4,000 gallons in 48 hours

[velacreations]

We had less than 1" of rain between October 2012 and July 2013. But, now that July is here, the rain season has started, which means that it is Spring, here!

We received about 2.5" of rain in the last 48 hours. The rainwater cisterns are filling up! We caught 4,000 gallons during this period, which is enough to keep our garden watered for an entire year.

Here's our roof potential:
House Roof + tank roofs - ~1,000 gallons of water per inch of rain.
Barn + barn tank - 500 gallons of water per inch of rain.
Sheds and assorted tanks - 150 gallons per inch of rain.

TOTAL - 1650 gallons per inch of rain

For capacity, we have the following:
House cisterns - 14,500 gallons + new tank(7,000 gallons, under construction)
Barn Tank - 7,000 gallons
Shed tanks - 1,500 gallons
Swimming pool - 2,000 gallons

TOTAL - 32,000 gallons

So, we need about 20 inches of rain to fill everything, if they start empty.

BUT, our water accounts are about:
House Tanks - 6,000 gallons
Swimming pool - 1,000 gallons
Barn tank - 1,500 gallons
Shed tanks - 1,000 gallons

TOTAL - 9,500 gallons

So, our current capacity is 32,000 - 9,500 gallons - 22,500 gallons, which translates to about 14 inches of rain.

We typically receive about 25 inches per year, and I think we're now around 5 inches for this year (4 of that is this month). We can reasonably expect 20 inches of rain between now and the end of October.

More information about how to build a big cistern: URL Removed.

[Ken]

So.... are Abe and Josie here to share information or to promote their own website? Just askin'.

removed URL

[hunter63]

Interesting information....as you profile doesn't state where you are, I assuming this is an important aspect of your life style and preps.....or Business?

I do use a small water collection system for a remote shower and wash station....and there is a Straw bale off grid home a 1/2 mile away....am some what versed in principal.
Mother Nature seems to not play fair all the time?....too much or too little?

[Ken]

Last edited by Rick; Today at 01:04 PM. Reason: removed URL

He lurks in the depths of the Forum..........

[Rick]

Lurks? I live in the depths. Just me, 2 twinkies and my hong. Sarge shows up occasionally to look for any change that you guys dropped and Crash does sweep up and tidies up after us.

[Cast-Iron]

When folks call me at home during dinner or show up unannounced at my door, it ticks me off. I consider it rude and inconsiderate although I make exceptions for youngsters trying to raise money for their school or civic groups. When I came across this post, I got that same agitated feeling. Like some stranger showed up while I was "conversing" with friends and started peddling his Acme Wonder Gadget. Without even so much as a "Hello! I'm X from Y and this is a little bit about me. By the way I'm into rain collection if anyone here is interested."

So thank you, Velacreations! Thanks for wasting 5 minutes of my life that I'll never get back. I already know all I need to know about rainwater collection systems despite your incoherent post on the subject. If these systems are your business you really need to work on your pitch and be a whole lot more up front about your motives.

[gryffynklm]

CAst Iron +1. Ya i got the same ooky feeling. I looked up Velacreations to see what others thought, interesting read.

[crashdive123]

Rick is sooooooooooooo much more lenient than I am. I would have banned them quicker that water pours through a downspout.

[Ken]

Crash? How quick does water pour through a downspout? Do you have numbers for both speed and volume? You see, I was thinking of building a cistern, and.....

[crashdive123]

Crash? How quick does water pour through a downspout? Do you have numbers for both speed and volume? You see, I was thinking of building a cistern, and.....

It pours through wicked fast.

[Rick]

I would have but they registered the 8th and didn't spam until the 18th. So I'm going with the, "Oops, I didn't know 'bout that", story.

[crashdive123]

There could be a reason that 3 of the 4 posts were about having trouble registering......but hey......I'm cynical like that.

[Rick]

My button is plugged in and warming up just in case.

[welderguy]

SO whats the best cistern for a survival retreat?

[Ken]

SO whats the best cistern for a survival retreat?

I built this one from random parts I had in the garage using plans in the March edition of "Popular Cisterns for Survival Retreats."


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[Oddmott]

I built this one from random parts I had in the garage using plans in the March edition of "Popular Cisterns for Survival Retreats."


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Ummmm.... can i borrow some "random parts"... puhleeze?

[Rick]

I've got some old hongs I'll send you.

[gryffynklm]

You can make a quilt with those hongs.
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[crashdive123]

One big enough to cover that tank.


He has a lot of hongs.

[velacreations]

I already know all I need to know about rainwater collection systems despite your incoherent post on the subject. If these systems are your business you really need to work on your pitch and be a whole lot more up front about your motives.

well, we don't offer anything for sale, just tons of free information about us living off the grid for 13 years, now. I thought free instructions for building a rain catchment tank was relevant to this forum. I will refrain from posting URLs in the future. My motive was to share information with this forum on a topic I feel very strongly about.

Sorry for offending, folks.

For those that want more information about this:
We built our tanks from scratch, basically using heavy sheet metal forming a cylinder and then dropping in a potable liner. We then make a cap of lightweight concrete for the roof. The total cost is about $2,000 for a 6,000 gallon tank. We hire high school kids to help put it together, and that is included in the cost.

Since I made this post, we received more rain, a total of 7" in 3 days. That translates to 11,000 gallons of water in our tanks. Since rain catchment is the sole source of water for our homestead, it is a big deal for us.