Self-sufficiency . . . have you thought about it?

[Rosalind]

Is one type of roofing material better than others for runoff storage?

I would think regular asphalt shingles would not produce the cleanest water in the whole wide world. Maybe metal with baked-on enamel?

I'm just thinking, I need a new roof--it's scheduled to be replaced in 2009. I also have a swimming pool. Per the chart momsgarden linked to, my roof runoff could easily fill the swimming pool if I directed it to a cistern. The pool is on the side of the house, so I'd have to direct rain runoff to a cistern, then hook a hose to the cistern. I do have a convenient hedge and privacy fencing around the pool, hacking a gap in the wilderness there and putting a cistern should not be a huge difficulty. Keeping the pool filled in summer is rather spendy.

How do you keep the skeeters out of a rain cistern? Obviously I can't add goldfish or BT if I'm putting the water in the pool. Make as many openings skeeter-tight as possible, then make sure any vents are covered in secure screening?

 

[1acrefarm]

I think the metal roofing would be better but not absolutely necessary. It should definitely give you the side benefit of lasting longer. It is a costly initial investment though. As far as keeping mosquitoes out of the cistern I am sure they make screens for that. In the past I have used copper brillo pad as a rain barrel filter and that kept the mosquitoes out as well as some roof sediment. If you have a high water table and your soil is not terribly rocky a drivepoint well could be less of an investment than rain water collection. I would research both before I made a decision. If you are worried about stray roof sediment getting in your pool you could set it up where the water goes through your filter while filling pool. I am no expert just throwing out ideas.

 

[patandchickens]

Roof material can be a real concern, esp. if you're using the water for a garden or for drinking. Galvanized roofing can leach problematic amounts of zinc. Painted steel roofs may have questionmarks regarding stuff from the paint. Asphalt roofs leach various Nasty Stuff. I *think* fiberglas is supposed to be pretty ok as long as well filtered before drinking but do not quote mew, that is just a stray memory. There is a pretty good WWW-accessible body of literature on pros cons and tradeoffs of different roofing materials for water collection - it is absolutely something to look into before deciding.

Screening keeps moquitos (pretty much) out.

It is worth rigging up a dump-bucket system like they often use in the tropics (you may have to remove it for winter, or disable it, up here where things freeze) that will automatically discard the first portion of roof runoff when a rain event starts. This will minimize the amount of dust, bird poop, etc that goes into your "usin'" water supply. I bet you could find designs online by googling, or I have seen plans in 'eco friendly housing' type books aimed at desert or tropics-dwellers.


Pat

 

[Settin'_Pretty]

This has been a great discussion, I enjoyed it very much.
One thing about catching run off water that is being over looked.....
one word.....
Evaporation!
Most of what you save has evaporated by the time the dry spell hits and you need it.
Been there done that, it's a PITA to manage and the advantages are questionable at best.

Now... I'm not saying don't do it, just don't expect great results.
If you catch 10,000 gallons of water, don't expect to have 10,000 in reserve when you need it, it just aint-a-gonna happen.

I guess I'm "cheap" too, anything I can do to save a buck and live better, I try to always make as an option for myself.
I believe it's not how much $ a person makes that matters but how much they spend.
If a person buys a $30 garden hose every year because he is too lazy to roll the one he has up and put it away for winter, then he just WASTED $90 over the next 3 years that I would have used to to put about 45 chickens in my freezer, if you get my drift.

People don't consider the cost of things in their day to day lives anymore.
I don't believe it's possible to live completely self sufficiently, but I believe a person can live almost debt free and eat well at the same time.

 

[OCMG]

I for one want to provide for my family in a self sufficient manner. This means growing my own food--be it vegetable or fruit, or animals to provide meat and eggs. It lessens our dependence on commercialism. No one can do without it (commercialism) completely. I am not a pioneer. I do not want to be a pioneer.

This is my goal. I weish I could be a pioneer. I have chickens and eggs duh. I plant veggies and fruit and store them in my 2 freezers to enjoy all winter. I even have enough to share which is always a good thing.
I have managed to pay off my house and two cars, not bragging, and have no debt at all. I have bills like all of us do. I think that is why we cannot be fully self sufficient with the government hanging over us.

I just saw on tv a good way to see how much stupid spending we do. Keep a little pad in your pocket or purse and write down every cent you spend.
I do not deny myself anything really but it becomes a game, how long can I put off spending money?
I began to realize how much I wasted every day.

Here is a nice site you might like to look at.

http://www.self-sufficient-life.com/?hop=tankay&type=nohop

I didn't read all the posts here so I hope I didn't repeat anything someone said.
If I can only get used to eating my chickens I would be fine.

 

[valmom]

Very interesting post to spend my morning reading- thank you all for the civil intelligent discussion. (so many times internet "discussions" degenerate)

I don't think in today's society that it is feasible to be self-sufficient entirely. It is a worthwhile goal to limit one's footprint on the earth as much as one can or is willing to. It is hard when one person in the family wants to conserve and one likes to consume. So, I have my chickens (which SO has almost entirely taken over) and I put in my veggies (if the snow would ever melt) and I dream of a greenhouse sort of way of extending my growing season. I would love to put up solar panals and connect them to the grid- up here it isn't really terribly feasible to get off the grid. Wind isn't constant enough unless you are on a ridge(and then the winters are awful), sun tends to disappear for a week or so at a time in the winter. But, it would be cool to see my electric meter run backwards. In Vermont the power company is required to "buy" self-produced electricity.

I started experimenting with canning last year- my blueberry jam was such a success I am going to make more this year, even though I still have two small jars left that I am sort of hoarding. I wanted to do tomatoes, but they really didn't do well last year, and at the end of the fall they were still all green. Very few ripened in a timely fashion- I still don't really know why. I want a pressure cooker this year so I can can more and not have to worry about botulism...

Self- sufficiency is fun for me. I spin, knit, and quilt. I know how to weave, but don't have time or space for a loom. I like producing my own food with no chemicals added, and no hormones. It is a hobby that I don't expect to support myself with, but it makes me feel good that I have a little bit of breathing space if everything in this country goes south suddenly. I have the know how to do it, just not the time right now.

 

[quadcam79]

this is my site on sustainable living http://www.backyardtechnology.com/technofarming/index.php