Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Rainwater Harvesting | Things The Books Won't Tell You

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  • čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
  • Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Rainwater Harvesting | Things The Books Won't Tell You
    These are some issues we've run into when setting up a rainwater harvesting system. They might be easily overlooked but important to consider.
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Komentáře • 266

  • @ourselfreliantlife
    @ourselfreliantlife  Před 2 lety +6

    Don't forget you can find us on Instagram here: 🔹️ instagram.com/greendreamproject
    🔸️And Facebook here:
    facebook.com/greendreamproject1
    🔹️Check out our Facebook group here: facebook.com/groups/greensteaders/

  • @vincentalaimo7527
    @vincentalaimo7527 Před 2 lety +45

    If you’re going to use silicone please use aquarium safe silicone… other silicones have toxins in them.

    • @thebirdsnest9396
      @thebirdsnest9396 Před 2 lety +5

      Great warning. Thanks.

    • @lmlowe9100
      @lmlowe9100 Před 2 lety +4

      @@sandhills2344 maybe he does care about toxins but didn't realize there were toxins in either...or maybe he plans some type of filtration system down the road.

    • @bigglilwayne7050
      @bigglilwayne7050 Před rokem +1

      E -6000 and/or NP-1 are by far the best

  • @theupsideofdownsizing
    @theupsideofdownsizing Před 2 lety +16

    Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us Jim! It looks like you have your system really dialed in. Let the rain begin!

    • @ourselfreliantlife
      @ourselfreliantlife  Před 2 lety +5

      It's definitely a lot better. I think going as simple as possible is always the way to go. Much more sustainable and less chances of things going wrong.

  • @hilaireoloughlin
    @hilaireoloughlin Před 11 měsíci +9

    Simple, no pretence, straight to the point. Thanks for the great tips.

    • @jensv874
      @jensv874 Před 24 dny

      Best tip I can give you is dont use plastic tanks but concrete. Concrete counteract/neutralise acid rain water.

  • @deborahmcsweeney1650
    @deborahmcsweeney1650 Před 2 lety +14

    We studied with Billy Kniffen who was with Texas A&M Extension. I think he trained the guy who wrote those books. We got a book from Billy called Rainwater Harvesting Planning and Installation offered through Texas A&M Extension. It has so much critical information that we call it our rain water bible. LoL! You might look for it! I hope your tanks fill up this summer!

  • @christineherrmann205
    @christineherrmann205 Před 2 lety +22

    This video made me wonder why you guys didn't drain the poly tanks while there was no rain and move them closer to shed, so that initial catchment was poly tanks with cistern as overflow? Probably something I'm missing.

    • @honthirty_
      @honthirty_ Před 2 lety +3

      The poly tanks are their ONLY supply of water. That is why they didnt drain them.

  • @robertbuckley9303
    @robertbuckley9303 Před 2 lety +22

    Great video! These are tips that would be hard to anticipate without the experience that you've gained the hard way. One of the functions of any pioneer is to scout the territory and report back to the folks following behind. Thanks for breaking trail.

  • @wdwerker
    @wdwerker Před 2 lety +6

    Always wise to listen to folks who learned the hard way !

  • @lnwolf41
    @lnwolf41 Před 2 lety +7

    Why not get a couple of 55 gallon drums, use the first one for a debris filter, the second one fills 3/4 before dumping into your other tanks.
    Some people set up a diverter, so the first 5 gallons dump on the ground taking all the crap with it, so you just get clean rainwater.

  • @donaldwarriner1640
    @donaldwarriner1640 Před 11 měsíci +5

    You're so articulate with thoughtful presentation that inspires me to do this in the future. Thank you.

  • @elizabethblane201
    @elizabethblane201 Před 2 lety +7

    Such a great, organized, concise video. Seriously underrated channel!

  • @hirsutusi5536
    @hirsutusi5536 Před 2 lety +8

    It might be wise to add a cleanable U trap between the horizontal collector pipe and the down-across-up link to the tank farm. Your filters will keep out most bugs and big particles but dust and sand may get through and over time block that underground gray pipe.

  • @StoneKathryn
    @StoneKathryn Před 2 lety +4

    Thanks Jim for going over how you have changed your system since the first time you were harvesting rain water. I really enjoyed this.

  • @capistranogardener6100
    @capistranogardener6100 Před 2 lety +7

    Jim...great job!!! May I suggest that you form the filter screens over a ball or cone before installing them...that way any debris will deflect and not clog the screen. Keep up the great work...very inspiring indeed.

