Has anyone use a rain barral collector system, then run that through their ro/di for their system water? Th units are not that expensive starting at like $59, but you would need a pump for pressure. Just not sure the units are desinged to handles that type of inpurities, and how fast you would burn through filters.
Rain water collectors?
- Thread starter bamf25
- Start date
One issue with using the rainwater would be if your roof has been sprayed with a fungicide to stop plant growth in addition to if you have any copper on your roof.
RO/DI system should remove copper and pollutants. To my knowledge my roof is a standard asphalt shingle, and I am the first owner, and I have never sprayed it. Granted the build could have, but in a new developement not alot of tree etc to worry about. I do have some metal roofing and not copper the painted aluminum I think, but small pieces and not connected to drain pipes.
Gamepro_inc
New member
My in-laws have a rain water collection sytem for their large garden/farm in KY.
I dont know about the inpurities bought you could easily make a rain water collector out of bamboo cut in half like a gutter running length wise to drain down to a barrel.
I dont know about the inpurities bought you could easily make a rain water collector out of bamboo cut in half like a gutter running length wise to drain down to a barrel.
jimmy frag
New member
rain water
rain water
sure it would work just use a couple of prefilters and replace them often. if you have a tds meter do a reading of tap water and one of rain water. my bet would be the rain water would be cleaner. i wonder though about bacteria in your collector barrel and how this would effect the rodi unit seeing as our tap water is free of bacteria
rain water
sure it would work just use a couple of prefilters and replace them often. if you have a tds meter do a reading of tap water and one of rain water. my bet would be the rain water would be cleaner. i wonder though about bacteria in your collector barrel and how this would effect the rodi unit seeing as our tap water is free of bacteria
NyReefNoob
skimmer freak
as cheap as water is i wouldnt chance it, you also have to worry about the impurities from the rain
prodman
Active member
I would feel more comfortable with rainwater. It scares me to think of the condition of the pipes some being pvc that my tap travels through on the way to my house.
What I meant was some shingles have the material sprayed on at the factory. If you live in an area of the country with high levels of rainfall you may have this on your roof. You could probably find out from the builder.
People use rainwater for many things from watering their gardens, washing cars, filling swimming pools and some even hook their collecting systems to gray water needs such as bathrooms. In some countries especially on islands ALL water comes from rainwater so yes it is possible to use it for human consumption.
If you are paying for the water leaving your property then this could cut the cost of filters.
If your roof has 1000 sq. ft of surface then during a 1 in. rainfall there will be available around 600 gallons of water for you to collect. A single 55 gallon food grade drum will collect around 10%.
If you bought a recycled drum and some parts you are looking at around $50 per barrel.
People use rainwater for many things from watering their gardens, washing cars, filling swimming pools and some even hook their collecting systems to gray water needs such as bathrooms. In some countries especially on islands ALL water comes from rainwater so yes it is possible to use it for human consumption.
If you are paying for the water leaving your property then this could cut the cost of filters.
If your roof has 1000 sq. ft of surface then during a 1 in. rainfall there will be available around 600 gallons of water for you to collect. A single 55 gallon food grade drum will collect around 10%.
If you bought a recycled drum and some parts you are looking at around $50 per barrel.
I had researched this a little bit a year or so ago. What they do is flush a certain amount of the initial dirty water that comes off the roof through a diversion system. So say if you are collecting from x sqr ft of roof you are going to divert x gallons of the initial rainfall to the ground and then collect anything after that.
Bore-Punch
Premium Member
I would be concerned about the bacteria and microbes you may introduce to your tank. RO/DI units do not necessarily get rid of such things.
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I want to applaud you on looking for ways to save resources. Too look for ways to reduce use of water is something I should look into as I use aprox 10 gallons per day to top off. This or course means I send 40 or so down the drain. I have looked into diverting the water from the drain to the pool during the summer. I will probably start that soon as the weather here will soon get nice, I hope.
If you can put a collection system on your roof made from metal that is 10’ x 10’ and you have a .5” rain, using KafudaFish’s formula you would get 60 gallons of water. Then all you have to do is set it up to take that water through a pump driven RO/DI unit into a 55 drum to be used when required.
Yeah sounds lot simpler then it is….but hang in there. As I said at the start, I applaud you for this…..
If you can put a collection system on your roof made from metal that is 10’ x 10’ and you have a .5” rain, using KafudaFish’s formula you would get 60 gallons of water. Then all you have to do is set it up to take that water through a pump driven RO/DI unit into a 55 drum to be used when required.
Yeah sounds lot simpler then it is….but hang in there. As I said at the start, I applaud you for this…..
jeff@zina.com
New member
BUZZZ........wrong.
As said, ever heard of acid rain?
Rain picks up impurities in the air as it falls to the ground. Ever wonder why the air smells so clean after a rain shower?
thunderstorms are a different story, lightning purifies the air too.
Anyways, you could collect, use a booster pump and run it through a RO system to be safe. That's still saving water resources.
saltjohnswharf
Conscientious Member
I had considered this option as well. When I lived in the Sierra Nevada foothills it seemed logical but after having the water tested at a university it proved to be quite acidic and had many bad chemicals. This was not collected from the roof but directly into a clean, sterile cup. Interesting thing is now I live in Sacramento and the rain water is cleaner... Probably because I live nearer to the ocean and the rain has not been scrubbing the smog for long. Either situation did prove, however, that the water was not a good candidate for making saltwater. Although I have been looking into making a storage container for watering my garden and lawn.
Yes rain water has a pH usually around 5.0 and can get even lower due to chemicals in the air.
Also rainwater is not just water but also has other things in it like dirt particles and other components such as the chemicals that lead to acid rain.
Salt:
Doing a rain barrel for a garden is pretty straight forward. I have taught hundreds of people on how to and have installed a few myself. You could spend $50 to $200 or more depending on things. Your local stormwater department may have sales (spring time) and some municipalities offer some form of rebates or lower rates on your water bill if you take these steps. You should check that out.
Anywho back to the OP if you are doing something like watering your yard/garden in the summer time you are using far more water than what you could be using in your tank. Most people water wrong ie too much too often or not enough to do much good. This affects the grass roots and their growth.
Kind of like fertilizing your yard right before a heavy rain.
Also rainwater is not just water but also has other things in it like dirt particles and other components such as the chemicals that lead to acid rain.
Salt:
Doing a rain barrel for a garden is pretty straight forward. I have taught hundreds of people on how to and have installed a few myself. You could spend $50 to $200 or more depending on things. Your local stormwater department may have sales (spring time) and some municipalities offer some form of rebates or lower rates on your water bill if you take these steps. You should check that out.
Anywho back to the OP if you are doing something like watering your yard/garden in the summer time you are using far more water than what you could be using in your tank. Most people water wrong ie too much too often or not enough to do much good. This affects the grass roots and their growth.
Kind of like fertilizing your yard right before a heavy rain.
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