Rainwater Harvesting in Arizona

[estación seca]

Mosquitos can be bad here, too. That's why I cover everything. The trash barrels come with tight covers.

I have mosquito fish (Gambusia) and American flag fish (Jordanella floridae) in my outdoor pond all year. So long as it doesn't freeze solid they make it through the winter. Goldfish don't eat mosquito larvae. I found that out the first year I had a pond.

[gngrhill]

I don't have too much of a mosquito problem in my saved water because I use "mosquito dunks" in all my containers. Keeps the larvae from maturing. I do, however, have much "natural" wet areas around my house so mosquitos are rampant outside.
Mosquito dunks also keep the fungus gnats under control. They can't reproduce in the medium if your water has mosquito dunks in it. I float one in all my water containers and haven't had a fungus gnat in 2 years

[James O]

Well I live in an apartment so I collect rain water at my allotment (local government supplied plot of land for growing vegetables)

It rains a lot in England....... I collected 2000l / 528gal in the first 3 weeks of October

[estación seca]

I've been told that's why the English were such great explorers.

[James O]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I've been told that's why the English were such great explorers.

We just went out to check that we weren't the wettest place on earth and it all got a bit out of hand

Mrs O and myself will be visiting in Tucson shortly to get a head start on summer....if we get one at all

[wintergirl]

Just before it rains I turn a gutter "valve" so rain empties into a big covered barrell. I then take buckets of water and pour it into gallon jugs. I never run out because it always seems to rain in time and I have a lot of jugs.

[estación seca]

A friend married an English lady and brought her from London to live in Phoenix in June about 30 years ago. I asked her how she liked it. She replied she'd seen more sunshine in 2 weeks in Phoenix than in 26 years in London.

[UserName]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Great idea! We have a very low pitched roof and while we have gutters, our roofing material is not suitable for collection, sadly. I really need to get ahold of my sarcastic sense of humor.

Perhaps rain chains on trees or something/s? Here is an item on do-it-yourself rain chaining.

DIY Rain Chain Using Spoons | Backyard Projects - Birds and Blooms

[wintergirl]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Great idea! We have a very low pitched roof and while we have gutters, our roofing material is not suitable for collection, sadly. I really need to get ahold of my sarcastic sense of humor.

Since I use water from my roof I do run it through a filter. I found a large bag type filter on line a few years back. Maybe you could try that.

Something like this: Pentek BP-420-1 20" Bag Filter Sale $5.95

I hold the bag while my husband pours the water though the bag into another bucket. Then we fill our gallon jugs. Most of the particles from the roof sink to the bottom of the barrel anyway but this is an extra measure.