Looks simple to use alright - would be interested in reading some external reviews and water safety analysis.
Thanks for the link.

Water and heat, my two favorite things.
I have operated my home on pure rain water since 1999( maybe 1998). Your bleach and purification tablets are great for camping or short term use but for the day to day, month to month use, and for myself what is now becoming decade to decade use pure soft rain water can not be beat.
I have a well, but I spent years fighting the rust, hardness,and smell. I was a sucker, and spent thousands on recomended products, and chemicals that never worked fully.The rain water falls on the roof then goes (via the gutters) straight to a barrel under the gutters, this barrel is my pre filter, and collection point .Above the barrel is nothing more than a couple layers of window sheer cloth. The barrel empties by way of 3 inch pvc pipe to a below grade cistern.
I pump up water from the cistern( roughly 5000 gallon) to 3, 225 gallon tanks in the basement as needed. The pressure pump takes this water through a filter and then to the house plumbing.On to my second decade now with out any problem.In fact it was the second best thing I have ever done regarding independance for my home .If any of you have ever suffered through bad rusty unuseable water you understand the damage it can do.

analog man,
Good system. When my eaves were blocked during a rain storm this summer and I saw the volume of water pouring over the edge of the trough we ran to put some empty garbage bins to collect the water to avoid washing away all the dirt near the foundation. 3 bins filled in less than a few minutes. Impressive amount of water that we lose off this large, nicely angled collecting plane 😉

Adding water collection to next years projects.

Thanks for the information.

Nice little system! I like something simpler like the bucket system for collecting rainwater... wonder what kind of filters are in there? Might be good for filtering and finishing with bleach or aqua tabs for the final step?

billyrubin,
Yes it is impressive how much water comes off the roof.From memory of when I set it up, one inch of rainfall nets me 800+ gallons into the cistern, and my home is just a average bungalow, I suspect all these big macmansions being built could collect much more. I believe conservation is far more important though. One tip for storing your collected rain water is (assuming your using a cistern) to float bubble wrap on the surface.I have two 4 foot wide by 20 foot long pieces on mine.I did have trouble finding such a size, and had to buy a roll of it at the time but it was worth it. Keeping your water cool,dark and not in contact with the air has worked well for me.

paintergirl,
You are from Victoria, I cant imagine that much storage would be required as from what I remember it often rains there:)

Clean water is about the most important thing to your health and survival. Treat it as such.
Once rainwater contacts your roof it could be washing all kinds of contaminants into your water, bird and rodent droppings plus crap from the shingles themselves.
Or at some kind of system that dumps the first bunch of water collected that would have the majority of contaminants- the name escapes me at the moment.......first flush maybe...
Rainwater is a great option, it's basically distilled water for free.

Get a decent gravity system like a Berkey for your drinking water.
They may seem expensive but are the cheapest per gallon. You really only need the filters themselves, you can make up containers yourself if you think they're too expensive.
This Aqua pail is $60 for 400 gallons. A $70 Berkey filter element will filter a couple of thousand gallons.

Looks simple to use alright - would be interested in reading some external reviews and water safety analysis.
Thanks for the link.

I don't know much about the scientific details of the AquaPail, but I trust one of the companies that carry it.

I contacted this particular company about a canned water I found that claimed to have a 30 year shelf life to see if they would carry it. They told me that they would not be comfortable carrying such a product without seeing and/or doing their own scientific research into the safety of the water. So if this same company is willinig to carry and sell the AquaPail (and they do) then its my guess its definitely a solid product and safe to use.

We all seem to trust Berkey and Brita Water filters, I don't know anything about their scientific results either but as others trust their products we all seem to as well. So the Aqua Pail for me is the same leap of faith.

At my retreat/weekend getaway, I have a good well and a third of a mile of riverfront. While I do have hepa water filters and a couple of ceramic water filters, I recognize that they have a finite life span. I also have plenty of chlorine bleach for water treatment and of course I can boil it. If something happens that means years of TEOTWAWKI then I believe that you should also know how to make your own filters. There are a lot of sites on how to make your own charcoal water filters. I am currently acquiring all the parts needed for a still. Even a still won't remove chemical contaminants if you don't do it right, so you have to be careful how you do it. The nice thing about the still is that it can be used for extracting plant oils too.
Since there may not be any stores if you need to replace your commercially produced water filters, I'm always interested in new methods of doing it for myself. So, anyone who has more ideas for water feel free, it's valuable knowledge for us all.

I think Alberta is a special case for water. Development of the tar sands and natural gas fracturing is polluting a lot of the ground water and your climate seems to be getting drier. Large rainwater storage might be the best direction for long term.

Water purification methods should be tested against local issues. Perfessor has a great point.

Local resource extraction and industry creates risks not found in other areas. If you're in Timmins, the gold mining's cyanide leach heaping will present different problems that a Fort Mac oilsand and gas extraction which will be different than Toronto's lead pipe contamination or a Walkerton's agricultural pollution. The best point about perfessors comments on rainwater is that rainwater for the most part is the same wherever you go, so your methods of collecting, treating and storing are useful to everyone on this board.

paintergirl,
You are from Victoria, I cant imagine that much storage would be required as from what I remember it often rains there:)

Very true, lol, it is after all, the "wet" coast ... I am always fascinated with various filtering and desalination methods. We are getting our yearly 'tea cup' of snow right now... well, it is more then a teacup today and slowed things down with all the ice and steep hills. I have been watching wide-eyed people slide by my home with their brakes locked down our road that would would probably make a terrific bob sled run at this moment!

In this threads Orgional Post I mentioned a product called the Aqua Pail.

Here is the products Home Site. Any one interested in Specs or details everything you need should be here:
http://www.aquapail.com/

I recently found a site on google about how to drill your own water well. It was a method developed by the U.S. Cavalry in the 1800's for hand drilling shallow wells when they were on patrols. The site is called The Water Well Helpline. The only thing I would do differently is to get rid of the sledge hammer. Instead, I would go to a welder and have them make a size appropriate post pounder.