# Efficient Living..



## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

Anyone have any tips, tricks, or other things they would like to share about saving some time or expenses that could come in handy in a shtf situation?? Most of the things I do is the "old ways" version...

I'll start with my "old" stove pipe wood oven. I burn wood all winter to heat the house so this little puppy comes in handy..





And the end results....


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Lots of folks don't like it when I say this, but being more vegetarian is more efficient all the way around. It is easy to grow most of your own food. If a carrot dies you don't have a lot of money tied up in the carrot. Fruits and veggies can be dried and stored in very little space without refrigeration. You can raise a lot of pounds of food in a small intensive garden. No I'm not advocating vegetarianism...just stating my observations.

For efficiency in housing....earth sheltered or partially earth sheltered makes a whole lot of sense.

Rainwater collection! Why on earth isn't everyone doing this! I've lived with rainwater collection everywhere from the desert to a cloud forest. Great quality water(if it is set up properly). Cheaper than a well to set up. The water is accessible even without electricity since it is in a tank at ground level. As soon as I can get a metal roof on my house I plan on turning off the over chlorinated city water and doing just rainwater.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Did you buy or make the oven? If you bought it I'd like to see if I can find one.


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## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

TxMex said:


> Did you buy or make the oven? If you bought it I'd like to see if I can find one.


It was bought, but I don't know how long ago.. guessing 50++ years ago??


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Learn all the skills you can while you can. No one can take knowledge away from you. We have been homesteaders for over 45 yrs and probably done just about anything you can do on a farm. Now we keep chickens and raise big garden/orchard/bees as we get to our 70's but we are actively teaching the skills we have to our sons/DIL's....and still learning. Learned how to knit socks this year, how to cook on a rocket stove, how to make vinegar. Always something new to interest one if you stay open to new ideas.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

TxMex said:


> Did you buy or make the oven? If you bought it I'd like to see if I can find one.


Lehmans sells one. There kind of expensive but I want one. Oops wrong link!! Here's the right one. https://www.lehmans.com/p-4873-bakers-salute-oven.aspx


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I've thought of makeing a wooden rack that hangs from the ceiling near our woodstove. It could be raised and lowered by cords to hang the laundry on. I do have the fold up kind of laundry racks,but the ceiling type would be able to stay all year. You could even lay screen on it to dry food.


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## Debbie in Wa (Dec 28, 2007)

Terri,
your link is not for the Lehman's. You must have been busy this morning looking up about ebola.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Debbie in Wa said:


> Terri,
> your link is not for the Lehman's. You must have been busy this morning looking up about ebola.


Sorry fixed it. I sent that link to hubby and guess I didn't copy the other one right.


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## Lilith (Dec 29, 2012)

One issue I don't have an idea to solve that is a major energy sucker in almost all modern homes is the hot water heater. Can I live without it if I have to - but do I want to, or would I choose to? No. I think my biggest struggle is I have 5 kids, a husband and I hate cold showers! Anybody have a creative solution to have hot water on demand, but not waste a ton of energy keeping it hot when I don't want it?

Edit: I don't want to move either - so geothermal heating is not available... although it would be real nice!


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Lilith you want a gas on demand hot water heater. I have 9 kids and 4teenagers. I have an outdoor wood stove with the on demand water plate. Could not imagine life without it.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

Over the years I have saved all my blue enamel canners when they would chip. I can fit 6 on our wood stove...they are kept in a handy spot. If we have no electric, we can still have hot water.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

this coleman one would work on a woodstove with soapstone bricks...use reg bricks to further elevate for temp control provided you have a flat surface on top of stove

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-5010D...-catcorr&keywords=coleman+oven+for+wood+stove


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## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

TxMex said:


> Lots of folks don't like it when I say this, but being more vegetarian is more efficient all the way around. It is easy to grow most of your own food. If a carrot dies you don't have a lot of money tied up in the carrot. Fruits and veggies can be dried and stored in very little space without refrigeration. You can raise a lot of pounds of food in a small intensive garden. No I'm not advocating vegetarianism...just stating my observations.
> 
> For efficiency in housing....earth sheltered or partially earth sheltered makes a whole lot of sense.
> 
> Rainwater collection! Why on earth isn't everyone doing this! I've lived with rainwater collection everywhere from the desert to a cloud forest. Great quality water(if it is set up properly). Cheaper than a well to set up. The water is accessible even without electricity since it is in a tank at ground level. As soon as I can get a metal roof on my house I plan on turning off the over chlorinated city water and doing just rainwater.


