DIY Home Water Filtration System: Rainwater Harvesting with a Biological Sand Filter and Maintenance
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Our off grid home water filtration system is built on-site with 0.35mm filter sand and IBC totes. This advanced DIY rainwater harvesting system design is gravity fed and a resilient way to establish water security in uncertain times. Maintenance is super easy and very infrequent. We use a series of three rainwater harvesting tanks made from IBC totes as the rainwater collection tank, with a biosand slow sand filter tank design and 10,000 gallon underground rainwater cistern.
In this video, we explain the design using a 3D sketchup model that shows the details of our residential rainwater collection system that uses a biological slow sand filter (biosand filter). My goal was to build the best low maintenance drinking water filter for residential use. Most biosand filters are manual use and not automated. I show you how I was able to design and install a rainwater harvesting system at home using primitive sand filter media and create the ultimate solution to water scarcity. Our rainwater system is a site-built underground concrete cistern that utilizes the foundation walls of our storage shed (with a concrete floor and concrete tank floor) to hold 10,000 gallons of clean rainwater.
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#rainwater
#waterfilter
#cistern 
Хобби
how many years have you filtered water through the system?
H A Z M A T i say three years in this video, but it’s actually two years after I looked at the time stamp on some of the old photos. It takes about two weeks to “grow” the biological layer on top of the sand filter to get the full 99% purifying qualities of this filter.
I've been living off biosand filter water systems, solely, since 2012. This system WORKS for drinking water, and with this gravity-fed underground cistern design, it works to provide all domestic water needs!
HeirloomBuilders thank you. Would you say that this type of system would work well in an equatorial climate, say Costa Rica? Meaning does the biolayer get affected by temperatures
@@TheoSmith249 Biosand filters work great in tropical climates like Costa Rica. The bio layer does freeze in extremely cold temps.
I’m also from Costa Rica and would like to give it a try. Interested in sharing ideas too..
in 1999 we bought a farm in Perry county, Arkansas. the water system was water pumped from our 1 acre STOCK POND(used by horses, cows, goats, dogs, a donkey, etc.... to drink from and wade in) to a 2 chamber sand filter and then pumped directly into the house to drink, shower, flush etc... the filter was 1 large rectangular tank with a divider going to within 4 inches from the bottom and filled to within 8 inches from the top with SAND on one side and only 12 inches deep on the other side. a submersible pump in the pond pumped to the high sand side through a float valve on the side of the tank. from there the water filtered down to the bottom and up into the other side of the tank and the height was the same as the other side. water was piped from the clean side via the intake pipe from a jet pump that went up the outside of the tank over the edge and down into the tank about a foot, where a screen was attached.
this sand filter was originally used to filter the well water, but the water table was low, because the highway department had blasted the old bridge and water was flowing from our well out the side of the bank and into the river! we didnt have much water used the filter to filter pond water!
before i moved in 2006, we put 3 IBC tanks side beside in a basement addition and then used REVERSE OSMOSIS and DC POWERED UV LAMPS IN HOME MADE MANIFOLD.
Intermediate Bulk Container, for anyone thinking of using these, make sure you get food grade. Many of these totes are used to transport chemicals that can leech into the plastic and contaminate the water.
Adam Gregory good point. Thanks for that clarification!
This is absolutely an amazing video and really appreciated. I wish there was one video showing it actually being built for the newer people trying to do this to copy how it is done.
SUPERIOR video ... especially for us off-gridders! Thank you! :o)
You are a practical genius!!! Thanks!!!
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching!
I have shared your collection system - hope you don't mind. Best I have seen thus far.
@@rongray4118 thank you! I’m developing a slight revision to make it even better. Plans for the revision will be available on our website soon www.heirloombuilders.com
Awesome. One improvement is to divert the "first flush" of water off the roof. Eliminate the dust and pollen and then collect the cleaner water. I dont know the details but they can be basic.
exactly what I was thinking as well. We are very dusty in our mountain area and it does a great job for collecting excess debris and material. The water can be used for garden - problem solved!
The first flush which are sold which can only take 10l are joke. I also think about first flush, but I believe it should be 50 gallons for the first flush. But for now I have 60l drum full of gravel for filtering. The top gravel is 4-8mm. It is not a filter. I call it a sediment trap. I will see how lond this will work. I hope I won't need first flush. If it will last 3 years befroe I need to clean up then no need for the first flush.
