Mains water requires energy to pump and purify, the chemicals involved are bad for you, your garden, and the environment in general, not only in their use but their production and transportation. Harvest and store rainwater to water your garden, wash your bicycle, fill your birdbath.
I have a 1000 litre cube. It was pretty cheap to buy and when it was delivered it was installed onto the downpipe. Unfortunately it gets empty after a fortnight of watering the garden in summer when there is no rain, and in winter it stays full all the time when no watering is needed, but in spring and autumn it comes into it's own.
in July 2008
I'll install water tanks when we buy our own house. We're currently in a short term rental while we look to buy.
in July 2008
Do you have a question, solution or thought on this?
Add a comment and help others!
in August 2008
We're building anew and will be installing two 50,000 L tanks onsite, eventually with a grey water re-use system to feed used water from vanities, shower and sinks (not kitchen sink mind) to the garden.
in December 2008
here in the Philippines we've already doing this year by year..
in September 2010
Dear Rain Harvesters,
Please be careful when collecting water. Some places have laws preventing the collection of rainwater. For example, some states, here in the United States ban rainwater collection not just because they want to control people but because it is a serious health issue. Safety can extend a lot farther than someones own back yard.
Look at the last sentance on page 20.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Docs/When_Every_Drop_Counts.pdf
West Nile virus never use to exist here in the united states. Now it does. It has an opportunity to spead faster when humans are careless. Mosquitoes get the virus from by biting infected birds. Then the mosquito bites a person. It can be painful and fatal for the person who has been bitten.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
Videos I liked regarding West Nile:
This one is from the university of colorado via youtube.
This one is from sciencenorth.ca in Canada.
Further Reading:
Analyses of Dengue Fever and Aedes aegypti
http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/18/
Post Script,
If you see little wiggley things, tell them there is no room for wiggle room!
in September 2012
(continued)
Post Post Script
The following article for example does not mention these risks and and ways to prevent them.
http://www.naturalnews.com/029286_rainwater_collection_water.html
in September 2012
(Last But Not Least).....
......A Nefarious Creature.
Mosquito laying eggs, eggs hatching (#311) by nature1upclose
in September 2012
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