codes and landscape design will also be discussed.
On the second day, topics will include building a 170-gallon water trough tank, setting up solar-powered and AC pumps, and incorporating drip-irrigation systems.
Pre-registration is $150, which includes instruction, refreshments and training materials. Attendees can pre-register and pay online by going to http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu . They may also pre-register by contacting the AgriLife Extension office in Bell County at 254-933-5305. On-site registration the day of the program will be $175.
This article is from Seeds, the online Texas Gardener Mag
I love to go but the 150.00 class price is way out of my budget.. sigh.. education isnt cheap ya know??? I could finish all my down spouts with barrels for less than that
That would be so interesting to go to. I would especially like to learn about the pumps and the drip irrigation! But I have to be at work. Maybe someday they will do U-Tubes (SP?) of those sorts of classes for we work-bound souls. Or I'll have to wait until I retire! Thanks also for metioning Seeds. I'll have to check that out.
Go to www.texasgardener.com and down the page on the L side is an opportunity to subscribe to seeds, a good email letter.
I installed drip irrigation for all my pots last summer. It did work well. I haven't turned it on yes this year but my brugs in the front are now asking for water three times a day, a gallon at a time. I thought I could keep them out in the front where it is very hot, but I don't think so.