Excellent brother thank you so much for sharing, looks like a pre-filter for debris will need to be installed in my future system.
Excellent work my friend and thanks again for sharing!
May God bless you and yours always
Thank you! The pre-filter is really important to reduce maintenance. Good luck and God bless
This is the first video I’ve seen if yours. I’m looking forward to checking out more of your vids. Awesome content! Inspiring stuff
HipHopHead91 thanks!!! Here’s one you may like...ruclips.net/video/VsEkffcEbp4/видео.html
welcome aboard!
Great video. Great design. And you actually respond to comments. A+.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 😁
Thanks for sharing your insight!🙏 Very informative!!!..
This is wonderful! You’ve done an amazing job! This is exactly what I was looking for! Now the only problem is convincing my parents to let me do this lol
Thanks, Leah! Start small (a sand filter housed inside a 55 gallon barrel would produce enough water for your whole family). Cheers!
Good explanation of a slow sand water filter. Very professional set up. Nice deep sand bed.
We've Been using slow sand filters here since 2007. The oldest filter from 2007 is still working, crystal clear pure water. These filters work!!!!
Thanks, Dave! Glad to hear your system is still doing well. Where are you located?
Northwest Washington state
So cool and effective!
Great Design!
Lucky to have seen it in person...a totally amazing system!!😀
The Honest Carpenter thought about your advice a lot making this video: about breaking each of these systems into smaller chunks. Now that I’ve got this system overview video knocked out, I think I’m ready to make shorter vids about each component! Thanks for watching!
@@HeirloomBuilders Hey, I’d love to see that! I am convinced that this is the off grid system I need to build but have a lot of assumptions about its detailed design that need to be answered. Thanks so much for this GREAT video!
Thanks for the kind words. This system performs really well. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Any ideas for specific topics I should cover in the next video?
Hey Mike, Plans are finally available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Awesome! Thanks for sharing that 👍🏻
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful.
Excellent ! This is a genuis way of saving our planet it is desperately needed ! Our corrupt politicians are doing a terrible job at saving the environment while good hearted citizens like yourself are trying to help the earth. I don't know why but it makes me cry and I'm not an emotional person but we as a country are in terrible shape ! Thank you !
We have to take it upon ourselves to create the future we want to see.
I'm coming to you when I get my home built. This is awesome 👍
Sounds good to me! Holler if you have any questions in the meantime.
I love this system. And I've worked for years on a group scheme. We supply around 2000 people in our community with drinking water using slow sand filters.
Slow sand filters requires regular cleaning. You should turn off the inlet from the raw water allow the sand filter to work until the sand is dry then with a scraper remove the top layer of dirt. But do not rake or dig into the sand more than necessary, as the top couple of inches of sand, thanks to the bacteria there in, is in fact doing the majority of the cleaning. This should be done periodically.
Hi, so the only maintenance for the filter tank is just to remove the scum off the top and leave the rest undisturbed?
You got it! Its the lowest maintenance of any system I know. As long as you can keep debris and pollen out of the raw water that feeds into the sand filter, the maintenance schedule will be VERY minimal. For us, that means cleaning the vortex mesh strainer every couple of rain events (which takes about 60 seconds).
I fully intend, and have made plans to build this at our off grid property in Washington.
I love your design and plan to emulate it.
That’s great! This is the best design I could come up with after years of experimenting with gravity sand filters. And it works really well. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions during the build.
If you need additional details, plans are now available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Bravo good sir!
This is awesome 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I've seen a couple gravity fed systems and I think yours would work really good on my property very similar to slightly hilly terrain
smashed the liked button ... good stuff.
Thanks for watching 👍
GENIUS!!! Exciting! Fascinating. I hope you were able to get the frog out of there. I'd think it would clog up your system too. You have a beautiful home!!!
Thanks C J!!! The frog lives in there and eats mosquito larvae!
@@HeirloomBuilders Cool...you've thought of EVERYTHING!!! Amazing. Love it!!! I'm glad I discovered your channel today. I look forward to seeing more. Thank you for sharing with all of us out here.
I like this system. One day.......=)
I live Hawaii will try.
Perhaps, you need to setup automatic backwash using the filtered rainwater on months when you have excess rains. Set up using a smaller stronger vessel like the swimming pool filtering vessel so that the left 120 gallon tote can be used for storing filtered water. Add an inline pump and an enclosed smaller vessel (with associated valves to direct flow direction) for sand filter that can be backwashed under pressure. The agitation of the backwashing action can remove a lot. Schedule it during the rain event. You would need a decent capacity pump to push all the flocs out. The pool guy can recommend a good pump.