I would agree with every point made above... But there is a time that livestock is more efficient than we could ever be.. 

For example, My view is that a chicken is a very efficient extra pair of hands around the farm setting. They collect bugs, grass, and other things that would be almost impossible for us to do efficiently and deposit it in a "capsule" loaded with proteins.. Same with other farm animals and wildlife.. They consume plants that we can't convert into efficient usable proteins and minerals... 

The key to all this is finding ways your handling of livestock is more efficient and sustainable with minimal input. 

I agree that earth covered buildings are efficient. We've been using root cellars for years to store the harvest in. Ice houses are also another example.. 

As far as rain water collection goes, I agree in areas where ground water is not available.. Here we have water spouting out from the ground everywhere. I'll try to get some pics of our setup later, but will try to explain..

Our water is spring water that flows right out of the ground across the creek from the house. we have a catchment basin right at the source made of concrete where it enters a pipe and is gravity fed to a cistern in the back yard. Then is pumped into the house using a regular well pump.. It doesn't get any better than limestone filtered spring water as far as my taste buds can tell..


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## partndn (Jun 18, 2009)

OOooh Kycountry, I do love pics of that sort of thing. Hope you post that.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Lilith...my son built a shower house out by our garden. Hooks a hose to the pump house, runs the water thru an efficient camping instant water heater fueled by a grill sized propane tank. Three people took showers almost daily and still haven't run out of the first $10 tank gas....plus you can stand there forever. People do this with overhead storage water, too. We have the drain going out into the garden into the squash patch so had a great harvest of winter squash!


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## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

I ran out and got some pics of the spring water setup so here you go...

View of the spring with the roofing on it that keeps trash out of it..


The water source coming from the rocks


Containment pool.. Black pipe with yellow filter cloth goes to the cistern, garden hoses are top one is overflow and bottom one can drain it for clean out.. 


Water faucet is on the pipe from the spring so I can close it off and pump it dry for clean out.. Other pipe is over flow so it can continuously flow to keep it from freezing up..



View of cistern with the lid slid back


view with lid on


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

My Sis had something just like that in NC on a hillside. She even found the spring with a dowser she tracked down.


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## partndn (Jun 18, 2009)

Wow! I'm so jealous. 

How big, roughly is that cistern opening, and how deep?


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## kycountry (Jan 26, 2012)

partndn said:


> Wow! I'm so jealous.
> 
> How big, roughly is that cistern opening, and how deep?


it's about 4 feet across and 4 1/2 feet deep.. I don't know if you can tell in the pics or not, this spring has some FLOW to it... so a large cistern isn't really needed..

5 showers/baths, 2-3 loads of laundry, dish washing, and a lot more happens here every day.. and we don't have to wait on water but once in a blue moon..


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## happycat47111 (Nov 23, 2013)

Something I want to try is a solar heater like this one: http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/solar-air-heater-zmaz06djzraw.aspx#axzz3H5tFAIeL

And I'm intrigued by the idea of solar hot water where you basically build a frame on your roof and run pipe up and down and all around. Same principle as a water hose left on the ground in the sun. 

Take shorter showers and do baths sparingly. Turn your thermostats down on your water heater. Use fans to circulate air and lower your AC and heating bills. Cook large batches of meat and store in serving sizes in the freezer (or can them.) Turn off unnecessary lights when they're not being used. Put up thermal curtains to keep heat in during the winter and out during the summer. Do large or extra-large loads of laundry and not so many small. Only run the dishwasher when it's full. Keep your fridge and freezer organized, clean, and ice free for optimal performance. Instead of just throwing things away, like empty glass jars, see if you have another use for them. They're great for storing nuts, bolts, snacks, etc. 

