Rainwater Harvest/Storage

[ThePopp]

Thanks Alan B. for posting your rainwater system photos. I am considering rainwater collection in my suburban back yard and would like to start a discussion on pros and cons, things to avoid/include and resources (like Louie Michael's barrels, http://www.louiemichael.com/tgrainbarrels.html)
Any experiences, stories and pointers would be welcomed. I am sure many could do this simple, water conservation/utilization effort.

[Bill Buron]

This is on my to do list this winter. I am going to collect from my shop roof. I bought the rain water collection kit offered by the James Rver Prtnership last year and am going to hook the gutters to 55 gal drums. I hope can get enough elivation to get the 3# of pressure required for my drip system to work right. I have been out to see A Bs water collecton system and he is doing a lot of neat stuff at his place what I was most impressed with was his worlm/compost system.

[Ruell Chappell]

ditto,

I am interested for my suburban home and my farm as well. In town, the big benefit is irrigation off the meter. Any water collected is water you don't have to pay the city for. Good All around.
At my farm, i'm using a solar water heater, and solar water driven baseboard heaters to help heat the house, in addition to the wood stove i've purchased from the Bairds
ruell

[Anna Kangas]

I watered my garden with a rain barrel last year. We put gutters on the garage and directed the downspout into the top of a plastic drum bought at Race Brothers (it used to have horse-radish in it from Reckitt Benckiser). On the top, to keep bugs and leaves out, we cut a hole about 3" diameter and put a sink strainer in it. My husband built a stand for it, so it is about 4' off the ground. We put a spigot on the bottom of it. I'll take some pictures of it and post them later this week.

The rain barrel filled up really quickly, and I didn't have to use city water for my garden at all last year.

[Bill Buron]

I finially got the gutter on the work shop and installed a 55 gal drum for rain water collection. I used the rain dirverter in the down spout from the James river partnership program and am now looking forward to a good rain. My barrel held cooking products and I got it free from a friend, I will install others as they become available

[Nancy]

The cheese factory in Cabool sells the blue 55 gal drums for $2.50 each. They are 1 piece (the top does not come off) have 2 bung (?) holes in the top that are intact.

[Rob Appleby]

Do you have a contact at the cheese factory?

Nancy said:

The cheese factory in Cabool sells the blue 55 gal drums for $2.50 each. They are 1 piece (the top does not come off) have 2 bung (?) holes in the top that are intact.

[Nancy]

Rob, No I don't have a contact. Heard about it and during Xmas season happened to be down that way during a week day. I had heard that a person needed to call and get put on a waiting list. I just stopped in. They had them and asked how many I wanted. I got 4. So at Cabool get off at the second exit/hiway 181. Go left over the bridge and about a block you will see the cheese store ahead on the left. Turn in there and drive past the store. See a little guard station and stop there and tell her you are wanting the 55 gal drums. She will point you to the main entrance and there you go. The guard told me she never knows when they have them but to just go ask. She explains the routine as you then stop on the way out with the barrels and show her the recipt or something. If I was going to make a special trip I would call the chamber of commerce to get the number and then when calling the factory just ask if they have any available and then tell her you'd want however many and head on down. 1 1/2 hours from Springfield. But if you are in Cabool you can stop at Shetlers discount grocery and pick up some 50# bags of beans, flour, wheat, etc at a good price. To get to Shetlers when you are coming off the highway instead of turning left over the bridge, turn right and go about a block and turn left on the acess road that runs along the highway. go over the hill and there it is. Amish owned I believe. Then you also might want to stop in Mt Grove up on the square for the BEST healthfood store around where they have bulk flours, grains, spices, local honey and nut butters, etc and get as much or as little as you want. I love that store and helping myself out of the bins. And while your out that way, Baker Creek Heirloom seeds is north of Mansfield. Take highway 5 north a few miles and watch for the signs. You will turn left and go a few miles on tar and then gravel road and then left into Baker Creek. I think the store is open during the week. Oh and then Uncle Roosters at the old apple orchard in Seymour has pretty good food. Its a weekday day trip.

[Rob Appleby]

That is a lot of great info. Thanks for taking the time!


Nancy said:

Rob, No I don't have a contact. Heard about it and during Xmas season happened to be down that way during a week day. I had heard that a person needed to call and get put on a waiting list. I just stopped in. They had them and asked how many I wanted. I got 4. So at Cabool get off at the second exit/hiway 181. Go left over the bridge and about a block you will see the cheese store ahead on the left. Turn in there and drive past the store. See a little guard station and stop there and tell her you are wanting the 55 gal drums. She will point you to the main entrance and there you go. The guard told me she never knows when they have them but to just go ask. She explains the routine as you then stop on the way out with the barrels and show her the recipt or something. If I was going to make a special trip I would call the chamber of commerce to get the number and then when calling the factory just ask if they have any available and then tell her you'd want however many and head on down. 1 1/2 hours from Springfield. But if you are in Cabool you can stop at Shetlers discount grocery and pick up some 50# bags of beans, flour, wheat, etc at a good price. To get to Shetlers when you are coming off the highway instead of turning left over the bridge, turn right and go about a block and turn left on the acess road that runs along the highway. go over the hill and there it is. Amish owned I believe. Then you also might want to stop in Mt Grove up on the square for the BEST healthfood store around where they have bulk flours, grains, spices, local honey and nut butters, etc and get as much or as little as you want. I love that store and helping myself out of the bins. And while your out that way, Baker Creek Heirloom seeds is north of Mansfield. Take highway 5 north a few miles and watch for the signs. You will turn left and go a few miles on tar and then gravel road and then left into Baker Creek. I think the store is open during the week. Oh and then Uncle Roosters at the old apple orchard in Seymour has pretty good food. Its a weekday day trip.

[Anna Kangas]

I tried to upload my photos to this discussion, but they wouldn't load. I made an album for my rain barrel photos, and it can be found in my profile. Please ask if you have questions!

[Angi Moormann]

HI I am wondering if you can get Organic food at the BEST healthfood store in MT. Grove? Thanks.Angi

Nancy said:

Rob, No I don't have a contact. Heard about it and during Xmas season happened to be down that way during a week day. I had heard that a person needed to call and get put on a waiting list. I just stopped in. They had them and asked how many I wanted. I got 4. So at Cabool get off at the second exit/hiway 181. Go left over the bridge and about a block you will see the cheese store ahead on the left. Turn in there and drive past the store. See a little guard station and stop there and tell her you are wanting the 55 gal drums. She will point you to the main entrance and there you go. The guard told me she never knows when they have them but to just go ask. She explains the routine as you then stop on the way out with the barrels and show her the recipt or something. If I was going to make a special trip I would call the chamber of commerce to get the number and then when calling the factory just ask if they have any available and then tell her you'd want however many and head on down. 1 1/2 hours from Springfield. But if you are in Cabool you can stop at Shetlers discount grocery and pick up some 50# bags of beans, flour, wheat, etc at a good price. To get to Shetlers when you are coming off the highway instead of turning left over the bridge, turn right and go about a block and turn left on the acess road that runs along the highway. go over the hill and there it is. Amish owned I believe. Then you also might want to stop in Mt Grove up on the square for the BEST healthfood store around where they have bulk flours, grains, spices, local honey and nut butters, etc and get as much or as little as you want. I love that store and helping myself out of the bins. And while your out that way, Baker Creek Heirloom seeds is north of Mansfield. Take highway 5 north a few miles and watch for the signs. You will turn left and go a few miles on tar and then gravel road and then left into Baker Creek. I think the store is open during the week. Oh and then Uncle Roosters at the old apple orchard in Seymour has pretty good food. Its a weekday day trip.