The discharge line should be drained away from your house foundation so as not to compromise the foundation. Good design nevertheless 👍
NO, do NOT backwash a slow sand filter! This disturbs the biological activity and mixes the materials which ruins the filter. Backwash is suitable only for a fast sand filter, like a pool filter. That kind of filter is only doing mechanical filteration.
@@Sylvan_dB Good catch. A lot of people don't appreciate the different action of a slow sand filter compared with the more common fast same filters used for pools.
No entendí nada porque no se inglés, pero muchas gracias 🙏 por la información, las imágenes de su vídeo me ayudarán mucho en mi proyecto. gracias por el tiempo que dedicó para hacer el video
De nada
I would love to see an outline/idea/plan if how you can use and reuse water for an of grid house.
I may have missed this in the video:
What is the appropriate rate of filtration through the sand filter?
How long would it take for the full raw water tank to be filtered ( if the post filtration tank was empty) ?
Really enjoyed you explaining your system, just what I was looking for. To help with the pollen problem you could try a first flush system sized according to your roof. It is size such that the first minute or so of rain rinses your roof and that water is discarded then the rest of the water is automatically diverted into your filter. You adjust the speed of the drain for your first flush tank so that all the rest of the rain for the same day goes to your filter. But the first flush tank empties in about 12 to 24 hours and then automatically resets to catch the next first flush rinse. It is actually a simple and low maintenance valve to build.
I know there is a cistern under my house and there is a very small door on the floor of my basement. There is a what I believe is a catchment system in front and back of the house (there are layers of rocks and pebble in both places). What I have no idea of is how am I supposed to access the water. It's not like I can ask the builder, the house is close to 100 years old and the previous owner never even notice the door. Very interesting video. I was thinking of how to increase my own system. (I'm just a 74 year old woman, not an expert builder.) They sell those big containers, less than a mile from my house.
If the cistern is still collecting water - a sump pump that can be manually turned on can push water to the filter and storage (IBC) totes.
@@rongray4118 It's in my plans, my issue is that I would need that water tested. My house was build 100 years ago (great shape) I actually have two large blue water barrels in my basement in addition to other water contaners.
@@carmenortiz5294 very smart to have water on hand for an emergency!
@@carmenortiz5294 you should have a few companies/testing labs in your area that can test the water. It is a very standard practice in rural areas. If you call your local/ County Health Administration - they can tell you who the certified testing companies are.
@@rongray4118 Thanks. I'm paranoid, I also have them all alround the house. Every few years we have a drought and are not supposed to use city water to water plants.
Sorry if I didn't catch this detail in your excellent video but what is the flow rate through the filter. I think your containers are one metre cubes so the surface area of the filter is one meter squared. How many litres/gallons an hour do you have passing through? Thanks for posting. A really inspiring build. I especially like the lack of electric pumps. I am also off grid (down in Panama) and want to add a slow sand filter to my system. Edit: just watched again and caught 4 gallons in 20 mins.
Hey Logan. Love your videos. And great setup here!
I plan to do something very similar with my off grid setup. Only thing is I’m near Vancouver Canada, so will have to incorporate freeze protection.
You mentioned uploading more details/specs of the design. I’d be very keen to get my hands on those if and when you do that.
Again great content and keep it up!
Cheers
Welcome aboard, Jordan! This system is about as freeze proof as I can think to make it. But i'm sure if I lived in Vancouver, I'd be thinking of how to keep the whole system enclosed and completely protected from freezing. Do you have a basement?
I've got the plans for this system pretty close to finished, just need to dimension and label the details. I'll reach out when they're available.
Cheers!
@@HeirloomBuilders Thanks man! Looking forward to seeing them.
No basement on my setup. I’m leasing a spot so everything I’m doing is mobile/modular. I’m considering insulating a 20’ shipping container and building in a main holding tank/cistern with a potable vinyl liner and false walls. With enough space left over m to add in your 3 tote bio sand setup.
Will be a little more effort and dollars then simple black outdoor poly tanks, but should last the test of time I figure.
@@jaydubb411 sounds like a good plan!
@@HeirloomBuilders Hey Logan. Curious to know what sort of liner you used for the 10,000 gallon cistern? I'm looking at a few different options for my modified shipping container cistern...looking for a liner that will last the test of time.