Something we're still figuring out if we want to try or not is the concept of cloth for toilet paper and paper towels. Obviously, not the same cloths.  I'm still trying to get my head around having diaper pails in the house though. 

You can also make your own cosmetics. There's a bit of cost up front, but in the long run, you save a TON of money and it's healthier. Ditto for laundry detergent. Cheap to make, easy to make, works better, and it's better for you.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

We have a Zodi camp shower. It's great for those times when your and the rest of the state's pipes freeze and you can't get parts for 3 weeks. We had to haul water from the pump house but had nice hot showers.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

kycountry said:


> I would agree with every point made above... But there is a time that livestock is more efficient than we could ever be..
> 
> For example, My view is that a chicken is a very efficient extra pair of hands around the farm setting. They collect bugs, grass, and other things that would be almost impossible for us to do efficiently and deposit it in a "capsule" loaded with proteins.. Same with other farm animals and wildlife.. They consume plants that we can't convert into efficient usable proteins and minerals...
> 
> ...


On a forum like this you must speak in generalities or preface a statement with 'in my area'.... Very few people have a spring available such as what you have. However, everyone can do a set up for rainwater collection.

Now if you are referring to harvesting wild game....absolutely! There is no input required except the energy to harvest the animal. I was speaking to pure efficiency. I would also apply this to foraging for plants, but generally it is more efficient to raise a garden than to gather plants. Of course there are local and regional exceptions to this. For example....if I were willing to get fireant stings and get scratches all over me, I could easily gather all the wild blackberries I could ever want. However, they make thornless blackberries, so I prefer them.


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

Re: vegetarian vs. meat eater -- one thing that you will have difficulty producing from a garden is a source of fat/oil. You need a healthy fat in your diet, you need some sort of oil or grease for cooking, and you may need fat for making soap. 

A dairy critter gives you butter. Egg yolks are a decent source of protein and fat. A pig or two a year would give you lard for soap and cooking.

Wild game, with the notable exception of bears and waterfowl, tends to be very lean.

If you don't have a source of fat on the farm, you'll have to buy or trade for it. You just can't do without it.


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## happycat47111 (Nov 23, 2013)

Cygnet said:


> Re: vegetarian vs. meat eater -- one thing that you will have difficulty producing from a garden is a source of fat/oil. You need a healthy fat in your diet, you need some sort of oil or grease for cooking, and you may need fat for making soap.
> 
> A dairy critter gives you butter. Egg yolks are a decent source of protein and fat. A pig or two a year would give you lard for soap and cooking.
> 
> ...


God help you if you're the kind of person who has to have a good amount of animal protein in order to function well. We've learned the hard way that I'm that kind of person. Hubby? He could almost be vegetarian. He does fine, for the most part, on vegetable-based proteins like beans. Me? I have to have lean animal proteins. I feel horrible if I try to eat vegetarian or even pescatarian. And I'm not quite to the point yet that I can think of chickens I'd raise as food. I know I have to get my head around that but I'm not there yet.


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

happycat47111 said:


> God help you if you're the kind of person who has to have a good amount of animal protein in order to function well. We've learned the hard way that I'm that kind of person. Hubby? He could almost be vegetarian. He does fine, for the most part, on vegetable-based proteins like beans. Me? I have to have lean animal proteins. I feel horrible if I try to eat vegetarian or even pescatarian. And I'm not quite to the point yet that I can think of chickens I'd raise as food. I know I have to get my head around that but I'm not there yet.


On the chickens, it honestly helps if you raise birds that all look alike. For example, if I have a couple dozen of them, I can't tell one buff orp hen from another.  

Eventually, too, if you're letting chickens hatch their own eggs, you'll end up with so many roosters that you'll be ready to send 'em all to freezer camp just to shut them up. I used to breed chickens, and ran about 60/40% on roosters -- meaning, I got more male chicks than females. It didn't take long before I got fairly comfortable with butchering chickens. I never liked it, but I could do it.

Never did learn to like plucking feathers, though. 

