Forum:

rainwater catchment

Permies Poll: Do you have rainwater catchment on your homestead?

Timothy Norton

master gardener

Posts: 4239

Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

1718

I like...

posted 9 months ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Back at it again with another Permies Poll.

(source)

Splish splash, sometimes rain might mean a bath! Do you currently make use of rain on your homestead? In what capacity? For livestock/garden/personal use? To what capacity? Do you have to deal with freezing weather and if so, how?

If you have pictures of your system, please add them.

- Tim's Homestead Journal - Purchase a copy of Building a Better World in Your Backyard - Purchase 6 Decks of Permaculture Cards -
- Purchase 12x Decks of Permaculture Cards - Purchase a copy of the SKIP Book - Purchase 12x copies of Building a Better World in your Backyard

PEP - BB60 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

Timothy Norton

master gardener

Posts: 4239

Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

1718

I like...

posted 9 months ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I currently do not have rainwater catchment on my property.

I plan on running a butter off the roof of my chicken coop and using it for garden irrigation needs but I'm still learning how gutter systems come together before I start buying parts and pieces.

Nikki Roche

gardener

Posts: 838

Location: South Carolina

477

I like...

posted 9 months ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I have a couple of rain barrels to catch runoff from the roof. I use it for irrigating the garden, growing seedlings, and providing water for my daughter's outdoor mud kitchen.

(Reminder to myself) God didn't say, "well said, well planned, and well thought out." He said, "well done."
Nikki's Wishlist

PEP - BB80 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 6968

Location: southern Illinois, USA

2536

I like...

posted 9 months ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I have a 26,000 gal cistern that is fed off my roof. I also have a large pond.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

Mark Miner

pollinator

Posts: 103

Location: PNW Steppe climate, not far from the big river.

I like...

posted 9 months ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Our current system is low-tech, gutters on the corral feed an IBC tote on each slope of the roof. One is inconveniently far from gardens, whoops. The other we use to irrigate trees and a garden bed. The system (by which I mean me) could be a lot smarter.
We plan to gutter the house roof, too, but that is a bigger project.

I admire the 26k gal cistern, John! Is it metal, concrete, or what? I have installed a number of poly tanks over the years, but a lime-plastered concrete tank has always seemed more desirable (and a lot more work! Isn't that the way of it, though).

Christ is Risen!

PEP - BB20 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 6968

Location: southern Illinois, USA

2536

I like...

posted 9 months ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Hi Mark,

It was in place when I bought the property. I suspect the 26k represents its volume if filled to the top…which never happens. There is an overflow pipe that runs to the pond.

The cistern appears to be poured concrete.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

Juan Montes

Posts: 36

Location: Coastal NorCal

posted 9 months ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

No. It's dry here other than in the winter, but there's a year round creek on the property and several springs if we need them. The rainwater catchment is technically lots of aquifers in the mountains here.

Mari Holzhoft

Posts: 2

Location: Alaska

posted 9 months ago

5
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I have an annoying but workable system off the house gutters - 600 (+/-) gallons in second-hand poly tanks direct-filled and plumbed together, and another 550ish on an elevated platform up the hill. Currently sump-pumping water from the house-tanks to hill-tanks (when there's enough) to get better head-pressure for the garden (and double the storage). Current use is limited to garden/yard and animals, but I'm hoping to set up a filter and plumb it into the house system at some point. The utility of that project makes it a back-burner - we're in interior Alaska, so rainwater only works from late April through late September.

John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5347

Location: Bendigo , Australia

477

I like...

posted 9 months ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

My signature has a link to a topic of rainfall collection and my experience with it for many years on many jobs.
Huge tanks are the best way to go.
Poly tanks are very good.
Concrete tanks generally are harder to seal if built to a budget.
Steel tanks will deteriorate after 25 years or so, but can be built in sections with a plastic liner.

All systems need first flush systems and high water off take floating pipes.

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
Benefits of rainfall collection https://permies.com/t/88043/benefits-rainfall-collection
GOOD DEBT/ BAD DEBT https://permies.com/t/179218/mortgages-good-debt-bad-debt

C. Letellier

pollinator

Posts: 968

Location: Greybull WY north central WY zone 4 bordering on 3

284

I like...

posted 8 months ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Define catchment? I have a reservoir that about 1/4 of the total surface area of the property drains into and I am working on a second small one combined with a hugel to handle another 1/4. But if you mean a tank catching roof then the answer is no. And I am not likely to invest in such a thing because I live in on of the driest places on earth with normal average precip being 4 to 6 inches per year. Go east or west from me a couple of miles or a bit over and it goes up but is still never big. We had an amazing year last year with roughly 15 inches but that is a once or twice in a lifetime year here. Without the irrigation from the mountain snow packs agriculture would be nearly impossible. For the first 30 years of my live we hauled every drop of household water from town and the rest came out of canals for irrigation.

Country oriented nerd with primary interests in alternate energy in particular solar. Dabble in gardening, trees, cob, soil building and a host of others.

Meli Mot

Posts: 59

posted 8 months ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Yes, I use rainwater catchment for all of my water needs.

Tina Wolf

gardener

Posts: 2108

Location: Zone 8b North Texas

563

I like...

posted 7 months ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I have an area that is on a slight incline that has an area, 1' down, dug out to level an old above ground pool. The pool is not longer there, but I was thinking of attempting a small Humus well above it with the pipe coming out into the dug out area. Of course, I would dig it out more and place the lowest corner of the humus well so the pipe emptied into the area. It collects water some anyway so I figured I can work on it being more of a water garden or small pond.

Permaculture Playing Cards / Wood Heat 8 DVD Set / Jumbo DVD Package

John C Daley

pollinator

Posts: 5347

Location: Bendigo , Australia

477

I like...

posted 7 months ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

.Leyyellile I can say you maybe able to do better in your location.
Tanks have the advantGE OF NO EVAPORAtion, but they cost money.
If you consider the lower price you may have paid for the land, there may be room to hold more water and gain a financial benefit.
carting water seems like a bad option.
A lot depends on your yopography.

gir bot

software bot

Posts: 1327346

1662

I like...

posted 7 months ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Last vote in apple poll was on January 10, 2025

There are 10 types of people:
Those that understand binary, and those who don't.

What a stench! Central nervous system shutting down. Save yourself tiny ad!

Back the BEL - Invest in the Permaculture Bootcamp

https://permies.com/w/bel-fundraiser