@@jaydubb411 I don’t have a liner in the concrete cistern. But I’ve thought about lining it with copper sheet - just couldn’t stomach the cost. The concrete doesn’t leak so far
Hi, simple design that works well. Thank you. One question, could you explain please.
Where is inlet to the second cube, at the bottom? And then water is filtering while moving to top? Or it is just flowing on top of sand and if yes where is, in this case, mechanical filtering process made? Or no mechanical filterimg just bacteria work?
Thank you in advance
Very good video, I like the idea of the iOS and filter, my problem is in Texas we get about half our rain in the spring and half in the fall , usually in bursts, so I wouldn’t get the 300 gallons filtered before I get more rain, so I would have to dump the overflow. Great idea though! I use ozone and a paper filter to clean my water, more maintenance than yours but it can take the bursts of rain that we have here in centralTexas.
Nice! Rainwater harvesting is different in every region. The biosand filter in this video would work for you if you had a larger surge tank capacity than the 300 gallon IBC tote we use. The filter will clean 288 gallons in 24 hours, which works well for the southeast. But actually we’ve been sending the surge tank overflow to the 10,000 gallon cistern also so we don’t have to dump the overflow (we don’t drink the cistern water, only the water In the bottom 300 gallon tank that’s been biosand filtered).
Oh, I see, so you use the cistern water for your garden and plants? And use the biosand filtered water to drink? I use my rainwater for everything inside and outside.
You got it! I’m glad to hear that your setup provides all the water you need for indoor and outdoor use! You must have a giant cistern to get you through the dry seasons!?
HeirloomBuilders 12000 gallons of storage, when I planned the system ,I learned that the longest time ever recorded between rains in this area is 4 months, so 12000 gallons is way more than I need to live on for four months. Here it is in August and we have about 10000 gallons in storage. And it has been a pretty warm summer ( 25 days over 100 degrees). We should start getting some rain in September, so we are in pretty good shape.
Bob mack that’s great news! Good planning on your part 💪
I could be wrong as it was not clear the water flow but I beieve it would be benefitial if the water was going from bottom to top. I also would make a sedimaent trap so that I would clean a sediment trap but the thing with sand I do not need to clean. I have made gravel based sediment trap with 60l plastic drum. Works well, not sure how often would require cleaning. But it is better to clean 60l than IBC.
U may have answered this, but is there a way to avoid the pollen buildup? I live in Missp, there's ALWAYS pollen during the spring/ summer
That's one of the best designs I've seen so far, simple is certainly the best. Have you had any water quality test done on the drinking water and how often do you think you'll need to change the sand/gravel in the filter tank?
Thanks! We took a water sample and found no E.coli. There were very small amounts of Calcium and Sodium, which are good. The only downside is that the pH hovers around 5.7-6.0. It’s a little acidic. We have only had to sweep the top layer once a year, which removes about 1/16” of sand. At this rate, we won’t need to replace the sand for at least 15 years. In which case we just add a bag of sand.
@@HeirloomBuilders that's really good, were looking at going totally off grid in the UK where rain water isn't an issue. Our current water bills are around £600 pa so a system like this would pay for itself in a very short time.
Hi Richard, If you need them, the plans for this system are now available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Much admiration for your success with this design, clearly well thought out and executed. I'd been wondering where you got your stainless steel work done, so glad to know it is aluminum cladding, with cubic plastic water tanks inside. Do you have a first-flush diverter? I look forward to the smaller chunks with more details on the separate components.
Thanks Deborah! We had too many maintenance problems with standard first flush diverters. They need to be much more frequently cleaned in order to remove debris and do their job effectively. If they clog, they send dirty water straight to your collection tanks without the diversion, which ultimately clogs your collection tanks faster.
We use a vortex filter that I would highly recommend. Costly (~$500), but worth every penny and labor hour saved in reduced maintenance. The vortex is An open bottom canister with screen/filter side walls that harness the power of adhesion (where water "sticks" to the walls of the canister) allowing clean water to pass through the screen in and down into your collection tanks, and letting debris fall through the open bottom without creating a clog to backup the rainwater. All the debris falls out the bottom if the stainless steel screen mesh is clogged. Unfortunately you lose most rainwater collection when the screen gets clogged, but at least it doesn't clog up your tank and create maintenance liability there. We clean the mesh every 3-4 rain events (depending on the season - pollen/etc). And that is a 3 minute task each time. So it's pretty easy to keep the whole system really clean.