Oh, and speaking from experience (with marans, orps, and a few others), heritage breed chickens don't have much body fat. They're very lean. They should NOT be considered a source of fat -- you might get a tablespoonful or two of fat off a carcass if you were lucky. I personally dislike raising waterfowl due to the mess they make, but I would consider it if I were in a SHTF scenario because you get much more fat per carcass.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

happycat47111 said:


> God help you if you're the kind of person who has to have a good amount of animal protein in order to function well. We've learned the hard way that I'm that kind of person. Hubby? He could almost be vegetarian. He does fine, for the most part, on vegetable-based proteins like beans. Me? I have to have lean animal proteins. I feel horrible if I try to eat vegetarian or even pescatarian. And I'm not quite to the point yet that I can think of chickens I'd raise as food. I know I have to get my head around that but I'm not there yet.


Having eaten a pretty wide range of diets, from vegan to carnivore, I am more inclined to worry about the quality of food than exactly what it is. Those who eat a vegan or vegetarian diet without animal products do have challenges in getting good nutrition especially eating grocery store variety fruits and veggies.

I am at a place I am liking fairly well right now. We have meat a few times a week, not every day, and when we do, it's a modest quantity of really good quality meat. Often, it is more of a condiment than a food group. 

We do eat a fairly high percentage of vegetarian meals not so much because we're trying to be vegetarians but because we like to eat that way, lots of vegetables. I suspect if we are able to get into a place where we have the room to grow more of our own, we'll probably move farther away from the meats and more toward the veggies. 

At this point in time, there are a lot of animal products at the grocery store that are just not up to a quality standard that I feel comfortable eating. (I'm particularly put off by the "Product of China" label. Not comin' home with me.) Perhaps fortunately, I'm somewhat lactose intolerant so don't do a lot of dairy. We've also been fortunate to find people with small flocks of chickens (where the chickens are out running around in the grass and sunshine, eating bugs and living like chickens are supposed to live) to buy eggs from. I hope at some point to be able to have my own flock of chickens again, both for eggs and perhaps a little meat.

Just my take on my own diet. It's something everyone pretty much has to work out for themselves.


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

Something else to consider for a SHTF scenario is food preservation -- not just canning, which uses a lot of time and energy, but other ways to preserve a harvest. Maybe some of the rest of you can chime in because this is an area I could learn more about. Off the top of my head, though, I know that:

-- Milk can be preserved for a long time by making buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, or cheese. (And buttermilk is probably your best bet for efficient, easy and relatively long-term storage.) 

-- Carrots can simply be left in the ground. (We dug our last carrots out of the garden for Christmas last year.) 

-- Many fruits and veggies can be dried, with varying degrees of success.

-- Meat can be preserved by drying, salting/brining, smoking, or making dry sausage. 

-- Cabbage can be preserved as sauerkraut, which has the bonus of being easier to digest than other forms of cabbage. (And it's tasty with those sausages you're going to make.) 

-- Many other veggies can be preserved by fermenting, which has the advantage of not needing vinegar like pickling does.

-- However, learning to make vinegar would probably be a good idea. (This is something I do not know how to do, and have been intending to learn.) 

Don't like sauerkraut, buttermilk, pickles, or heavily salted ham? If TSHTF you'll _learn _to like them. I promise. In the meantime, at least learn the theory behind making them.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Lilith said:


> One issue I don't have an idea to solve that is a major energy sucker in almost all modern homes is the hot water heater. Can I live without it if I have to - but do I want to, or would I choose to? No. I think my biggest struggle is I have 5 kids, a husband and I hate cold showers! Anybody have a creative solution to have hot water on demand, but not waste a ton of energy keeping it hot when I don't want it?
> 
> Edit: I don't want to move either - so geothermal heating is not available... although it would be real nice!


Much of the rest of the world uses the sun to heat their water.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...nergy/526801-solar-hot-water.html#post7262128


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## MoTightwad (Sep 6, 2011)

KYK You hit the nail right on the hear about spring water. We have lived here on this farm for overt 50 years and have used the same spring for house and garden water as well as livestock. And the taste is wonderful No chlorine taste or smell. Our spring was done by an old Indian water witching for the family that originally homesteaded this property. We are the 3rd owners.


