Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

[jkindredpdx]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Has anyone plumbed their deck scuppers to facilitate collection? I would think to a small barrel or tank but not directly to the water tanks.

wouldn't that collect too much seawater?

[crazyoldboatguy]

Originally Posted by jkindredpdx

wouldn't that collect too much seawater?

If I am sitting in a quiet anchorage and it starts to rain, where is the salt water going to come from?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Has anyone plumbed their deck scuppers to facilitate collection? I would think to a small barrel or tank but not directly to the water tanks.

It was at a time common in UK built boats to have deck collection leave the boat thru inboard scuppers and then onwards to an outlet mounted thru the topsides. I have seen a Rival 36 fit out like this and again an Oyster 68.

In any such boat, you simply add a re-directing valve and a hose to that tank and you are done.

Can be retrofitted into nearly any boat.

It takes a moment before the rain washes off the salt though.

b.

[GulfportBarb]

We used to live on the Big Island of Hawaii and used water catchment for all our water needs. After filtering, used a UV light to kill parasites and also treated our catchment tank with 35% food quality H2O2 every two weeks (instead of chlorine bleach). Had our water tested by an independent lab and it had 0% cultures of bacteria, parasites, etc. not sure how to translate this system onto a sailboat - BTW we were also on solar/battery power supplemented by generators to recharge batteries in the rainy winter months. Check out this pub from the U of Hawaii http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by GulfportBarb

We used to live on the Big Island of Hawaii and used water catchment for all our water needs. After filtering, used a UV light to kill parasites and also treated our catchment tank with 35% food quality H2O2 every two weeks (instead of chlorine bleach). Had our water tested by an independent lab and it had 0% cultures of bacteria, parasites, etc. not sure how to translate this system onto a sailboat - BTW we were also on solar/battery power supplemented by generators to recharge batteries in the rainy winter months. Check out this pub from the U of Hawaii http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf

Awesome link Barb !

[a64pilot]

A furling boom looks remarkably like a rain gutter, My furling boom has a .5" drain hole, since it's canted forward at 87 degrees, all water flows out of this hole, when the main is up and its raining, the amount of water pouring out of that hole looks like it's coming out of a garden hose.
I think I'll tap that hole for a hose fitting, you never know when it might come in handy.

[sparrowhawk1]

Here's my system start with some filter material that's made for aquariums then it goes into a five gallon bucket which also allows any sediment to collect on the bottom then there's a strainer and inside of that there's more filter. If you look at the first filter, the one under the shackle you can see that there's some sediment, that's from the pollution in the air so I don't put it in my main tanks unless that filter is perfectly clean and then I will filter 2 more times with a .5 micron filter followed by .05 micron filter. But I am comfortable using it for my solar shower and watering my garden and using it to clean. I have separate containers to store it in. PS I have a solar panel Bimini that I plan on putting a gutter around I just need to think about it for maybe one more year : ). I forgot to say that the hose is connected to a shurflo pump standard water pump for pressure water systems and the bilge pump switch activates it when the bucket is full. I took the hose out of the bucket for the photo.

[Blue Crab]

So you're collecting right off the deck it appears to me. That's the biggest collector available obviously. So some of the sediment is incidental to shoes, birds, and "dust in the wind." After 3 filterings it's still not potable? Are you hauling drinking water or treating the collected stuff?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A furling boom looks remarkably like a rain gutter, My furling boom has a .5" drain hole, since it's canted forward at 87 degrees, all water flows out of this hole, when the main is up and its raining, the amount of water pouring out of that hole looks like it's coming out of a garden hose.
I think I'll tap that hole for a hose fitting, you never know when it might come in handy.

I hang a bucket at the goose-neck.. works a treat..

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

So you're collecting right off the deck it appears to me. That's the biggest collector available obviously. So some of the sediment is incidental to shoes, birds, and "dust in the wind." After 3 filterings it's still not potable? Are you hauling drinking water or treating the collected stuff?

I always let the rain wash the decks off before I start collecting. and maybe it's overkill but I make sure the pre filter is clean before I start putting the water in my tank. there's actually four filters all together, there's one more in the strainer in the bottom of the hose, just a little bit of that aquarium floss. ( I only use all four when I'm putting it in my main tanks) and yes I have access to city water which I put in separate 3 gallon tanks. it makes it easier to transport and for drinking it stays fresh. but I have lived solely on rain water before. I have a center cockpit boat with fairly high gunnels running three quarters of the deck to where I collect it. Edit. Since I'm filtering it with a .05 micron filter I don't don't treat it.

[Blue Crab]

Thx. Not treating is a plus for sure. As an experiment, i have access to well water right alongshore. I installed a household sediment filter and drink it since it tastes fine. I'm probably gonna die someday.

[sparrowhawk1]

Well water can be the best water ever the problem is you never know unless its tested. I would suggest using a .05 micron filter. it eliminates 99.9% of almost anything. I use it on city water too. the reason I use the 5 micron before it is that they're very cheap and it makes the more expensive .05 last longer.

Another benefit to having five gallon bucket collecting runoff is that it drizzled all last night and I was able to fill up my solar shower this morning pumping directly into it.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I hang a bucket at the goose-neck.. works a treat..

I'm thinking tap and add a male hose connection, then if I needed the water, just hook the hose up and put in the tank. Since this is a back up plan, not used except in dire straits, I won't worry too much with filtering.
You can see how much of a rain gutter this thing is, water just pours out of the drain hole

[phoenix-marie]

I'm hoping to use my homemade stackpack to collect water. We had no measurable rain last time we went Washington to Hawaii, and may not again (we leave summer 2016), but south from there we should. Has anyone else tried this?

[colemj]

We don't use our stack pack to collect water, but a lot of water sure pours out of it everytime it rains. And that is with the zipper closed.

Mark