Early on in the process of building our tiny home, we needed to create systems for catching and using water. We purchased these 50 gallon, food grade barrels for $10 apiece from the local Pepsi distributor, hooked them up to the gutter of our metal-roofed home, and proceeded to catch rainwater for drinking, cooking, and dishwashing. We use a Berkey filter to make the rainwater potable, and relied on water from our pond for irrigating the garden and for bathing. With flexible pvc pipes moving the water into the outdoor kitchen, we even had running water in our sink!
This system worked really well, at least until we had an almost two month drought in July and August. Then we had to rely on our community network and fill our barrels with water from their hose. Ultimately, we will need a much larger storage system, such as an underground cistern.
As cold weather set in, we needed to make some changes. Knowing that freezing temperatures and exposed outdoor plumbing do not mix, we decided to bury our water storage underground to insulate the barrels with the heat of the earth.
A small group of friends and neighbors came over to help dig this shallow grave-like hole. You can see the previous system set up in the upper right of the photo.
Empty barrels were then placed on their sides into the hole. Brian cut a hole into the top of one of the barrels for the downspout, another hole to extract the water with a pump, and linked the three barrels with a bit of black flexible pvc pipe.
We ended up buying this antique-style, made in China pump from Lehman’s, and it works beautifully. With just a few pumps, the water flows easily into our stainless steel bucket, and when we’re done pumping, the excess flows back into the barrels, thus preventing any frozen or exploded pipes. When we first tried it out, it felt like yet another “Little House on the Prairie” moment. I could just imagine Laura being sent out to the well by Ma to gather a bucket of water.
*** Read more about how our water system survived freezing cold temps with this update.
This post was shared at From the Farm Blog Hop
I’m searching for an alternative drinking water solution because my well water contains radium. However, all of the plastic used in your system is a bit much for my sensibilities. PVC shouldn’t be used for drinking water; only waste water. When your barrels heat up, does the water taste like plastic? Do they contain BPA? What else do they contain? Was plastic not a concern or did you look at and discard other alternatives?
Hi Marie,
I think you’re wise to look into other alternatives, as it’s true – our system does contain a lot of plastic. While the water does not sit in the barrels for a long time, it does indeed sit in them, so there is a risk of leaching, although we have never tasted plastic.
I wouldn’t say that plastic is not a concern for us, but alternatives such as stainless steel are simply out of our budget. Ultimately, we will build a cistern, and eliminate the plastic component.
If you find something that meets your needs, I’d love to hear about it so I can pass along the information to others that might have the same question.
Any leads on the stainless steel options that you looked into would be most helpful. I’ll report on my final system (and the bumps to get there).
I have only done searches online, but the least expensive ones were around $100 per barrel. We currently have 12 barrels, so it would be a significant investment.
review of roofing material for rainwater harvesting
http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Effect-of-Roof-Material-on-Water-Quality-for-Rainwater-Harvesting-Systems.pdf
and how to store, filter and purify http://www.harvesth2o.com/filtration_purification.shtml#.VmOZclWrTnA
Thanks!
I’ve also just bought a bunch of 15 gallon used stainless steel kegs from a guy on craigslist.
That’s great! Good find!
This is the closest I’ve found to what I am envisioning! Do you have something set up for overflow water? What about weight from above such as people walking over it, lawn mowers, tractors, etc.
I’m looking to add something similar to catch the rain barrel overflow for my small veggie garden. I could easily rig up an additional overflow release, but am concerned about the weight from traffic overhead. Where I envision it, it may see a vehicle on top of it once or twice a year. Any thoughts or concerns?
The water pump idea is amazing, I’m definitely going to incorporate that!!
Ryan, be sure to read my other post where I shared the failures of this system 🙂
But it was a great season extender, and might have worked great if we had been able to bury the barrels much deeper. Our long-term solution is going to be a buried cistern and some kind of pump, either solar or hand.
As for driving over it, I think it would depend on how deeply you were able to bury the containers. As the season went on, our barrels ended up exposed (rain, erosion), and at some point before I was able to see them, I was able to feel them underfoot.
So, my take home message: Love this system for April-November in NE Missouri, and depending on your climate, could be a great solution year-round.
And no, we don’t have an overflow – it just flows into a trench and then into the woods. Good luck!
This is a great system you folks have designed! With our 2014 farm-expansion we plan on installing water collection systems on every structure that permits it. Nice post!
Thanks Samantha. One thing we are learning is that thus system works great up to a certain temperature. We probably need to dig deeper holes to make it truly a four season option here.
This looks like a great idea. Is there a purpose or benefit for having the openings accessible to each of the buckets? I noticed that there were holes drilled in the side board so you could still access the barrel. I was thinking I would try to bury mine deeper, but maybe I am not thinking about something.
Good question. Since each of our barrels had an opening, my husband drilled a hole so we could clean the inside or check the water level.
But depending on where you live, you might need to bury deeper for the frost line.
Thanks Patrick!
Your place is really coming along! Another great article… thank you for sharing your journey with all of us.
It is really coming along! Hard to believe that last year there was nothing here!
Totally inspiring! I know my hubbys next project now 😉
Since the post we added a bit more soil around the pipe to help keep it warm. Tell your hubby 🙂
I so enjoy reading about your journey! It’s a great inspirtation
Thanks Sarah!
Great water set up! I really love & respect your lifestyle, it’s something we’ve pondered over when we have enough money to buy some land. Luckily we’re renting an acreage right now with awesome landlords that are encouraging our homesteading, but we live in a mobile home, not warm and cozy at all, so we’re still dreaming of that cabin in the woods for one day. 🙂
Thank you! We lived for a long time in a rental with a very encouraging landlord, and it was a great way to jump into homesteading. Good luck with your cabin in the woods!
You guys are SUCH an inspiration to us … you have NO idea! Thanks for sharing your journey!
You are so kind! Glad to support you in any way I can!