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## lindamarie (Jul 9, 2013)

hi. This is how we have been living going on 15 years. It may not work for everyone and some may think its too much work. It works for us, I'm 53 and dh is 51. 

first, we are way way back in the woods, miles from nearest people, utilities, paved road and town.

our water is gravity fed from a year round spring. It tastes great. Our spring is 700 ft from home and at a higher elevation. Our water is gravity fed and we have great pressure. We have 3-55 gallon buckets as storage. The line is buried to prevent freezing. We get hot water in warm weather thru solar heating, in cold weather water is heated thru copper tubing run around wood stove pipes. We have a 68 gallon hot water heater that holds our hot water.

we heat with wood only and also have a wood cookstove. I also have an antique apartment size propane stove that I use in really hot weather. Our propane tanks are the size you would use on a barbecue. No way would any company deliver out to us. We refill at southern states.

haven't had a refrigerator or freezer since we moved here. We do have an old fashioned spring house, root cellar, and when it turns cold an ice box. I can lots.. Meat, soups, fruits, milk, etc. Ice cream is a seasonal treat for us. We grow a decent size garden and I cook from scratch.

no washer or dryer...laundry done by hand with a wash board, plunger and mop wringer. I make our laundry soap and clothes are line dried, on racks by stove in winter.

our internet is thru this smart phone. No electrical lines out out way. We have 3-50 watt solar panels and recently ordered our 4th. Our system runs our lights (12 volt led), charges dh hand tools, the portable DVD player. We have an inverter to run my sewing machines although I prefer my treadle, dh guitar and amp. We do have a 5000 watt generator. We use the geny to top off our batteries when we get lots of cloudy days. 

we keep lots of supplies on hand, a large first aid kit, etc. We live on less than 1000.00 a month. It may not be glamorous but it works. We try to live as efficiently as possible. 

well, I've rambled sorry.


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## happycat47111 (Nov 23, 2013)

Bellyman said:


> Having eaten a pretty wide range of diets, from vegan to carnivore, I am more inclined to worry about the quality of food than exactly what it is. Those who eat a vegan or vegetarian diet without animal products do have challenges in getting good nutrition especially eating grocery store variety fruits and veggies.
> 
> I am at a place I am liking fairly well right now. We have meat a few times a week, not every day, and when we do, it's a modest quantity of really good quality meat. Often, it is more of a condiment than a food group.
> 
> ...


Oh, quality of food is everything. We try to stick to the 90/10 rule - 90 percent whole foods, 10 (or less) processed. I MISS "real" eggs. We had a local shop we went to in Indiana that had them, along with raw milk (OMG). (Though I have a dairy sensitivity and have to avoid it 99% of the time.) Here? The best I can do is get organic free range from the grocery store. For that alone, I've considered chickens. And if you presented me with the kind of farmer's markets and produce options we used to have? I'd probably weep. That's why I'm looking so forward to next year, now that we're at a permanent location. I can grow a LOT of my own stuff.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

happycat47111 said:


> Oh, quality of food is everything. We try to stick to the 90/10 rule - 90 percent whole foods, 10 (or less) processed. I MISS "real" eggs. We had a local shop we went to in Indiana that had them, along with raw milk (OMG). (Though I have a dairy sensitivity and have to avoid it 99% of the time.) Here? The best I can do is get organic free range from the grocery store. For that alone, I've considered chickens. And if you presented me with the kind of farmer's markets and produce options we used to have? I'd probably weep. That's why I'm looking so forward to next year, now that we're at a permanent location. I can grow a LOT of my own stuff.


That's great!! Congratulations!!

I hope one of these days I can come on the forums and announce my finding a place to put down roots. Just hasn't happened yet. Know the area. Keep looking. Came close to buying a place last year but someone else bought it before we got our offer in. Looked at several other places but none quite fit. Last one was 49 acres, one old house that will probably need town down and about 20 acres of pasture that looks like it hasn't been mowed in several years. Price is high because of the acreage so it would be a big stretch, plus, the place is like starting from scratch. Us not being flush with $$ has me real cautious about getting into something like that so we're still looking. Might could get some cash from some logging on the back 30 but haven't gotten an estimate yet. Seems nothing goes quickly.


