Discussion on:

Harvesting rainwater for more than greywater

What is wrong with collecting rain in buckets, or using a sheet of polythene stretched out with a frame?

Nothing, people have been doing that for centuries...problem is that now you can get fined or worse if you happen to live in city that has laws against collecting rain water!

I am told you can be jailed in Colorado for collecting rain water for any use.

Rain water is "owned" by the government through a water rights law.

Land of the Free...how much is the air up there ?

Sensors on highway off ramps measure your cars emissions and can trigger a ticket camera to snap a picture if you fail.

My rental car got a ticket during my last trip to Denver.

this "new" method have been used for years...

as for rain water purity, well it might have been pure in early 1900 but nowadays
I don't think it still true.

many tests have shown that rain water might contain chemicals compounds, acids and other impurities that have been thrown in the air by different manufacturing plants, air plains and even natural phenomena like volcano's , and all of this gets picked up by rain and carried down to earth..

that is why in many countries around the world rain water is approved for non-potable use only , as in watering lawns, washing cars/driveways etc.

without extensive filtering and boiling rain water might not be acceptable for consumption.

of course if you live in the part of the world where rain is the only accessible source of drinking water most of the time, you have no choice...

...you'd better check with your city as there are now ordnances against collecting rain water! Or, planting a garden in your yard! Certain cities are turning into little Russia/China models. Check out this story: http://www.naturalnews.com/029286_rainwater_collection_water.html or this: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/water/4314447 really mind blowing...

Cisterns have been in use for thousands of years. My relatives in St Thomas must use them as does everyone else on the island, there are no running streams and the groundwater is saline. They collect the rainfall off the roof and store it in cisterns of thousands of gallons. A little bleach for chlorination and voila: a free supply of potable drinking water. Sewage goes to treatment.

Very Innovative Rainwater collection module ' RainSaucers'.Congratulations for the designer. It will be a boon in developing countries.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com

Harvesting Rainwater is a great idea. My dad's house has a large cistern and flanges and gutters to feed rainwater into it. They have used this idea in west Texas for years, along with wind power.

It's a great idea. Don't collect rain water? Why not?

Remember the volcanos in Iceland that erupted and basically grounded Europe? If you were downwind any rainwater was most likely acidic and full of fine particles. At any particular time there are numerous spores of fungi, algae, and other microscopic organisms. That's why rainwater is often considered non-potable.

This is not insurmountable. A piece of clean limestone can do wonders to neutralize the acid, and there are numerous ways to get rid of bacteria, etc., in the water. The latter usually involve higher tech than a rock, but the tech doesn't have to be that high.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's a good idea. It's usually cleaner than well-water too close to the latrines. My point is that it's not a no-brainer. There are potential problems that need to be planned for.

1. The few Laws in the West against rainwater collection are being repealed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/us/29rain.html
Meanwhile we have cities subsidizing the practice to reduce storm runoff:
http://www.rainsaucers.com/blog/2010/06/28/cities-which-subsidize-rwh
2. If you are worried about polluted rainwater, by all means please do not drink it!
And while you're at it, please don't breathe air either because it will contain the same stuff. But seriously, rainwater is good natural stuff that is often better quality than what comes out of the tap, well, or river in developing countries.
3. In the U.S., we suggest you treat rainwater for drinking the same way you would treat any private source of water. Do your own testing and add filtration if you think you need it. The oldest and cheapest method of filtration is called first flush where you let the first liter of rain get flushed based on the assumption most atmospheric contaminants come down in the first few minutes of rain. We implemented first flush with our 2 RainSaucer system http://www.rainsaucers.com/photos.htm (picture #8)

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Hi,
I am interested in buying a unit for my house and would it be possible to send an item to India.

If possible, please let me know where do I need to order.

Regards
Balamurugan