What is your Rainwater Harvesting experience?

Question

If you are harvesting water, what do you think about it? what did you buy? You have problems? Its hard to buy this thinks? How do you do it?

Answer 1

We harvest water for the garden in butts attached to all down pipes.  We also harvest water to flush toilets, a combination of rain and grey water.  It costs very little and you will recoup your costs within six months to a year

Answer 2

YES! another person that does the same!

what I do is on my roof I have a green roof so the water gets sucked from the roof. Also where I live (Oregon) it rains- a lot! but you cam by tanks that hold and gather water that falls it also purifies it . they are about $1000-$2000 each but they are worth it!

Answer 3

I have a system where the rainwater from my roof comes down the spout, I hook on a legnth of that black flexible pipe, and gravity feed it into a cistern that was already here on my old farm property ( the owners in the 50's had drinking water delivered and stored it in there- pumped it into the house)

Because my roof is composite ( asphalt shingle w gravel) I understand that it is not good for drinking without proper filtering- or for animals either- but i have a well pump that goes down into the cistern and i can plug it in, attach a garden hose to the top, and water  my vegetable garden with  it. This didnt cost much, and could be modified if i really needed the water to drink ( would be better to have a metal roof) but it was better  than just wasting the rainwater as runoff- the cistern holds about 10,000. gallons ( about 15 feet deep and 8'wide- but the concrete has fallen off the sides so it is not suitable for drinking water unless I drained it and re- sealed the sides. If it starts getting too full i just let the pipe run offf onto the lawn.  It is a great idea to save what water you can. good luck with your system.