Water catchment options

[YurtGirl]

Aloha PunaWebbers,
I need to figure out a water catchment system, min. 4,000 gallons, as inexpensive as possible, but not so ghetto that I need to worry about contamination... I'm leaning toward a plastic, enclosed tank. My pump will need to be solar, propane or battery... I have no clue in this area, so I'm wondering what kind of knowledge you all might have to share. Mahalo!
YurtGirl

[Rob Tucker]

A good place to start.....If you use the Search feature on the word catchment in the subject line you will find 45 topics in the archives.

Punaweb moderator

[JWFITZ]

A built on site ferrocement tank with a 1/2 horse 120VAC pump and a 200 gallon or so pressure tank is a very sensible set up. There is simply no way to build large containers cheaper than with ferrocement, and in many ways, difficult to build better. My experience with ferrocement comes from building and repairing cruising sailboats, but there is no difference in building a bowl that keeps water out as opposed to keeping water in. It's an uncommon skill anymore, but very very practical.

[Greg]

Pahoa Battery and Propane (next to Pahoa Hardware & Malama Market)carries corrugated, galvinized catchment tanks and covers from 3000 to 15,000 gallons. They also carry 12V pumps, batteries, solar panels, inverters, charge controllers, propane fridges and stoves. I've done business with them for twenty years with no complaints.

[Hotzcatz]

Can yurts even catch water? Are there gutters for them or do you need to put up a carport roof or something to catch the water with?

[Les C]

Actually, some of the earlier forms of rainwater catchment may have been done with fabrics. I've seen situations where tarps were set up like lean-to's to catch rain and drain into a container. But it's more temporary than a metal roof. A carport/shelter structure may be a good longer term option than canvas, gathering less rain than a roof over a regular-sized house.

I wonder how long a yurt skin will hold up with the current levels of acid rain?

[YurtGirl]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hotzcatz

Can yurts even catch water? Are there gutters for them or do you need to put up a carport roof or something to catch the water with?

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Yes, yurts have water catchment options that work very well, gutters go around the entire roof, a cistern system allows for more volume to be funnelled as well as filters to keep roof gunk out. They are also a great way to keep rain from dripping straight down the windows and doorway.
As for acid rain, the duralast roof has a 15 year warranty given by the manufacturers of the duralast material. If it gives out before 15 years are up then they'll replace it. The TuffStar material that we recommend in our climate for the walls is amazing stuff, high UV and mold resistance and tough, tough, tough. That's got a 7 year warranty and the gutters are made from the same material and so are covered under the same warranty. However, I would think the acid rain would more easily corrode steel and the like. Just a hunch, I have nothing to back that up [] But, as I said, the warranties would come in handy there.

Thanks for all the info on water catchment. I saw some steel tanks for sale, but not I'm sure how well they would hold up or the quality of the water it would disperse. I think I'd like to go with the plastic food grade containers, get a couple of them. Still weighing the pros and cons...

YurtGirl

ps... I tend to forget about the archives in this forum... My brain perceives this as a real time or "within the month of real time" communication device, LOL. Lots of good info in the archives though, as always. Thanks Rob!