Do you know how much water you’ll need to survive if you’re ever caught truly off-grid? The US government says you need 1 gallon of water, per person, every 3 days, just to survive. Their recommended water guidelines?
- One gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation (children, nursing mothers, and sick people may need more water).
- A medical emergency might require additional water.
- If you live in a warm-weather climate more water may be necessary. In very hot temperatures, water needs can double.
- Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person.
That’s … I mean, that’s just a bunch of water. How are you going to get all the water you and your family needs if you’re off the grid at your cabin/cottage? One good idea might be to look into making a rain catch- and our sister site, Sustainablog, just gave us 4 great DIY ways to do that.
Originally published on Sustainablog.
Just over four years ago, one of our writers, Ziggy, published a quick post on a plan for building a diy rain barrel. This post still gets some traction, but this is a topic I’ve kept an eye on, and realized there are many, many more plans out there… and one of them might work better for your needs.
Ultimately, all rain barrels are pretty much the same: a container with connection points for a downspout (to take in the water) and hoses (to use the water/release overflow). From there, you could just use your imagination. Or, you could try out one of these plans that I found…
4 Plans for a DIY Rain Barrel
1. The Mother Earth News Plan: Because why would you call it anything else – that’s automatic DIY credibility. Excerpted from DIY Projects for the Self-Sufficient Homeowner, this plan provides lots of details, but also gives you leeway for different types of containers.
2. The Wine Barrel Rain Collector: Want something a little classier than plastic? If you can find a wooden wine cask, here’s a plan from Instructables for turning it into a rain barrel. (via Treehugger)
3. The Double Barrel System: Probably the most complex system on this list, this plan from The Family Handyman uses two trashcans, a wooden stand, and a bit more complex plumbing than the plans above.
4. The World’s Simplest and Cheapest DIY Rain Barrel: Fine with a very no-frills system? Then here’s the plan for you (in the video below)! I’d want to add just a bit more plumbing for using the water, but even that wouldn’t add much to the cost or difficulty.
Again, pretty much everything here is just a matter of variations on pretty simple concepts. If you don’t see what you want here, check out Pinterest or Instructables … lots of other choices available.
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