From Guest Blogger Cherry: Collecting Rainwater For Your Container Home
Have you heard of rain water harvesting? It’s simply the act of catching water in a container system to use for other purposes. And this is exactly what you can do with your container home.
Who Exactly Would Harvest Rainwater?
Harvesting rainwater is by no means a new concept and has been practiced since the 3rd century B.C. There are a variety of reasons this could be done – certain areas are simply prone to drier conditions. By collecting water people can protect their crops. Collecting rainwater also helps to prevent flooding. What’s more, collecting rainwater can help with utility expenses when the water is used for washing dishes, laundry and general hygiene.
Can You Drink Rainwater?
If you’re wondering whether or not you can drink rainwater, this is a yes and no answer. While many people feel that drinking rainwater is perfectly okay, others argue that it is not safe at all. It’s important to keep in mind that rainwater can contain pollutants and other organisms but there are a variety of ways that you can purify the water for drinking. One way to purify the water is to boil it for 10 to 15 minutes. It will make living in your shipping container home more eco-friendly and viable.
Chemicals such as bleach can also be used to purify water. Simply add 8 drops of liquid bleach to a gallon of rainwater. Wait about half an hour to an hour before drinking. One other method to purify the water is via solar purification. Place water in z clear zip lock bag and place it shiny side up on a piece of foil. Place the bag in direct sunlight and leave it there for several hours.
How to Harvest Rainwater
If you’re not too sure how to harvest rainwater, then you need to know how to plan a shipping container rainwater catchment system. You can start by using a rainwater cistern.
This is an underground basin of water made of masonry tank or concrete and sealed to avoid contamination. The cistern can be built above the ground and then harnessed to pressurize your container home’s waterlines.
Another way to capture rainwater is to purchase a water catchment system. Make sure you consider storage, area, drain, and slop to make sure the system works properly. If you want to attach a water catchment system to your container home, try attaching it to the roof. The gutters will serve as a slope for the water to move down into the drain and into your storage container. 15, 30 or even 55 gallon drums are ideal as are 275 gallon water tanks for water catchment. Even a large trash barrel and lid will work well.
If you want to collect rainwater for drinking or potable water for later purification, use a container made of top quality food grade plastic. Remember to use a screen which will filter the water and prevent debris from gathering in your container. If you’re going to use multiple containers, use a PVC pipe and fittings to join the containers together and create a handy reserve. Even a garden hose adapter will work to screw in your garden hose and be able to water the garden of fill up smaller containers for purification if required.
There are a whole host of different designs to build your own water catchment systems for your container home. It takes a bit of creative thinking and design!
Suggestion
Before you build your rainwater catchment system, keep in mind that rain harvesting can be considered illegal in some places. To try and work around this, enclose your system or run PVC into a shed to collect water out of view.