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## happycat47111 (Nov 23, 2013)

Until it does go quickly, and then your head spins trying to catch up. We weren't looking, but then this house was available and bam! Six weeks of renovations we weren't expecting, and we were moving. We _are_ renting this place with first option to buy in a couple of years when we can. But it's a house my husband and his grandfather built together, it's in a good location, next to my inlaws' house, and the price is right. I'd like to have a little more land, but what we have is more than enough to do what we want.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Actually, also mentioned earlier was the idea of a cistern instead of a well. That is one area I'd like to know more about.

The particular area of TN that I'm looking at typically has rather deep wells and are somewhat expensive to drill compared to other places. (There is typically a lot of rock to drill through.) A lot of places use county water, and I'd really rather not do that. I hate the chlorine that they put in it. Does nasty things to our skin. 

While I understand the basic idea of collecting the rain water, typically off of a metal roof, I don't have a handle on how it is processed to use domestically or even stored in such a way as to not have nasties growing in that big vat of collected water. What kind of maintenance does the cistern require? Does the roof and gutter system get cleaned periodically? What kind of filters get used? Is the water you drink different from what comes out of the tap? And if it is, what process do you use to take cistern water and make it into drinking water? I know there's really no reason to worry about what you'd flush the toilet with. But things like washing the dishes or cooking, I'm a little more fussy.

Maybe there have already been threads that I haven't seen yet where this has been hashed and rehashed. (?) 

Anyway, I'd be interested in learning more in case I may have need of that information in the future.

FWIW, I could see the value in a simple cistern type setup used for something like a drip irrigation system as well as water for household needs.


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2014)

There was a nice article in BackWoods last month about making a rain collection cistern - but nothing addressed how to make it drinkable after storage...


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I do not even attempt to heat my house until the overnight lows are 40f or below. I wear cloths and socks in the house. If I have to, I wear a sweater or a sweatshirt. It's comfy to me. The only reason I ever worry about heating my whole house is to keep my pipes from freezing, and then my only concern is to keep it above freezing. The price you pay for indoor plumbing! I'm on city water right now, but consciously use less than 10 gallon of water a day for cooking, bathing, and hygiene. When I lived on the mountain I had rain barrels and used less than 7 gallons of potable water a week. I do two loads of laundry per week and line dry. The only thing I leave plugged in is my fridge and my freezer. Everything else is unplugged when not in use. I never have more than two lights burning at a time and my bulbs are LED. My power bill is around $62 a month for gas and electric. I cook all of my meals at home, and usually cook larger meals so that I only actually cook around 3 times a week. The only canned goods I buy are tomatoes, and sometimes beans. The only boxed food I buy is pasta. I use a buck stove insert and burn wood when it gets really cold, and I cook on top of the stove when it is available. 

I spent a winter in WV with no heat, 8 years off the grid, and the last several years with no running water. I am now in the lap of luxury , but I can't break the not wasting water habit. LOL! I usually use less than 5 gal to shower, and if I take a longer shower I flush toilets less. Living in town they charge you for use and disposal, I pay the minimum every month.  and I HATE paying for power! During the hot SC summers, I use a window unit in my bedroom when I go to bed at night on those REALLY hot nights. I do use a fan, and stay outside a lot, and do the vast majority of my cooking outside in the summer. I have a small, countertop oven that I use outside for baking cornbread and such and it use surprisingly little electricity.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

TraciInTexas said:


> There was a nice article in BackWoods last month about making a rain collection cistern - *but nothing addressed how to make it drinkable after storage..*.


4 easy steps:

1. Keep the collection tank in the dark...either underground or in a building with no daylight. That is how I have my storage tanks for my spring, two 1500gallon plastic tanks, takes a 10x20 building. Nothing ever grows in them. I do have to drain them and clean out fine silt from my spring about every 5-8 years. I wash the inside down with a bleach solution at the end of cleanup.

2. Put a washable sediment filter on the outlet side of the tank(s)...something like this, with a 100-200 mesh screen inside. It can be washed off and re-used nearly indefinitely. This will take out any larger 'stuff'.










