“Designing Our Off-Grid Rainwater System”
Out here on the property, water doesn’t appear from a faucet — it has to be earned. Until a well is drilled, we’ll rely on rainwater catchment to keep our RV and bathhouse supplied. This isn’t a hypothetical experiment; it’s a plan built for real-world off-grid living, with potable water for drinking and cooking, and non-potable water for showers.
Step 1: Catch the Rain
We’ll start by directing rain from the roof into tanks, but that requires a little structure work:
Gutters & Downspouts: Install along the rooflines of the bathhouse and RV shelters.
First-Flush Diverters: Each downspout will have a diverter to reject the first 0.1–0.2 inches of runoff — the dirtiest rain.
Tank Platforms: Build a sturdy, slightly elevated base for the tanks to allow pump suction and easy drainage.
Initial plan: one 500-gallon food-grade plastic tank for potable water, with the ability to add a second 500-gallon tank later. For the bathhouse shower, a separate 100–250 gallon tank will handle non-potable water.
Step 2: Filter & Purify for Potable Water
For drinking and cooking, rainwater needs protection. Our plan includes multi-stage filtration before it enters the RV holding tank:
Sediment Filter (20–5 micron): Catches grit and leaves.
Carbon Block Filter: Removes taste, odor, and organic contaminants.
Fine Hollow Fiber Filter (0.2–0.5 micron): Removes bacteria, protozoa, and other microscopic hitchhikers.
Inline UV Sterilizer: Kills any remaining microbes before water reaches the RV.
The bathhouse/shower system, on the other hand, only needs a coarse sediment filter — no UV or fine filters — since it’s non-potable.
Step 3: Move Water From Tanks to Where It’s Needed
Potable Tank → RV Holding Tank: A small 12V DC pump will draw water through the filters and UV, delivering clean drinking water on demand.
Bathhouse Tank → Shower: A separate small pump will pressurize the propane-on-demand water heater.
Future integration: If we add a second potable tank, it will manifold into the first tank, feeding the same pump for more capacity without extra complexity.
Step 4: Structures and Maintenance
Before water ever hits a filter, it needs a place to live. Our plan includes:
Tank Platforms: Raised, stable, and protected from sun exposure.
Pump & Filter Housing: Small covered shed or enclosure to protect equipment from weather and critters.
Gutter & Diverter Maintenance: Check after every storm; clean and flush first-flush chambers.
Maintenance schedule (once system is running) will be straightforward:
Clean sediment filter weekly or after heavy storms
Replace carbon and fine filters on schedule
Swap UV bulb annually
Flush and sanitize tanks 1–2 times per year
The Takeaway
This isn’t just a rain barrel — it’s a planned, layered off-grid system, built to keep potable water separate from non-potable water, scalable for growth, and ready to feed our RV and bathhouse reliably.
By structuring gutters, tanks, pumps, and filters from the start, we’ll have a system that works with minimal fuss and maximum resilience. This is planning for real off-grid living, not a fantasy — water ready when we need it, on our terms.