  • @kennethalmond8922
    @kennethalmond8922 Před 2 lety +13

    Great video. One thing I notice is those looooong horizontal stretches of pipe over the cistern. They will sag within a year based on my experience. This may be OK for you and if not, think about support to keep them straight before they kind of melt-sag based on sun :)

    • @foamer443
      @foamer443 Před 2 lety +1

      Good point and being black won't help.

  • @CherylSpelts
    @CherylSpelts Před 2 lety +6

    Can you show us how much you've collected with the last week of storms? I am so looking forward to seeing the payoff, to all your work, with rainwater pouring into those plastic tanks! :)

    • @ourselfreliantlife
      @ourselfreliantlife  Před 2 lety +4

      It's dark in the poly tanks, but I know we've collected close to 500 gallons so far.

  • @Doitgood52
    @Doitgood52 Před 2 lety +4

    There is no substitute for good planning/design 🔥⛈🦠

  • @EricWhiteChooseGod1st
    @EricWhiteChooseGod1st Před 2 lety

    Beautiful rainbow. Very well thought out, I appreciate the tip about the 90's most.

  • @anapilarshaw2823
    @anapilarshaw2823 Před 2 lety

    Thank you Jim and Jessica for sharing your rainwater harvesting experience. These are very helpful considerations and I appreciate your generosity. ❤

  • @scottrobinson491
    @scottrobinson491 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you guys for your time and energy in sharing your journey with us.

  • @paulaaron1109
    @paulaaron1109 Před 2 lety

    Jim. Excellent video. Straight to the point. Thank you.

  • @brucestmartin777
    @brucestmartin777 Před 2 lety

    Such a ambitious and ingenious system.. just amazing Jim .

  • @PaullaWells
    @PaullaWells Před 2 lety

    I hope to build a small system for my garden one day. I appreciate the info. Thank you!

  • @captnjerry4950
    @captnjerry4950 Před měsícem +1

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge. This will help many!

  • @duwomaiishgabrielle9498
    @duwomaiishgabrielle9498 Před 2 lety +2

    ❤️❤️I love you two! You are so down to earth! 😂😂it’s such a wonderful undertaking!

  • @bruce-le-smith
    @bruce-le-smith Před měsícem

    super informative, thank you!!

  • @samyoungblood3740
    @samyoungblood3740 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you both for sharing your experiences in this whole process.

  • @Tunzbig
    @Tunzbig Před rokem

    Thanks for Taking the time to make this

  • @UpperSkyDJ
    @UpperSkyDJ Před 2 lety

    Its so true that you learn by doing and sometimes re-doing.😉 Thanks for sharing, you brought up ideas that I can incorporate into my eight yr old water catchment system. Also love Brad Lancaster's books 📚.

  • @ncooty
    @ncooty Před měsícem

    Great video.
    Totally agree about Brad Lancaster's books.

  • @teddiriggs517
    @teddiriggs517 Před 2 lety +3

    Flex seal....yeah baby! Glad you used it.😁

  • @janettaylor3182
    @janettaylor3182 Před 2 lety

    Good to see you'll be saving and using you're own water supply and looks good how you've done it to me...I understood why you changed it now from the old system all trail and error but that's how you learn love watching you both always amazing 👏

  • @diasporareturnee
    @diasporareturnee Před 2 lety

    Thanks for these! Very helpful

  • @anthonyromero2605
    @anthonyromero2605 Před 2 lety

    Thank you so much for your humerus you and knowledge

  • @ReapWhatYouSeauxLeJeune
    @ReapWhatYouSeauxLeJeune Před 2 lety +2

    Awesome video thanks for sharing

  • @conquererification
    @conquererification Před 11 měsíci

    Dreamed of moving out there before I moved. When googling the areas I always saw these gaint green circles. I hope those who can drain wells are listening and
    reevaluate thier systems.
    Will check out your other vid and pick up a copy of those books.
    Thanks

  • @CBsGreenhouseandGarden
    @CBsGreenhouseandGarden Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks for the tips Mr. Jim. Time to catch some water now! Good luck and keep us updated.

  • @joansmith3492
    @joansmith3492 Před 2 lety

    super good video!! great info. I hope it makes you lots of money.

  • @tessahugo5448
    @tessahugo5448 Před 2 lety +1

    It`s always such a pleasure looking at your videos.. I really love all Jess arts, she is so talented. Love all the types of work that you do, we can learn from you.
    Cape Town South Africa

  • @RVBadlands2015
    @RVBadlands2015 Před 2 lety

    Super good info when I set up my rain water harvesting.

