Water Catcher & filtering

[Caroline Joan]

We are going to make a rain catcher that hangs between Stanchions & Cabin handrails - drains straight down into water tank.
This would be for use while anchored so to avoid any sea water getting in. Just wondering whether we need to filter it.
We have filter on our faucet - would that be enough

[Paul L]

If you put a filter on it you'll see considerable black grit picked up by the filter in many places.

[geoffr]

You may want to check out the most recent practical sailor as they talked about one.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Caroline Joan

We are going to make a rain catcher that hangs between Stanchions & Cabin handrails - drains straight down into water tank.
This would be for use while anchored so to avoid any sea water getting in. Just wondering whether we need to filter it.
We have filter on our faucet - would that be enough

As an experiment, I filtered all of the rainwater from my hard top for a year. There would have been a lot of crud in the tank, growing more crud.

How clean would you like your tank? Do you wash glasses after drinking from them?

You have a filter on the faucet, but what does it actually remove? An it won't prevent clogging pipes.

Finally, you can only sanitize a clean tank with bleach. If there is dirt, all bets are off, since bleach does not penetrate dirt.

So even a simple cloth filter helps.

[alansmith]

Even one bird pooping on your tarp as u await the rain is enough to contaminate your water. You do not clearly state "what" kind of faucet filter you have. Rain water is pretty clean if your air quality is good. Think downtown Manila air quality versus bodega bay California.

Are you rinsing your tarp right before the deluge? R you using the catchment system for showers and rinsing or drinking?

Filtration IMO is mandatory if drinking it. Unless you boil it or out it through a micro filter in the galley. Who needs to get sick from bacterial or viral laden water from some bird shizzle?

[roverhi]

Caught water from our aft deck awning for more than a year cruising. Never had to schlep water from shore. Never had a problem with water quality and had no filters in the system. Took the precaution of letting the rain thoroughly rinse the tarp before draining it into tank. If you do use a filter from the catchment source, be sure it will flow water fast enough without pressure or it may end up wasting most of the water you catch before it gets to the tank.

Have a household charcoal/grit filter on current boat which is the way I'd go if you can't find a high flow input filter. The filter does restrict flow from my foot pumps. They still work, just not as well as they did with no filter in the line.

Once you get away from civilization particulate matter in the air drops way down. That is except for here in Hawaii with our volcano polluting the atmosphere

[Caroline Joan]

Thanks. I have 1 micron carbon under bench filter for drinking and cooking.

When catching rain water I don't think there will be enough pressure/flow from gravity to put a carbon type filter from catcher to tank filter on deck, maybe there is?. What are the alternatives? I actually have 3 tanks so I could keep 1 for non rain water. Each tank is 330 litres. Your help is much appreciated

[Caroline Joan]

I have 1 micron carbon under bench filter for drinking and cooking.

When catching rain water I don't think there will be enough pressure/flow from gravity to put a carbon type filter from catcher to tank filter on deck, maybe there is?. What are the alternatives? I actually have 3 tanks so I could keep 1 for non rain water. Each tank is 330 litres. Your help is much appreciated

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Caroline Joan

I have 1 micron carbon under bench filter for drinking and cooking.

When catching rain water I don't think there will be enough pressure/flow from gravity to put a carbon type filter from catcher to tank filter on deck, maybe there is?. What are the alternatives? I actually have 3 tanks so I could keep 1 for non rain water. Each tank is 330 litres. Your help is much appreciated

Carbon is really for chlorine, most of the time. All you need here is a particle filter. And it just turns out that one was invented just for this purpose. One micron, capable of handling most hoses and any down pour using gravity only. Washable too.



https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...r_11660-1.html

[Caroline Joan]

thanks - just what I'm after!