@farcedude:
If it lands on your roof or yard it should be yours, unless someone else owns the air rights over your property.

GiltProto

@hakubak: So waterless urinals are out?

Gann

I like the idea. I'm designing a greener* home right now. Nothing crazy, but this kind of idea would fit.

*I want to use less energy, but I don't want to be uncomfortable.

hakubak

Careful how you use those, as it might not be legal to collect rain water in your area unless you own your water rights (which you probably don't). This is what I've read recently (but can't remember where), so if someone knows better, please correct me.

farcedude

At 450 for just the containers, not to mention the other things you have to buy for it, I'll have to pass on this one.

Vjeszczi

"Most people don't save rainwater because they don't want a giant open bucket/mosquito-larvae farm on their porch."

Just keep a few frogs in the "bucket" and a few fish, they'll eat the larvae.

BiZarRroBALlmeR

Looks like Washington State is considering it also.

Gann

@ke6seh: Fill your basement up with these,funnel all your neighbor's water into the tanks then pump them out at high pressure at his bedroom window at, say, 3am...

Toshie

Water rights? Leave it up to Colorado to fight over water rights on one's own property.

Here, in New England, if it falls on my property, the rain is mine. Unfortunately, my neighbor lets most of the rain that falls onto his property pour onto my property so that in a heavy rain, my basement floods.

Now, if someone would just give him a bunch of these, I could have a dry basement - and I could tell him to take a flying leap.

ke6seh

@Lazarus511: Do you know if it's illegal to condense moisture out of the air, or do the laws only apply to rainfall?

Gann

@farcedude: I know here in Colorado it's illegal to prevent the rain from reaching the soil in anyway. However, you can adjust the path, thru your garden for example.

Lazarus511

I'd love to collect rainwater, but I live in California and only get a hand full of inches each year. I don't know that I could fill even one container.

AF6FB

@farcedude: It depends on where you live. Colorado is the only place I've heard of that will care, but there may be others.

Gann

Wonder how long those would take to fill up here? We only get 2.5" of rain a year...

TVGenius

Did you say....virgin polyethylene?

Nothing says "I'm being green and saving water!" like endorsing a product that has no excuse not to be made from recycled plastic.

Ridiculous.

tokiwartooth

@farcedude: It's illegal in a lot of cities, towns, or states to collect rainwater for a variety of reasons. The Seattle PI did an article ([tinyurl.com]) focusing on a farm which was running afoul of the law simply by trying to be sustainable.

Jenn2D2

Theoretically.

nygenxer

@TVGenius:

Places that only get 2.5" of rain a year tend to get in all in one storm, probably in about an hour.

So if your roof is 1200 ft^2, there's about 1870 gallons falling on your roof in that hour. These hold 47 gallons each, so you're looking at around 90 seconds to fill each one.

nygenxer

And the legality of collecting water - because the state owns ALL THE WATER THAT FALLS!? That's the sorta shit that should get governments put to the wall (and in some countries, did).

Just wait til it's privatised.

It's not so cool thinking a private company owns the rain falling on your roof.

tokiwartooth

I believe that the WTO and US government have also tied the privatizing of water (and other resources) to aid in many developing countries. It's now illegal to harvest rainwater for human consumption, irrigation, personal hygene, etc. in Boliva. And of course, the companies that own the water rights charge far more for access to the water than most people have.

whiteoak

Do a PH test first. It's largely unusable in many areas.

PenGun

So if the State says they own rainwater... If you sustain damage from rain or flood, couldn't you sue the state for their property damaging your property?

se7a7n7

Seems like you could easily create some DIY water storage units from large diameter PVC pipes for a lot less than $9.57/gallon.

nocar

Water rights? This seems pretty insane to me. Collecting rainwater in europe is nothing new, we've done it for ages. I keep mine in a 15m³ concrete tank underground. Most people use it for the garden, dishwasher, clotheswasher and flushing the toilet. My family uses it for everything except cooking. Bath, shower, brushing our teeth, ... I know this seems crazy, but the water in the tank is pretty clean. I try to keep a small ecosystem going inside, so micro-organisms break down al the nasty stuff that ends up on the bottom. I'm actually looking to install an active carbon filter, just in case a flock of birds decide to poop all over our roof, before heavy rain.

janvanhoef

@se7a7n7: I like the way you think. Its completely impossible, but I would even consider filing that lawsuit for you, just to show how stupid those laws are.

@janvanhoef: I can see everything except stuff that makes it into my mouth, i.e. the teeth brushing. I will avoid the bad teeth joke. (oops!)

I guess its no different than brushing your teeth with river or lake water, but I don't really think I would enjoy that idea either.

zenpoet

@Lazarus511:
So, don't prevent it from reaching the soil! Put them underground with a nice topsoil covering.

bagumpity

A few comments on the notes above:

- The $450 price comes down quite quickly if you order 6 or more tanks or if you are a trade buyer.
- The tanks are produced in virgin polyethylene so that they can be used for drinking water. They are green in that they can be reused time and time again and are recyclable at the end of their life. They were originally designed and produced in Australia where 100% virgin poly is the law.
- Colarado, Washinton State and Oregon are three of the States that I know of that ban rainwater harvesting. However, there is a strong move to change these laws in these States.

Every drop of water that flows down the drain is lost forever. The benefit of the HOG is that you can start small then build on your rainwater collection when time or budget permits.

deminx

"They can be linked up like Legos"

Argh. NO! It's LEGO. For the love of god, why do almost no americans get this correct?

"They can be linked up like LEGO pieces"

spindizzy

Many cities have easements against houses regarding collecting and redirecting rainwater and run-off water. This water is often collected and placed into the water reserves for a city.

BaileyFusus

@zenpoet: Trust me, my teeth are in top condition.

At first I was reluctant to use rainwater for everything. But my wife's family has done this forever. I must admit that once the water is heated, it does tend to smell a bit.

Indeed it's no different than using river or lake water and people have been doing that for tenthousands of years.

On average a family in my country uses 97000 litres (97m³) of tap water each year. We use less than 10000 litres (10m³).

janvanhoef