convert existing house to rainwater system

[saraltx]

I have a metal roof and would be getting a metal tank, not plastic, which should avoid some of the problems that were mentioned. The fire safety issue might be worth considering, though, especially since I essentially live in the forest.

 

[TanksHill]

Great advice and info.

 

[butterscotch]

Where I live (a town with one of the highest water restrictions (and not just from lack of water)) the prices easily break triple figures per month. And we're not allowed to water our garden between 8am and 4pm. :/

Sorry for posting on such an old topic, I just thought it semi-relevant.

 

[Denim Deb]

It's OK to post on old topics. It brings it up to the front for those who may not have read it.

 

[sumi]

We lived for just over a year on a farm where we were entirely reliant on rain water. I'd recommend having a good number of water storage tanks for harvesting all the rain water you can and some extra for overflow. It can work very well, provided you have reliable rainfall and don't use too much water. It really is amazing how much water a family goes through in a month!

Re-use any white and grey water for the garden. We grew a large vegetable garden on mainly bath water.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I want to go half and half.
I'm not planning on doing away, entirely with having a water bill, but it would be awesome to have my animals off grid with the water, and I already have the tank to set them up. It only holds 250 gallons though. I would also like to have one closer to my house, so I can maybe shower, wash clothes and maybe use on my downstairs sink. I figure if I keep it small,then I can afford it and it gives me a little edge in an emergency situation.
My water bill is only between 17 and 21 dollars though. For me, its not just about money. Its a feeling of not being dependent on a system that might fail me. I think it is nice to have some kind of backup. I'm already late installing the tank though.

 

[sumi]

Beside the reduced cost, having some water stored when there is a problem with the water supply (for example when a pipe bursts somewhere along the line), is wonderful. At our last farm in SA we had rain water collection tanks all around the main house, even though it did not rain there often, we always had some water in there for use in the garden and we were so grateful for that water when our municipal water supply system failed, which happened fairly often. I remember one day the problems took longer than usual to get fixed and sorted and a few locals who knew of our tanks came round with bottles, asking if we can spare them a gallon or two. So we ended up helping a few other families as well.

 

[Britesea]

Good to have extra water on hand for when the water supply gets tainted too. We've seen that a few times in the news, and boiling doesn't help with chemical spills.