rain water catchment

Tamsun · Senior Member

rain water catchment

Possum3 · Guru

Catching rain off the awning can be done, simply be dropping one corner of the awing creating a low point with run-off into a clean container (plastic keg with a wide mouth funnel is our choice).

The awning must be kept dust and (most importantly) bird dropping free.

There are loops available at most camping outlets that will allow you to form a gutter out of the flap at awning edge - there are even rigs that dam the "gutter" with hose fitting outlet allowing water to be redirected by hose straight into tank. Gadgets for the sake of gadgets in my opinion.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Morning Tamsun, I slope my awning to one end and have a funnel set up that end with tube going into 10lt containers. I let it rain for five minutes then start saving it through a folded toewel before entering container. I then transfer containers into the aluminium teepee via a 12v water pump and through a BEST filter.

I slope to the end opposite to spring release end as the water after a while causes problems with the spring etc.

Have been doing this for 6 years now when need to and works well. I don't worry about the roof of the actual teepee though.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

Tamsun · Senior Member

Thanks for this advice! I had read that using the awning is good however im a little concerned as the awnings can be very temperamental (easily broken) and shouldn't be left out with any slight wind, moderate rain etc. Would you just put the awning up if not windy and raining a little heavier? Sorry I'm complete newbie! lol

Possum3 · Guru

Always, but always, no exceptions - Use guy ropes to hold down awnings even if only putting up for short break - Sudden gust of wind is common in Australia and awning replacement can be expensive and is always inconvenient.

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Hi TamSun,
X2 on the above.
Someone also manufactures a gutter that attaches on the back of the van. The water ran from it via a hose & click connectors but you have to know the top is clean.
The tilting of the awning is the easiest. When we had the Eagle camper, it only had a 50L tank - fortunately it rained on one of our camps - after which I fitted an emergency tank.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Tamsun wrote:
Thanks for this advice! I had read that using the awning is good however im a little concerned as the awnings can be very temperamental (easily broken) and shouldn't be left out with any slight wind, moderate rain etc. Would you just put the awning up if not windy and raining a little heavier? Sorry I'm complete newbie! lol

My set up

017 (5) - Copy .jpg

Tamsun · Senior Member

Thanks so much people this is really great advice. I really like the idea of the gutter on the back of the van but will also look into the ropes. Many thanks

Jaahn · Guru

Hi smile

I am interested in this topic too but currently do not catch water. My thoughts about the merits of catching it off the roof Vs the awning is this. The awning is usually rolled up and stays cleaner when travelling and casual parking under trees etc and can be seen easily before using it for water. With a MH it is not easy to see the roof at all, so it is hard to say what is on it ?? Having looked at it at home it is usually dirty and I would not drink off it.

Jaahn

iana · Guru

Being a permanent traveler, I have thought about this, and have decided the effort was not worth the result. The main rain is in the winter, and usually there is plenty of water. When there is rain there is usually wind (gusts) so the awning is brought in, during the summer when we want water, there is no rain. But take a look at the roof of the van, just in case you catch some water, dust and Bird Sh-t galore. Not for me at the moment.

Sarco Harris · Senior Member

I am on a rural residential block.

ALL my house water is rain water. It falls from the sky, washes down the roof, into the down pipes and into the tanks (2 X 25,000lts). I do have a first flush diverter, but only on the water coming from the house, the water coming from the garage/shed just runs into the tanks.

All the down pipes have a strainer in them, which I clean out after each heavy downpour, and while I do clean out the gutters a few times a year the water is otherwise untreated.

I think people have a lot more concerns about "rain water" than is warranted.

If I was next door to a mine or something similar it may be a different consideration.

Whenarewethere · Guru

The best drinking water I had was in Sydney off the roof, no filters, possums, birds, hugh angophora over the roof, it was really soft water, never got sick. 2 x 5000 litre tanks mostly used for the garden.

Tony LEE · Guru

Need to calculate how much rain you need on the roof area to harvest a given amount of water because I doubt whether it would be worth the trouble. I did try it when we were in Norway years ago, but the water coming off the awning tasted too plastic ky to be usable

Mike Harding · Guru

Tomorrow, here in central Victoria, we are expecting 15mm of rain; I shall use two 44L plastic boxes to catch about 80L from my, sloped, caravan awning and use that to do my laundry.

As others have said; guying the awning with robust ropes and pegs is essential. I only close my awning for winds exceeding 30kph (gusting up to about 60kph) - so far so good :)

dogbox · Guru

having had the experience of cleaning a few water tanks an seen what has accumulated in them over the years one would think that the water would be toxic, but we washed ,cooked an drank it without any ill effects an that was before there was anything like first flush diversions were available

oldbloke · Guru

Sarco Harris wrote:
I am on a rural residential block.

ALL my house water is rain water. It falls from the sky, washes down the roof, into the down pipes and into the tanks (2 X 25,000lts). I do have a first flush diverter, but only on the water coming from the house, the water coming from the garage/shed just runs into the tanks.

All the down pipes have a strainer in them, which I clean out after each heavy downpour, and while I do clean out the gutters a few times a year the water is otherwise untreated.

I think people have a lot more concerns about "rain water" than is warranted.

If I was next door to a mine or something similar it may be a different consideration.

+2 I collected about 15ltrs off the roof of the van a couple of days ago. Let it stand for 30minutes and straight in the tank.

People worry a bit much I think.

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

The only time that I recall people had to get rid of tank water was in the the Ceduna area mouse plague in the early 80s. They turned the water bad & the poor blighters that got mice into their tanks had to let the lot go!

I can still smell the mice in the Penong telephone exchange/Post Office!!! There were many dead ones in the walls. Mice were everywhere, including in the hospital - up the curtains, in sheets! I never want to see that again!