Hey HeirloomBuilders, Nice video and good stuff! Just want to add, have you ever thought to add the screen and the gravel setup at the top of the eavestrough as well to help even more of the junk from clogging up the valve. I think that could help big time too if you can start filtering from the top of the eaves. I would assume most of the junk could stay up there too.
Good idea. I’d have to do some thinking about how to rig that up. We love the vortex filter for first flush.
what about using a hedgehog gutter brush at least to keep the gutters free of larger debris?
Can you show the rest of the system?like from the cistern to the house, how do you pump it in? Siphon? Or with an electric pump?
Thank you so much for your video! I just purchased your plans. I have been searching and searching for where to purchase slow sand or biosand, and all I'm coming up with is premade filters. Where do you get the bags? Thanks again!
Great! The best filter sand I’ve found is at www.redflint.com
Hey! Very smart, thanks for sharing your experience and feedback. One question though, doesn't the filter need to get some water every day? I have read in a technical pdf from CAWST that water need to be poured every day to keep things running. Where you live, does it happens that it does not rain for days or weeks? How do you handle it?
Thanks again anyway
I have heard that as well, but haven’t done any testing to determine the efficacy or detrimental impacts of adding water daily. We see plenty of time between rain events where the problem would occur, but everything seems fine.
Looking forward to seeing more detailed videos on this & purchasing plans, it's excellent! For a family using this system without the additional cistern storage I'm wondering how you would keep the clean tank from becoming too full if it was piping directly into the house. Would you put another mechanical flow valve on tank #3? Thank you!
That’s a good idea! If you want to maximize your useable collection and don’t have the additional cistern beyond tank#3, then yes, put a mechanical float valve on the inlet pipe to tank #3 to keep the water in the surge tank (#1) until you need it to recharge clean water you pipe from tank#3. You would then have 600 gallons of useable water instead of just the 300 gallons in Tank#3. Does that answer the question?
@@HeirloomBuilders yes thank you for confirming!
Plans are available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Do the plans have a list for all the parts you used? I am interested in the swirling filter below the gutter
This is excellent - great system! To eliminate pollen and other debris, are you still happy with the pea gravel fix or maybe a pre-collector that once filled to a certain point would poor off to your mushroom logs and open the valve to your water filtration system?
Good suggestion. I like the pea gravel and screen. It’s stays clean for a long time and if it clogs, i still get all the water overflowing into my cistern. What you are describing sounds like a first flush diverter. I used one for a few years as a pre-filter, but they clog so often that it’s hard to keep up with cleaning. And when they clog, all the unfiltered water goes into the tank and clogs up the mechanical float valve strainer (which is harder to get to in order to clean). We use the vortex style pre-filter now. It’s the black can on top of the system that pre filters the water. If that screen clogs, it just sends water to the ground, instead of clogging the pipes in the filtration system. I’ll put a video out soon about all this.
I can see that. What I had in mind was more rudimentary, like a bucket that once it filled to a certain point would simply dump and allow the rest of the water to flow into your cistern. However, it would require manually resetting after a rain.
Hmm would think having a stretched layer(s)of cheese cloth over the top would mitigate any pollen or debris like a pre filter.
Great video. Im Looking for a little more specific technical explanation details. Do you have any documents as used in the video (drawings) you could post?
Thank you 🙏
Thanks! I will put the drawings online in the next couple weeks once I dimension everything. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Plans are finally available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Love it! Where did you get the vortex filter and how much do they cost?
Thanks!!! Send me an email and I will forward you a link to the materials for this project. Logan@heirloombuilders.com
Have you created a template of how you built your rain water filtration system. Or do you have tips on finding one.
Sorry this took me so long to get it together.....here they are: www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Mahvelous! I live on a ridge with city water. It has cost thousands of $ in maintenance and repairs. 3/4 of a mile water line a large pump with electric meter and the bills that go with it all. I have been considering a system of this nature and admire your work.
I have questions about your cistern, such as build details. Do you have a liner? Do you have a moisture problem in you shed from the storage? What kind of lid do you have on your cistern? What are you using for a water pump to the house? Looks like you have great water pressure.