  • @TomBTerrific
    @TomBTerrific Před 2 lety

    Good information and tips. Experience is the best teacher.

  • @saintracheljarodm.holy-kay2560

    Good usable information, take care and God bless amen.

  • @bobjoatmon1993
    @bobjoatmon1993 Před 2 lety +13

    I'd be interested in how much water you end up getting in the underground cistern (during the monsoon season)
    Also, please answer why you didn't move the poly tanks closer to the end of the shed (between the shed and underground cistern) as that would have simplified your piping considerably

    • @bobjoatmon1993
      @bobjoatmon1993 Před 2 lety

      @@onlyscience7120 yes, that's theory
      I'm asking what he ACTUALLY got

    • @bobjoatmon1993
      @bobjoatmon1993 Před 2 lety +2

      @@onlyscience7120 that's ridiculous logic.
      I'm not asking for that level of precision and no one else expects that either.
      I lived in a RV for years and know about what a person uses per day on average and it's 8 to 20 gallons. Yes, they've got plants and livestock but the day after a rain in that large of an underground cistern their use MIGHT be 1/10 of an inch, if that.
      So a BALLPARK estimate of the water he captured is entirely feasible and practical.

  • @ChennaiPaiyan739
    @ChennaiPaiyan739 Před měsícem

    Thank you it was helpful to generate my system in the woods 🎉

  • @bvisel4558
    @bvisel4558 Před 2 lety

    Great info, and the editing was awesome

  • @seekerbee4494
    @seekerbee4494 Před 2 lety

    To think you could have only put out such an excellent video on water catchment was from all your previous missteps. Nice job!

  • @jefferybublitz7968
    @jefferybublitz7968 Před 2 lety +1

    Hello friend, I've watched about 8 episodes of ur efforts out there, & I'm enjoying ur progress, as ur moving along. That 14,000 gallon cistern was an impressive build. Nice design too.***!!! Love Brthrn Jeff B.

  • @PaulOtis
    @PaulOtis Před 2 lety

    having the screens like you do now can allow you to remove and clean/replace as needed as well. Great info Jim & Jess!

  • @catgynt9148
    @catgynt9148 Před 2 lety +2

    Thanks for sharing this video and your rainwater harvest tips. How often do you sweep the perimeter of the cistern roof to minimize dust and dirt from entering your cistern? Wishing you and Jessica a blessed summer season with abundant rain and moderate sleeping temperatures. Peace brother.

  • @georgetucker336
    @georgetucker336 Před 2 lety

    Great information.

  • @Mouse2677
    @Mouse2677 Před 2 lety +10

    Nothing will seal the gutter when they are 100" long as the expansion and contraction of the Aluminum is going to either take the joints apart or take the screws loose and then they come down.

    • @TerraFirmaX
      @TerraFirmaX Před 2 lety +5

      hmmm, that's a good point.

    • @kebertxela941
      @kebertxela941 Před 2 lety +1

      Hopefully that will take a couple years(or better a few),might be a good time to start a fund to start saving to replace.

    • @ard8785
      @ard8785 Před 2 lety +1

      Gutters don't need sealants esp.
      IF they are properly spaced and placed, correctly angled and sloped and well-placed proper supports. Sealants have chemicals which are dangerous to health and unsafe for drinking... I am speaking from experience. Many decades thriving on rain-water for drinking and other house use from my rain-catcher.

  • @bfox5767
    @bfox5767 Před 2 lety +1

    It looks great! I hope you collect a whole lot of water from your system.

  • @andrewyang1446
    @andrewyang1446 Před 3 měsíci

    Thanks for the video! Was recently wondering about filtering the water from harvesting which might contain bird poop. Would love to see a video on how people treat harvested water. Thanks!

  • @jamesramey3549
    @jamesramey3549 Před 2 lety +2

    Curios, have you thought about moving your poly tanks closer to a direct flow and then have the overflow go to your cistern? Just a question since you brought it up. I am interested in moving somewhere to the desert and your videos as well as others are a big help.

  • @dilsaliosatos8797
    @dilsaliosatos8797 Před 2 lety

    Tank you for you information

  • @drgunsmith4099
    @drgunsmith4099 Před 2 lety +2

    Great explanation 🙏

  • @jeanhawken4482
    @jeanhawken4482 Před 2 lety

    Research is the way to go. Your doing a good job

  • @timklassen421
    @timklassen421 Před 2 lety

    Thanks Jim one of are customers might try water harvesting her well only yields 2 gpm and she has a lot of horses she has a indoor riding arena 200 by 75 feet and may opt to only use halve of it we get a lot more rain here in Alberta thanks for the tips.