3. Then put 5 micron whole house filter on the house side of the sediment filter. That will take out about anything you can see, and is a requirement for step 4

4. Put a UV 'sterilight' system in line last. The UV light will kill off any bacteria that might be in the water. A 5-6gpm (gallons per minute) will handle most households. Price the BULBS when you price the light system, because they need to be replaced about once a year, so that is going to be an ongoing expense. Buy the system that doesn't gouge you on bulbs. Also, don't buy too large a rated system (more gpm than you really need), because the bulbs are more expensive.

http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/wond...q-OcyMECFbPm7AodYi0A8g#item=UV002330&tab=tab1


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Many people here in the Ozarks have cisterns. There was one here on this homestead which I regret filling in with trash. Could have been replastered. Water trucks haul water for a very reasonable price. Wells are 600+ feet here so very expensive. We were lucky to get a very good well but we also discovered that one of our ponds is spring fed. My son and his buddy rode their horses all over the county and know all the locations of good springs. Might be useful knowledge in hard times. The old timers talk about sometime in the 50's that drought was so bad they had to haul water for miles and cut tree boughs to feed their cattle.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Use a black tank that is designed for use with potable water. Don't get the white tanks. You don't have to cover them. I always site mine where it is close to the downspout. Install a roof washer like this one...Figure 2: http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/U/UNP-0026/UNP-0026.html

I do not go through the hassle of doing lots of filtration. I use the water as it comes from the tank for everything except drinking and cooking. I filter or distill that water. If you are really worried that for some reason in your closed system you have something scary in your tank....put in a cup or two of bleach from time to time. Most folks in other parts of the world only purify their drinking water.

Collect your rainwater off of a metal or concrete roof. Do not collect off of asphalt shingles.

Best set up I had was a house in Mexico with a flat roof. Rainwater was directed off of the roof down to a tank on the ground. Then I used a 12 volt water pump to pump the water back up to a small tank on the roof so that I had gravity feed water. I always try to use gravity water if I can. If that isn't an option for you a standard shallow well type pump with pressure bladder should do fine.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Good cistern info!! Thanks!! 

Sounds like one of the bigger challenges might actually be locating a large tank or tanks suitable for holding the water. 

TNAndy, I did wonder just how you'd clean a tank that size. Do they have access holes where you can get in there to spray a cleaning solution?


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

You can get them at Tractor Supply and many other farm type stores. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/water-storage-tank-1000-gal?cm_vc=-10005

The lid on top screws off. There is also a threaded opening at the bottom so that a spigot or gate valve can be installed.

The big thing with using rainwater catchment....just like many other things....is to learn how to conserve. However, when I lived out in the desert I know folks that had overflowing water tanks during the monsoons and would take really long luxuriant showers at that time.

If you want to figure out how much rainwater you can potentially collect take the footprint of your house and multipy it by .6. That is the total number of gallons you can harvest per inch of rain. Let's say your house is 30' X 50'....1500 sq ft. Per inch of rain you could collect 900 gallons of water. Then you need to look at how much water you expect to use, how many inches of rainfall you receive and how frequently you receive that rain. You will want to size your tanks according to the time of the year when you receive the least rainfall. You may need to have more gallons of storage available or reduce your usage to fit your needs.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Two words eliminate clutter. I'm still attempting to master that. 9 kids makes that hard to do.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

TxMex said:


> You can get them at Tractor Supply and many other farm type stores. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/water-storage-tank-1000-gal?cm_vc=-10005
> 
> The lid on top screws off. There is also a threaded opening at the bottom so that a spigot or gate valve can be installed.
> 
> ...




I have one of these. I have it hooked to the animals auto waterers so I don't have to worry about them running out during our pretty frequent power outages. Nothing worse than coming home from work and finding all the animals almost out of water on a 110 degree day. We lost 6 rabbits that day. I have a water hose stuck in the top with a timer on it. It runs 10 minutes a day and keeps the tank full. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/storage-tank-1550-gal-65-in-h-x-87-in-dia?cm_vc=-10005


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