REAL MAN TRUCKWORKS & SURVIVAL
TOOLS, CONSTRUCTION, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY => What are you building? => Topic started by: stewie on February 17, 2017, 07:29:22 PM
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the last storm to pound texas had me rethink how i am collecting water. i was running a down spout from a 24x12 roof that collected water from the roof above it (~20x24') that was connected to a 3/4th inch garden hose. There was a major bottle neck which caused a lot of water to be lost. I upgraded it all to 2" pvc and built in shut off valves for each tank.
Total cost was about ~$40.
It took roughly 2 hours to do and frankly can't wait for it to be tested in a storm.
right now i am using paracord to hold the piping along the edge of the railing as i wasnt sure how all the parts would come together when @ home depot. I need to mount brackets now.
IN HINDSIGHT.
- i should have added a relieve valve if the tanks were both full. what will happen is either the water will bubble up from the tops of the tanks OR from the intake funnel at the end of the downspout. The funnel is kind of a relief in a way.
- instead of a 90 degree elbow at the end i should have capped the end to allow for easier daisy chaining in the future.
BEFORE
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/281874C7-50D5-4639-AE37-B3624769468D_zpst4xkgldm.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/281874C7-50D5-4639-AE37-B3624769468D_zpst4xkgldm.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/DD4E06D3-6522-4EEA-84AB-0FC162E58FC6_zpsn4seammb.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/DD4E06D3-6522-4EEA-84AB-0FC162E58FC6_zpsn4seammb.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/2643A7D9-6C8A-42DF-8B1F-E61F40DBEBD1_zpssx8mjghn.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/2643A7D9-6C8A-42DF-8B1F-E61F40DBEBD1_zpssx8mjghn.jpg.html)
AFTER
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/7F66418F-B0DE-43A5-9A8A-909DB28C774C_zpseyvg2g48.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/7F66418F-B0DE-43A5-9A8A-909DB28C774C_zpseyvg2g48.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/E89A12DA-AB33-4F23-A1F4-8B10751CE54C_zpsjblhnggc.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/E89A12DA-AB33-4F23-A1F4-8B10751CE54C_zpsjblhnggc.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/389167CC-EC22-422C-AF4D-3861A0BFC5A8_zpsaozgew5q.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/389167CC-EC22-422C-AF4D-3861A0BFC5A8_zpsaozgew5q.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/156B903A-0C75-41F1-BFC2-ED8CAC2F1F7D_zpswhjirxhx.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/156B903A-0C75-41F1-BFC2-ED8CAC2F1F7D_zpswhjirxhx.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/62789100-128B-436D-8E09-2604F913C25F_zpswkymfbix.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/62789100-128B-436D-8E09-2604F913C25F_zpswkymfbix.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/images/7F66418F-B0DE-43A5-9A8A-909DB28C774C_zpseyvg2g48.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/images/7F66418F-B0DE-43A5-9A8A-909DB28C774C_zpseyvg2g48.jpg.html)
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Much better
I doubt the 2" pipe will keep up with anything other than a moderate rain. A thunder storm dumping 7" an hour will overcome a 4" pipe.
Maybe not too late to plumb in an over flow line to tera-firma from the caps. One good gully washer and the pipes will be all backed up and the spouts/gutters might be carrying some serious weight.
I could be wrong, I am making recommendations based on what I know of rain collectin' in the Kin-Tuck Which I think every third person does.
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:likebutton:
Way to adapt & (time will tell) overcome.
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Much better
I doubt the 2" pipe will keep up with anything other than a moderate rain. A thunder storm dumping 7" an hour will overcome a 4" pipe.
Based on my kin-tuck math, the cross sectional dimension of the typical downspout 3x4 inch is 12 square inches, for a 2 in pvc, it is only 3.1415 sq in. So I'm afraid I would have to agree with Don that it might not keep up. However, if you are going from a 3/4 in hose which only has a cross section of .441 sq in, you are about seven times larger now than before. How did your previous system handle the backlog of water during a good rain? :huh:
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2" is as big as i can go really..... i based it more on the size of the surface catching the water and observation from a severe storm we had last week.
i left the piping as short as possible so the water moves into the tanks faster, and i probably could get an overflow line in, but not this weekend.
Much better
I doubt the 2" pipe will keep up with anything other than a moderate rain. A thunder storm dumping 7" an hour will overcome a 4" pipe.
