Building a 1000 liter rain collection system without buying a thing - One step ahead for the CRYPTOFARM
Little by little, the cryptofarm project is moving forward towards where we are headed. In the last days I accomplished what I perceive as an important step: a rain collection system. I put together a 1000 liter water tank and I connected several pipes to the one that collects rain from the roof. Most significant, I did everything with materials I found in the house - I didn't buy a single thing!
I'm not writing a step-by-step tutorial about how to do it; what struck me is how many things we can build and create without the need of money to purchase it!
At first, when I thought at a water tank, I look for a 1000 liter water tank like this:
The thing is that in this moment I'm saving money for other purposes.... ...and a water tank may not be that expensive, but I didn't know how to bring it to my house, as it doesn't fit in my car.
That's when imagination comes into play.
I acknowledge @cryptowife for having supported me in build one by myself. In Chile, where she is from, this is a rather common approach/mentality: when you are lacking something you find a way to build it by yourself. In Italy, on the contrary, I was raised with the idea that you have to work a little bit more, to have the money to buy what you need.
Now, from time to time, I feel free to implement one or the other approach - when I need something. Sometimes I find a way to earn more, sometimes - like in this case - I build it by myself!
"Why don't you use that tarp that we bought last year for open-air markets?" she went on.
"No, how can that possibly work?!" I said. But then I thought: "The tarp is a 3x3 meter square; if I fold it three times I can create a 1000 liter cube, as I wanted!".
I dismantled the old composter and used the pallets to create a one cubic meter space
Than I folded the tarp and tied it to the pallets 
Then it was time to create the pipe system from the roof to the water tank. My mother once gave me a 10 meter long soft plastic pipe. But I couldn't fix it at the wall.
I went in my neighbor cellar and found a lot of metal pipes. As he told me that he was about to throw away all the things he had in there, I felt free to take what I needed. I could then fix the metal pipes to the wall and connect them with the plastic soft pipe I had. To fix the metal pipes to the stone wall I use some tent pegs that my uncle gave me few weeks ago. "Everything is useful to us" I said when I received his gift.
Eventually...voilà!!!
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That's a novel way to store water :) How well would the tarp hold up to the water pressure, are there any leak/seepage issues?
Yes, it's all I could imagine :-) It's been more than three weeks now since it's not raining, so the honest answer to your second question is: I don't know yet. But I promise to post here every update.
As for the pressure issue, I designed it in a way where the pressure is on the pallets, not on the tarp.
Thanks for replying, I'll keep watching :)
So, it felt a light rain , eventually. The pipe system needs serious improvements as it leaks in two parts. The water tank works better than I thought: it seems like it doesn't leak, thought it collected just 50 liter, so the pressure is still relatively low.
It's a good start though :)
It is :)
If it works it works....If it's free its better!
Indeed! Whether it will works or not, I'll tell you as soon as it will rain. May be I'll have to do some tinkering/small adjustments.