  • @mzimmerman1988
    @mzimmerman1988 Před 2 lety

    Thanks for the video! :)

  • @tortugalisa4748
    @tortugalisa4748 Před 2 lety

    Thanks guys💯💙

  • @petersamios5409
    @petersamios5409 Před 3 měsíci

    Thanks for the information. You are absolutely correct about the hard 90's - you want to avoid those, You may want to split to multiple 30's or 45's to make the bends and limit those. Also, as someone else mentioned, I'd move the two tanks closer to the roof. I'd also cover them to try and keep the water cooler and less evaporation.
    Why the exposed black pipe- is that for cold nights?

  • @farmyourbackyard2023
    @farmyourbackyard2023 Před 2 lety

    Great job on this video.

  • @MISSIONRIDERMOTOVLOG
    @MISSIONRIDERMOTOVLOG Před 10 měsíci

    thank you for those tips. I am planning also to build a house that catches water

  • @cmilimt
    @cmilimt Před 2 lety

    Me encantó este tipo de reflexión de aprendizaje.

  • @tanja8907
    @tanja8907 Před 2 lety

    Thank you sir.

  • @jacklily999
    @jacklily999 Před 29 dny

    Well spoken thoughtful video. Thank you for sharing all these tips. You might have read Geoff Lawton, an expert on water retention for soil.

  • @mikeunum
    @mikeunum Před 9 měsíci

    Very well done but logical things to think about.

  • @lukeblackford1677
    @lukeblackford1677 Před 2 měsíci

    Thank you.

  • @brusselsprout5851
    @brusselsprout5851 Před rokem

    Amazing trailblazing!

  • @kevinwilliams8662
    @kevinwilliams8662 Před 2 lety

    Enjoyed the show

  • @davec9244
    @davec9244 Před 2 lety

    jest gutters, live in Oregon have to clean my gutters twice a year they plug up, I know down in your neck of the woods no gutter on any houses you are going the right direction thanks

  • @KrissBartlett
    @KrissBartlett Před 2 lety +1

    Good Job there Jim !!!!

  • @carolynchatham6338
    @carolynchatham6338 Před 2 lety

    Good suggestions

  • @jayfroman3257
    @jayfroman3257 Před 6 měsíci

    I like making dirt, catching rain and converting sunshine into energy. I have other hobbies but those are among my favorites.

  • @hq7108
    @hq7108 Před 10 měsíci

    Thank you

  • @williammack3350
    @williammack3350 Před 2 lety

    Thank you for the information guys. I used to do MEP engineering drawings, and the slope is highly crucial to pressure and rate of flow. I'm assuming the angles in the pipes are there to allow easier passage through there. Does it affect the water's ability to travel with ease? Just curious 😀

  • @thelonghorncow5084
    @thelonghorncow5084 Před 5 měsíci

    Thanks for sharing! Most of Arizona have desert like environment but I wonder Why people/you don't live in the Northern part like Flagstaff areas??

  • @ahbushnell1
    @ahbushnell1 Před 2 lety

    Great video

  • @BR1967FE
    @BR1967FE Před 2 lety

    great information 😎

  • @jimh4167
    @jimh4167 Před 2 lety

    Ha I have a request
    Please
    You have a large rain roof
    With a wet drain to your tanks
    When you get heavy rain..
    With your rain gauge
    You can monitor the flow in the 4inch PVC. If If hits maximum flow
    the screened tees in your system should over flow
    And which ones started / where over flowing
    If you can keep tract of those numbers
    That could help some of us designing a similar system..
    ,(I have read what the books say their flow rate should be
    But yours is the real world)
    👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
    Thank You

  • @jellyellis6813
    @jellyellis6813 Před 2 lety +1

    Love yall

  • @tropicalshrimp
    @tropicalshrimp Před 2 lety

    thank you

  • @AnAlaskaHomestead
    @AnAlaskaHomestead Před 2 lety

    Thanks for the good tips. If your only water source is rain water you need to have the ability to catch as much of it as you can while it’s raining. We get pine needle build up in our gutters and in the screen that covers the downspout. We lose some water because of it but luckily for us in SE Alaska, rain is not in short supply😂

  • @dethmaul
    @dethmaul Před 2 lety

    I didn't know that about silicone, thanks!