Oh man! I should do a whole video addressing your questions. The cistern is my pride and joy. There is no liner, just 8” solid concrete wall. We placed concrete as the floor pitched to a drain, with rebar to tie the walls. Then formed up the walls and poured concrete. And then built a deck inside the walls, flush to the top, with plastic over it. Then poured a 4” concrete slab floor with #4 rebar at 24” on center (leaving an opening for access hatch). There’s no moisture issues in the shed, but the 1/8” steel hatch is sealed with an epdm gasket. The pump is a dankoff solar jet pump that is housed in the pump shed on the back of the house (with a 50 gallon pressure tank to keep good pressure)
@@HeirloomBuilders Please do a cistern video! 😁
What can I do in an area that freezes in winter? I have IBC tanks for livestock water, but if I don't take the banjo valves off in winter they get freeze damage. I'm in zone 7.
Hey Jennifer! Hmmm. I’ve never had them get damaged - even in the single digits F. Send me a photo of your setup with an explanation of how it works / and what is connected to what. I’m guessing you’ll need to connect a standpipe extending to the top of the IBC that drains all water out of the fitting/bulkhead without draining the whole tank full of water. Email me at logan@heirloombuilders.com
I just bought the plans… thank you! I didn’t see what type of sand we should use listed on the plans… can you advise what type of sand to use? Thank you!
I’ll send you a bill of materials with sand specs
Was a health permit required in your jurisdiction for this system? Great design.
The health department here doesn’t have a protocol for unconventional water systems, so we had to drill a well and get that tested for water quality. The wells here are very high in Manganese, which is toxic to the nervous system, especially for small Children. We built and tested this system on our own since the county health department doesn’t have a method to approve this type of system.
Hey mate, i was just wondering, what do you have on your outlet at the bottom of the ‘sand filter’ tank where the bottom level of gravel is, that stops the gravel from getting blocked up in the final water product pipe?
Hey! There is nothing there. Just an open pipe. The gravel will not block water flow.
The intermediate bulk containers you mentioned in the video - you stated that they're pretty cheap, or something like that. I haven't seen any online for less than about $500. Is this about right?
If you buy them new, they could cost as much as $500/ea. you can find them used for $100; but just make sure they only had food or something non-toxic in them originally. Mine were used for transporting olive oil.
Hi. This video is helpful. I appreciate it. What do you do about mosquitos laying their eggs in your water?
The frog eats mosquito larvae in the sand filter tank. But the clean water drinking reservoir has a screened vent that won’t allow rodents, mosquitos or any other pests inside to contaminate the water
Hello sir! This video is amazing!. But I wanna ask something, what is the software that you use in this video to make the model of rain harvesting? Thank you👍
Aqotrun Nada Thanks for the kind words! SketchUp is the software. Available free online www.sketchup.com/plans-and-pricing/sketchup-free
@@HeirloomBuilders thank you sir!!🙏
Aloha, I too am looking to do the same thing. A couple of questions: what is the material your roof is made of? Where did you get your sand from? The reason I ask is because I live on the Big Island of Hawai’i and our sand is black due to the lava. Do you think I could use it? Due you sterilize the sand and rocks before you can use them? I must say that I was skimming over RUclips all morning looking for some type of system to use to filter my rain water, when low and behold, I came across your channel. I subscribed. Mahalo (thank you).
We prefer metal roofing, copper is the best though. I’ve heard that The biosand filter will remove 99% of petroleum residues from asphalt shingles though...
As for sand, use 0.20-0.30mm sand with a high coefficient of uniformity from www.redflint.com. This is the best. We needed 25 cubic feet of filter sand and 2 cu ft of 1/4”-1/8” pea gravel, and 2 cu ft of 1/2”-1/4” gravel at the bottom. Not sure if you could use black sand, but I would think it’s probably fine if you can get the right size and uniform grain size. We don’t have to sterilize, but it takes about 2-3 weeks to grow the naturally forming biological layer that does the filtering.
volcanic sand is the best sand for water filtration!!!!
Great job, thanks very much! Does anyone know if I can use (black volcanic) sand straight off the beach, or would it be too salty/mess up the biological layer?
Do the excess surge and the excess purified run to the same cistern tank? Would that make the purified water dirty again from the excess surge merging with it?
Yes it does, the piping is set up to divert to irrigate fruit trees or flow to the buried cistern. Now it flows to the cistern, which we pump into the house for domestic purposes aside from drinking. We get our drinking water from the filtered water IBC tote
Hey! Im very interested in your design! Do you mind telling me what your roof is made out of? my concern with my galvanized steel roof is that i will be recieving a lot of heavy metals in the water such as zinc lead and cadmium. I have read many scientific journals that say the heavy metals from roof catchment can be a real problem. does your filter remove these? have you had it tested? do you use a special roof material?
