Hit 100 gallons of rain catchment this week and I can't believe it took me this long

I started collecting rain water off my 12x16 shed roof back in March, and I just measured my rain barrel storage at 100 gallons after a solid storm last Tuesday. For the first 2 years of my off grid setup, I was hauling water from a spring a quarter mile away in 5 gallon jugs. I only spent about $40 on a used food grade barrel and some PVC. That one change saved me like 3 hours of walking and lifting every week. Has anyone else seen a huge jump in efficiency from something this simple that they put off forever?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.iris1mo ago

100 gallons from a shed roof is good but are you really saving 3 hours a week or is that just what you tell yourself... I mean a basic hand pump on a spring and some hose would cut that walking time way down too, especially if you're hauling 5 gallon jugs uphill.

wendy8201mo ago

Yeah I set up a gravity-fed tank from my chicken coop roof and it cut my hauling time way more than I expected, honest.

jessej231mo ago

allen.iris brings up a good point about the hand pump, but how steep is your slope from that spring to your setup? I'm curious if the gravity from your shed roof gives you better pressure for things like drip irrigation or washing gear compared to hauling jugs.