  • @mosbysmen
    @mosbysmen Před 2 lety

    jim , great job on the video

  • @jimh4167
    @jimh4167 Před 2 lety +2

    System looks great
    If you find the 4 inch screens building up with dirt
    They make 4" to 6" PVC adaptors
    Might help with clogging
    Also if some of you may have problems thinking these sweeps may be to restrictive
    In electrical the 4" PVC sweeps have a much larger radius

  • @beachlife9419
    @beachlife9419 Před 2 lety

    Nice 👍👍👍👍 work

  • @Mwaidavid
    @Mwaidavid Před 9 měsíci

    As a young farmer...you have really inspired

  • @bobbebbington5356
    @bobbebbington5356 Před 2 lety +1

    Jim, if you are anything like me you will do it at least three times before you get it right. The system you have should work well but you will have fine dirt build up in the pipe underground which will be a problem over time. Build a diverter to catch the first flush and this should solve the problem.

  • @kezzatries
    @kezzatries Před 2 lety +2

    You should also put a slight down turn on your sheets of iron, this will stop water running back under the panels

  • @gissie391
    @gissie391 Před 2 lety

    Can you get circle large surface area over the storage tank too.?a step system down slopes just to get a water flowing faster.

  • @SpringRiverHollar
    @SpringRiverHollar Před 2 lety +1

    Hi guys , I'm far from being a expert like some of the people so I'll just follow along and pay attention .
    Keep it close , keep it simple.....gotcha👍

  • @rojerww
    @rojerww Před 2 lety

    Thank you for sharing.
    I may end up missing out on this whole season’s monsoons as I have yet to get a cistern. I’m hoping to buy one or two this week in Santa Fe but I’ll still have to do all my gutters and pipes. I’ll have 360’ of gutter alone - 105’ each side of a pavilion alone and the rest across 10 edges. No way to keep it as simple as yours is currently. I wish. My PDC instructor suggested I try ferro-cement but I’d already seen what you went through. My thoughts are to take 4” PVC pipe and cut in half and hang that with lags and brackets maybe but I do like what you ended up doing. So thanks again for sharing.

    • @thebirdsnest9396
      @thebirdsnest9396 Před 2 lety +1

      I thought of pvc cut in half also but Jim said he tried it and is now using standard ducts so I guess it didnt work out but he didnt elaborate. Maybe he will share that with us both here.

    • @rojerww
      @rojerww Před 2 lety

      @@thebirdsnest9396 - I’m not certain I saw that episode. If I give it a try - I would use sch. 40 - not thin wall (sch. 20?). Thin wall wouldn’t be any better than the stuff that got perforated by golf ball sized hail. A “neighbor” in the construction business did that. He’s hardly ever home so I’ve not seen what he did.

    • @ourselfreliantlife
      @ourselfreliantlife  Před 2 lety

      I think ferrocement could still work. We just need to refine our technique

  • @dyannejohnson6184
    @dyannejohnson6184 Před rokem

    Yep thumps up here too!

  • @lmlowe9100
    @lmlowe9100 Před 2 lety +4

    Two questions...
    1) Why didn't you build your pole barn high enough to park your RVs under?
    2a) Why drop down to (under)ground level, the ten foot section at the end of your gutter run?
    2b) Why not just run the pipe straight across to the cistern and then over to the black holding tanks? (Ok, technically three questions...lol}
    Thanks and I enjoy your videos.

    • @foamer443
      @foamer443 Před 2 lety +1

      My thoughts precisely. Adding those four? extra 90's plus the rise on the other side will be a huge resistor in the water flow.
      Installing a pipe stand either beside or on top of the cistern I think would have been far more practical and probably less work in the end.

    • @TripleBRanch
      @TripleBRanch Před rokem

      I thought the same thing. As he was saying “keep it simple”, he’s got that drop, 10’(?) stretch underground and then 6’+ back up to the top of the cistern. Why not just run that span overhead? 🤔

  • @jonijones8123
    @jonijones8123 Před 12 dny

    Excellent information but I have a problem with having screened catchers a little ways down from my roof and when it rains really hard they overflow. Somewhere I read that there is an optimum distance between the heights of the downspout intake and the height of the intake on the storage tank. Do you know what this distance should be. The distance between the downspout and the top of the tank is now is about 12". thank you

  • @Melicoy
    @Melicoy Před 2 lety

    thanks nice

  • @deborahlush2426
    @deborahlush2426 Před dnem

    What about using the gutter guards to keep debris out in the first place?

  • @MH-cj1gz
    @MH-cj1gz Před 2 lety

    You said it best. K.I.S.S. Method. I hope monsoon season fills your tanks.

  • @funkydave100
    @funkydave100 Před 3 měsíci

    how large is your poly tanks and your cistern? and how did you size it because im in a similar situation here in mexico where i have some what similar weather patterens as you do in arizona