
In our off-grid home, we chose to capture all our water directly from the roof. Since we reuse the water three times, we can sustain our needs with minimal precipitation. Our storage system has a capacity of 5,000 gallons, which allows us to go up to 100 days without rain when the cisterns are full.
The cisterns are interconnected and gravity-fed through a 2-inch pipe, which then reduces to a 1-inch pipe. From there, the water passes through a filter before reaching a DC pump that pressurizes it into a pressure tank for household use. After the pump, the water goes through two additional filters to remove sediment and bacteria before being delivered to the main faucets.
For drinking water, we have separate spouts in each sink. These spouts utilize three additional filters to ensure all bacteria is eliminated, providing safe, clean water for consumption. This system allows us to make the most of fresh rainwater and snowmelt for daily use.
One major benefit of this setup is that we avoid the need to pump water from a deep well. Additionally, the naturally soft rainwater is gentle on the skin, making showers a refreshing and skin-friendly experience.