Water Catching

[BobFord]

I am impressed with the amount of rain on the Coral Coast , Australia. To save on diesel for the watermaker , I need to use a water catcher. I did this years ago , using Sunbrella , but there seemed to be a residule taste of ' plastic'. Hey Guys !, do you have a recommendation for the type of fabric that dosen't "taste of plastic ".?

[Hasbeen]

I used Hypalon for a water catching foredeck awning, which doubled as a water catcher & a wind scoop for the forward hatch. Hypalon will stand the Queensland sun for years. We used it for the hood of the Happy Bay Shark cat. I had to resew it twice in 9 years as the terylene sail cloth thread deteriorated full time in the sun, but the Hypalon fabric was still perfect.


The important thing is to use beverage hose, definitely not garden hose. I used a couple of inches of 1/2" brass threaded tube in the approximate center of the awning, which weighed it down enough for the water to gather, & ran the beverage hose back to the water tank. Just a couple of minutes rain cleared any salt, then the water was good.



In 6 years in the Pacific islands I did not once have to carry water. I did sometimes on the reef as rainfall is not that regular in winter.

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by Hasbeen

The important thing is to use beverage hose, definitely not garden hose. I used a couple of inches of 1/2" brass threaded tube in the approximate center of the awning, which weighed it down enough for the water to gather, & ran the beverage hose back to the water tank. Just a couple of minutes rain cleared any salt, then the water was good.

This.

Something you may want to consider as well is that Sunbrella is processed with formaldehyde. Probably not enough left in the cloth the affect you, but there are alternatives such as Sauleda from Spain who do not use formaldehyde.

[Statistical]

If you don't already have one get a carbon filter on your freshwater system. I wouldn't try to carbon filter the rainwater directly as it isn't pressurized just put it into the tank and carbon filter the drinking water as you use it.