Based on my kin-tuck math, the cross sectional dimension of the typical downspout 3x4 inch is 12 square inches, for a 2 in pvc, it is only 3.1415 sq in. So I'm afraid I would have to agree with Don that it might not keep up. However, if you are going from a 3/4 in hose which only has a cross section of .441 sq in, you are about seven times larger now than before. How did your previous system handle the backlog of water during a good rain? :huh:
the 3/4th caused a lot of overflow over the connection to the downspout.
1, it was indeed to small for the volume of water
2, being is i had 30 feet of garden hose with that bottlenecked at a 2 way valve into 2 more hoses. I've since cut out all that slack and bottlenecks.
storms rolling in tonight and tomorrow so im looking forward to seeing how it works.
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Or you could add a downspout at the other end of the porch and double your collection rate using more 2 inch pipe. Not having a view of the other end of the porch I don't know if that's practical
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Or you could add a downspout at the other end of the porch and double your collection rate using more 2 inch pipe. Not having a view of the other end of the porch I don't know if that's practical
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
over there is where we have the pig house, stair case, ac unit, etc so not a good spot for water collection.
i do plan to gutter the 2 sections of the roof to the left and right of the deck and pipe that water to a spot on the size of the house in a small wooded area. i could easily quadruple my water stores with that move.
This truly excites me because its an excellent move towards self sufficiency which is one of our stated goals. It's also helping to keep my yard from turning into a swamp.
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Having a plan for the overflow is a good idea but I think gutters should hold a full load of water if put up correctly. I noticed one storm water was overflowing the sides of the gutters....afterwards I went up there and a tennis ball was covering the drain (kids....sheesh...ha)....the entire length was full to the brim...36'. I pulled the tennis ball and it emptied in a flash. But it should hold the weight. Of course as with anything like this....ymmv! :laugh:
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Having a plan for the overflow is a good idea but I think gutters should hold a full load of water if put up correctly. I noticed one storm water was overflowing the sides of the gutters....afterwards I went up there and a tennis ball was covering the drain (kids....sheesh...ha)....the entire length was full to the brim...36'. I pulled the tennis ball and it emptied in a flash. But it should hold the weight. Of course as with anything like this....ymmv! :laugh:
the gutters are solid and handled the load of those monster storms a month ago. the weak point was the bottleneck to the hose.
i may add a small section to handle overflow that goes to a 3/4th garden hose out to the tank or garden area. i just need to spec out at what point do i consider the overflow to be an issue and where i put the 'valve'. will i have to manually engage it? the only way of knowing the tanks are filled is visual (them overflowing at the top).
I may find out over the next 48 hours.
:popcorn:
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Just had a thought, the plumbing looks solid which makes me wonder what happens if/when your two inch line is completely full of water heading to your tanks? Do you have an air vent to let out the increasingly pressurized air or is the tank going to have to burp eventually? Not sure what the right way to handle it would be, maybe just not tightening down the threaded fittings at the top of each tank would be enough to let the air hiss out as the water fills it up.
Also, for you overflow you could plumb a standard Tee into the section between the two tanks facing up at a small angle, should give enough resistance that the water would still follow gravity into your tanks until they are full and then just over flow from there. It would give you the opportunity to plumb in another pair of tanks there in the future if you wanted also, or just run an over flow line off to another location.
Anyway, just a couple of thoughts from a nonprofessional who thinks he knows things.
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Just had a thought, the plumbing looks solid which makes me wonder what happens if/when your two inch line is completely full of water heading to your tanks? Do you have an air vent to let out the increasingly pressurized air or is the tank going to have to burp eventually? Not sure what the right way to handle it would be, maybe just not tightening down the threaded fittings at the top of each tank would be enough to let the air hiss out as the water fills it up.
Also, for you overflow you could plumb a standard Tee into the section between the two tanks facing up at a small angle, should give enough resistance that the water would still follow gravity into your tanks until they are full and then just over flow from there. It would give you the opportunity to plumb in another pair of tanks there in the future if you wanted also, or just run an over flow line off to another location.
Anyway, just a couple of thoughts from a nonprofessional who thinks he knows things.
thats what i wanted to do. off angle a T joint in between to allow water to escape if needed.
now the pipes arent threaded into the tank openings, the 2" just slides in nice with about 1/16th all around so air can escape.
that was one of my regrets was not "teeing" off the end but using an elbow joint. i should have thought that one out better. i do have the room for 2 more ibc totes for sure and can chain another 2-4 on the side of the house.
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Just had a thought, the plumbing looks solid which makes me wonder what happens if/when your two inch line is completely full of water heading to your tanks? Do you have an air vent to let out the increasingly pressurized air or is the tank going to have to burp eventually? Not sure what the right way to handle it would be, maybe just not tightening down the threaded fittings at the top of each tank would be enough to let the air hiss out as the water fills it up.
