Catch 'n Store Rainwater...Anyone?

[Don Ro]

I want to plant a few trees that don't like the salty Arizona water. Avocado tree, for example.
Thinking of catching the rainwater off my roof into something like a lined hole in the ground...a pond.
I don't know, maybe several hundred gallons or so.
I'm concerned about the water getting sour, mosquitoes, etc.
Any suggestions as to how I can keep the water clean enough for plants/trees w/o creating an eco system w/fish and plants?
.
Right now just thinking about this. Who knows what will eventuate?
Maybe too much drudgery.

[masraum]

Lots of folks in Austin TX use stuff like this

[Baz]

A rain barrel sounds more practical or multiple rain barrels or a water collection system.

I installed one for a client back in 2011 with a float valve that would fill it from domestic water when the water level dropped too low. I have a jet pump that pulls the water out and into the zones which are operated by a digital irrigation timer. The fill valve is opened and closed by the float valve and a mechanical timer that is in the "on" position so will apply voltage to the valve when the float valve switches it via the receptacle. Sounds complicated but it's just a matter of plumbing everything correctly and setting up the valves, etc.

(Timer which operates valves for each zone)


(Float valve which hangs down into the tank and plugs into a 110v receptacle)


(The float valve plugged in with the mechanical timer piggy backed on it)


(The mechanical 110v timer which operates the fill valve (see below) to keep the water level up to a minimum in between rain events. This line is tied into the domestic supply line.)


(The reservoir tank which catches rain water. Note the float valve wire through the grommet on top.)


(The top pipe is the fill line - the bottom is the output line plumbed into a small 1/2 HP 110v jet pump)


(The jet pump (Pedrello with a Pressflo pressure switch) which sends water out to whichever zone is opened at the time via the timer in the first pic)


We also have an inline filter to help keep the water quality clean to prevent clogging the irrigation nozzles. Two of the 4 zones are drip tubing and the other two zones use rotary nozzles which are great with low pressure systems.

[stomachmonkey]

Check your local craigslist for rain barrels.

[Don Ro]

So I guess that a sealed container is the way to go to eliminate concerns about crap growing in the water. I'm just learning.
We don't get much water here throughout the year so I'll have to fetch some big ass unit...Craigslist, etc.
Thanks for the info.

[Don Ro]

Thanks Baz.
That's way more involved than I wanted to go.

[Don Ro]

Bingo!!!
Maybe a few of these...cheap enough.
275 gals. ...$65.
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275 Gallon Water tank for sale.
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http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/mad/5321822131.html
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http://www.tanknbarrel.com/

[scottmandue]

Just to add,
My neighbor just installed a system on his laundry washing machine that dumps the discharged water to the trees in their backyard. It has a valve to divert to the sewer if you do a load with bleach. I presume they use a non-toxic detergent.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Thanks Baz.
That's way more involved than I wanted to go.

I get the feeling that if you ask Baz what time it is...you'll be learning about the inner workings of a Rolex . But that's a cool setup Baz

[Paul K]

Check regs, as catching rainwater is actually illegal in some states (Colorado is one of them).

FWIW, the water supply for our home in the U.S. Virgin Islands is 100% rainwater. Goes into a cistern under house, then filtered & pumped out. Most homes there (and I believe in Hawaii) are that way.

[KNS]

A friend of mine down in Tucson did this. He had two huge cisterns that he used to collect rain water off the roof.

[tevake]

There are plenty of areas on the Big Island that use catchment water.
Not as much on the other islands.
Since the mid 80s when the volcanoes started this period of constant activity. Catchment water is loaded with metals and chemies that are not good for consumption.

That's when I stopped sailing to the big Island for winters, nice sunset colors but yuk air.
For ag use collected water should be fine.

I thought it nice of Baz to share his professional insight.

Don you must really like Avos!

Cheers Richard

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Thanks Baz.
That's way more involved than I wanted to go.

You're welcome, Don - I figured it was over the top for your application - but it was a good excuse anyway to brag about the system I created.
But seriously - I see people all the time put these rain barrels in with no thought what-so-ever in how the water is to pumped back out. My system not only does that but also has a built in method to re-fill as needed using a supplemental water source. I'm sure you'll figure out something that works for your application but keep me posted if I can be of any help.

Originally Posted by KC911

I get the feeling that if you ask Baz what time it is...you'll be learning about the inner workings of a Rolex . But that's a cool setup Baz

Ha ha KC....thanks but not hardly! I have to send my Rip Curl tide watches back to CA for servicing. A man's gotta know his limitations!

[tevake]

An advantage of the above ground barrel is that you can use gravity feed to use the water in your yard if not on a hill.

I'd look for a place in the shade for the barrel as the heat of direct sun will add to the challenge of keeping the water healthy.

Cheers Richard

[Evans, Marv]

My neighbor has two, four thousand gallon steel tanks buried at the end of his yard. They collect rain water from his roof run off. Even though we don't get that much precipitation here, the tanks get filled and run out of the overflow at times. He has a large back hoe he used to bury them almost thirty years ago. He uses an electric pump to draw water out for watering plants. It's a pretty simple system. My only concern, which he doesn't seem to share is one or both of the tanks rusting through and collapsing.

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by Paul K

Check regs, as catching rainwater is actually illegal in some states (Colorado is one of them).

I'd be willing to bet Arizona is also one of them. Doctrine of Prior Appropriation rules in most western states. Somebody 100 years ago filed for water rights on a stream that the runoff from your roof feeds. If you store it, you've appropriated someone else's water for your use. Rain barrels are common and, by and large, ignored under the "deminimis" principle. But a pond might be a different matter and get attention as an illegal impoundment.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Daves911L

I'd be willing to bet Arizona is also one of them. Doctrine of Prior Appropriation rules in most western states. Somebody 100 years ago filed for water rights on a stream that the runoff from your roof feeds. If you store it, you've appropriated someone else's water for your use. Rain barrels are common and, by and large, ignored under the "deminimis" principle. But a pond might be a different matter and get attention as an illegal impoundment.

Wow that's just depressing. Water that falls on your land might not be yours. Wow.

[911_Dude]

If your going to use a simple rain barrel catch system, without all the complications, make sure it is as high as possible. Mine is at about 7 feet and its enough to pressure to water the garden, but not much else (but thats what it is for).

[Daves911L]

Not depressing at all, just a logical and necessary adaptation of humans living in desert environments. In places like NJ which get 40 or 50 inches of rain in a year, the water production of a unit of land is more than sufficient to support normal human life and activities on that unit of land. In the arid west, where annual precipitation is 4, 8, or 10 inches per year, it can take the water production of 5 to 10 times a unit of land to support normal human life and activity on a unit of land. Originally it was about agricultural land uses, but no less true today in urban environments.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by 911_Dude

If your going to use a simple rain barrel catch system, without all the complications, make sure it is as high as possible. Mine is at about 7 feet and its enough to pressure to water the garden, but not much else (but thats what it is for).

I have a choice of a couple of small water pumps that I'd use.
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Water rights:
I have a six foot wall surrounding my acre...I think that I'd be OK (stealthy).
If I do this I'll need 20 - 30 feet of gutter installed...none on the house at this time.
Run-off would be from my back patio.
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Thanks for all your input, gents.