Collecting rain water.

[bunyip]

Tamworth is inland NSW and prone to drought, we are Gippsland (region) in SE Victoria and as a rule are pretty green all year round except for the past 3-4 years.
Water storage is encouraged and IMO rain water tastes better than town water (maybe it is what the possums and birds do in the gutters!!) and I also use it for brewing my own ales and lagers, it also saves a large chunk of cash that is charged for water.
We have run dry a couple of times and the horses use a lot of water so when this happens our bill is typically about $250 for a quarter which represents about 600 litres a day, having two daughters doesn't help the cause as they have no idea what a short shower is.
If cleanliness is next to godliness then his position is in jeopardy.

 

[oosik]

Talking about using rain water for showers. I'm very blessed here - got a spring down in the valley - it will continuously produce over 250 gpm with zero drawdown. Its the water supply for the house. Right off my front porch is a five acre lake that is 80 feet deep and totally contained within my 80 acres.

Anyhow - when we were building the house here in '82 - I temporarily had a pump down on the little lake. Provided water for our garden. And also our showers. We would lay out 250 feet of black rubber garden hose in a big spiral. The sun would heat the water in that hose and, modesty aside, the wife and I could each take a 30 second shower before that freezing cold lake water would hit the nozzle. We learned - QUICK SHOWERS - and its carried over after the house was finished in the late fall of '82 and thru to today. I stand in our shower today - and I'm quick, brother, I'm quick. I can still remember what it was like having that ice cold lake water hit you, if you dilly-dallied too long.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

One of the problems of storing water is that you have to have a barrel that does not let in any light. Algae and possibly pathogens can grow.

Around Austin Texas, many homes do a rain harvesting barrel that gets buried underground, primarily used for watering the yard.

 

[4570Man]

Talking about using rain water for showers. I'm very blessed here - got a spring down in the valley - it will continuously produce over 250 gpm with zero drawdown. Its the water supply for the house. Right off my front porch is a five acre lake that is 80 feet deep and totally contained within my 80 acres.

Anyhow - when we were building the house here in '82 - I temporarily had a pump down on the little lake. Provided water for our garden. And also our showers. We would lay out 250 feet of black rubber garden hose in a big spiral. The sun would heat the water in that hose and, modesty aside, the wife and I could each take a 30 second shower before that freezing cold lake water would hit the nozzle. We learned - QUICK SHOWERS - and its carried over after the house was finished in the late fall of '82 and thru to today. I stand in our shower today - and I'm quick, brother, I'm quick. I can still remember what it was like having that ice cold lake water hit you, if you dilly-dallied too long.

If you had a barrel and circulated water through that hose you’d have a lot longer warm shower. I don’t waste much time in the shower, but 30 seconds is pretty quick.

 

[GCTucson]

There are some states where users' rights are considered threatened by water harvesting. Farmers or others with water rights from a stream or river want to make sure the water is ending up there and not elsewhere, for example in your barrels. I believe Colorado has such laws and limits homeowner water harvesting in containers.

One thing you might look into for landscape use is passive water harvesting with basins, berms and swales. The water that hits your roof at least soaks in for your trees and shrubs. Passive harvesting is becoming a big deal in Arizona and I incorporate it into every landscape I design. In NH it might be less important, however, with higher annual rainfall.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

There are some states where users' rights are considered threatened by water harvesting. Farmers or others with water rights from a stream or river want to make sure the water is ending up there and not elsewhere, for example in your barrels. I believe Colorado has such laws and limits homeowner water harvesting in containers.

One thing you might look into for landscape use is passive water harvesting with basins, berms and swales. The water that hits your roof at least soaks in for your trees and shrubs. Passive harvesting is becoming a big deal in Arizona and I incorporate it into every landscape I design. In NH it might be less important, however, with higher annual rainfall.

You should see down here in Texas about water rights fights. The new clear gold.

In some places a private individual may or may not be able to drill their on well.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Talking about using rain water for showers. I'm very blessed here - got a spring down in the valley - it will continuously produce over 250 gpm with zero drawdown. Its the water supply for the house. Right off my front porch is a five acre lake that is 80 feet deep and totally contained within my 80 acres.

Anyhow - when we were building the house here in '82 - I temporarily had a pump down on the little lake. Provided water for our garden. And also our showers. We would lay out 250 feet of black rubber garden hose in a big spiral. The sun would heat the water in that hose and, modesty aside, the wife and I could each take a 30 second shower before that freezing cold lake water would hit the nozzle. We learned - QUICK SHOWERS - and its carried over after the house was finished in the late fall of '82 and thru to today. I stand in our shower today - and I'm quick, brother, I'm quick. I can still remember what it was like having that ice cold lake water hit you, if you dilly-dallied too long.

I recall my Mother catching rain water; she used it to wash her hair. Seems it makes your hair nice and soft and easy to manage.

 

[Wagtail]

I recall my Mother catching rain water; she used it to wash her hair. Seems it makes your hair nice and soft and easy to manage.

Soft water. (despite what bunyip says about the possum and bird 'gutter additives')((I mean, it's true. You just don't consider it all the time. ))

As I believe that I've mentioned, my whole house is plumbed to my 24,000 litre tank... including the hot water heater.

Beautiful. And free.