Also, for you overflow you could plumb a standard Tee into the section between the two tanks facing up at a small angle, should give enough resistance that the water would still follow gravity into your tanks until they are full and then just over flow from there. It would give you the opportunity to plumb in another pair of tanks there in the future if you wanted also, or just run an over flow line off to another location.
Anyway, just a couple of thoughts from a nonprofessional who thinks he knows things.
I concur the tanks need to be vented to operate the best they can. I would add a 1-1/2" vent connection on the top of each tank, it will also serve as the overflow if you just leave them open to atmosphere. But connecting to the supply pipe between the tanks would only work as an overflow, this location will not provide proper venting.
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So the piping worked beautifully this morning. Tank 1 is 100% and tank 2 about 80.
The crappy thing is a tornado touched down 2 miles south of us and caused a lot of damage including knocking out power.
Good thing I have a generator and plenty of fuel. Util says power may not be on for a while.
We were spared a direct hit however it was very scary as if freight trains were rolling through our yard in the pitch black. Thanks God.
I'm almost on 48 hours no sleep.
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I take it the "thanks" is simultaneously grateful and sarcastic, lol. glad everyone is OK. Nice work btw.
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Had a few nights like that in Mn years ago. Don't miss twisters at all.
Can you run a one way valve that will allow the top couple inches to syphon out? Of course if you don't mind them being topped off its not an issue. Maybe a funnel cut to fit the fillers so the venting stays open but crud can't get into the opening you have?
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Had a few nights like that in Mn years ago. Don't miss twisters at all.
Can you run a one way valve that will allow the top couple inches to syphon out? Of course if you don't mind them being topped off its not an issue. Maybe a funnel cut to fit the fillers so the venting stays open but crud can't get into the opening you have?
im working on some improvements to it, but wont have it implemented for a while. this weekends priority is finishing up the garden and getting my sprouts in the ground.
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Stewie, what about replacing the 2 elbows right at the tank, with y-pipes. Stand the Y up, have the water enter on the angled side, and then hook a cross pipe from y to y a few inches higher, with a valve on one end for venting and overflow? you could hook a fire hose to the end and run your overflow wherever you want..?.
something similar to this:
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Stewie, what about replacing the 2 elbows right at the tank, with y-pipes. Stand the Y up, have the water enter on the angled side, and then hook a cross pipe from y to y a few inches higher, with a valve on one end for venting and overflow? you could hook a fire hose to the end and run your overflow wherever you want..?.
something similar to this:
thats a decent idea. i will keep that in mind.
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a relief valve would have been a great idea now. both of my tanks are 102% full and excess is just pouring out of the spout.
I'll be making this mod in the next few days as more rain is expected this week.
i delayed....
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Some updates to the project. I finally got the relief valve added, i am sure i will get it tested this weekend with the proposed storms. below are pics of it horizontal and then the final solution of me using the remove elbow joint to put it downward which i feel will be better to create pressure to push the water into hose. The water will drain out about 100 feet from the house into my garden area (will help further saturate the wood chips). If it doesnt work, i will run 1.5" pipe all the way out as i was planning on putting the hose inside of it already to keep it was getting destroyed by the lawn mower.
also, i added a transfer pump to the mix so i can pump water under pressure and use a hose nozzle if needed. It works VERY well.
the pics are everything test fitted, i did not glue anything as of yet.
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/buroaks/E96232C8-8537-4F79-BC3E-50EC8CCDA9F5_zpsuvadjeyz.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/buroaks/E96232C8-8537-4F79-BC3E-50EC8CCDA9F5_zpsuvadjeyz.jpg.html)
(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/buroaks/73FEC733-AB30-43DA-840E-A179C7A962AA_zpscktiqcke.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/buroaks/73FEC733-AB30-43DA-840E-A179C7A962AA_zpscktiqcke.jpg.html)
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(http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj411/fohshizzle/buroaks/92972878-EEBB-42E1-91A1-B85405248FBF_zpse30ykxwg.jpg) (http://s554.photobucket.com/user/fohshizzle/media/buroaks/92972878-EEBB-42E1-91A1-B85405248FBF_zpse30ykxwg.jpg.html)
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Thanks for sharing!
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Are you still around on here stewie?
How is this working out for you with all of this rain?
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Are you still around on here stewie?
How is this working out for you with all of this rain?
playing catchup here.
The rain system has been great, I plan to expand it this spring and when we get the new barn in place, get tanks there too so the animals can be watered for free.
photobucket sucks i need to post some new pics.