The slow sand filter takes care of all the heavy metals...at least there were none present in our water when it was tested. Plans are available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
I am confused. How does the gravel on the bottom send the filtered water up through that sand again and out to the storage tank?
I apologize for my ignorance, I just cannot logically think of how.
This was one of my questions too but i forgot to ask. Doesn't look like he's still answering questions for this video. No responses to other questions asked.
What about freezing temperatures in the winter, the coldest our Temps get can be below 0°F. Will this system stay above freezing in this environment?
I would build this into an insulated and heated pump house in the far north latitudes
Bc most of the water sits in a tank before use do you filter it again before it goes into the house ?
No, it sits in a concrete cistern that helps neutralize the acidity. The water is pumped from a pipe that sits 6” above the bottom of the cistern so it doesn’t pull sediment off the bottom. The plastic tank that holds out drinking water is filtered with a tabletop filter that makes the water more alkaline.
i know this is an older video so sorry in advance! but the water kept in the cistern, would you only use that for landscaping and gardening or do you think it would be fine for farm animals too? or do you think it being unattended would breed bacteria?
The water we store in the cistern is good for everything except drinking. It would be fine for animals. Parasitic bacteria dies by attrition if left alone for awhile. If you can keep rodents and other animals out of the cistern, there will be no food for parasitic bacteria to eat.
@@HeirloomBuilders thank you! our farm family is getting large and we are looking for a more equitable solution for drinking water for our animals before we build our stables!
That was excellent! Thank you for showing us your setup.
Do you happen to know how much you ultimately have tied up in the system? And is sounds like you built yourself a giant concrete box to house the 10,000 gallons?
Have you thought about adding additional layers of filtration such as an activated charcoal layer as well as an activated bone char layer, too?
Sorry for the bombardment of questions, but your video was great, man!
Thanks Trevor! I have about $7000 in the cistern (not including the shed I built above it), which is essentially a 12x24 concrete box with baffle wall in the middle so I can have two separate 5000 gallon storage. That way I can drain one side to clean it without losing all my storage. I have thought about adding activated charcoal, but the taste is already really good and the testing I have done on the water showed no need for further amendments. Do you have experience with activated charcoal or bone char? I’ interested in the potential benefits, but don’t know enough about their application.
I have about $3600 in the biosand filter and aluminum jacket. Plus $500 for the vortex prefilter
IMNSHO, in a Slow Sand Filter, charcoal and Bone Char aren't really needed, between the purifying effects of the "Vital Layer," and the mass of sand. Yes, the mass of sand is actually purifying the water, too, bonding with many undesirable chemicals.
In a FAST Sand Filter, yes, you probably want it, because there isn't the time needed for the Bacteria and Sand to do their thing. However, in a Hybrid system...
I'm using a Fast Sand Filter, but, I'm collecting fresh rainwater, with a multi-stage system: Off the metal roof, into a bucket for settling. Over the lip of the bucket, with a piece of Paper Towel as a Capillary Filtering Wick, into a jug. From there, through my Fast Sand filter and into a 55-gal. drum. Once full, add 1/4 TEASPOON of Pool Shock (65% Calcium Hypochlorite), per drum (Double this dose if there is ANY cloudiness to the water. And if there is, WHY ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO USE IT?). Please note, my system is not automated, so, I'm tipping a fair number of jugs to fill a barrel. And yes, I chlorinate. My drinking water can be sitting for a good bit, as I am single (with cats). Oh, and Clean All Parts (With fresh wicks) at the beginning of each Harvest Session (AKA Rainfall).
Now, if I was going to use Muddy Water to start with, I'd use a Fast(ish) Sand Filter as Stage One, and then a Slow Sand Filter as Stage Two. Fast Sand Filters can be both Backwashed, or dumped and the materials washed, then added back in by size. But make sure the water is nice and clear before it goes into the Slow Sand Filter.
Or, if my Filter Size was limited to say, a 3 to 5 gallon jug, Yeah, there'd be charcoal in there.
so those plastic large water storage containers contain xenoestrogens like BPA, correct?
If the IBC tote is food grade, it’s supposed to be BPA free.
How to you get such good water pressure at the sink using gravity fed? With the main tank below ground level, how is it able to travel up to the kitchen faucet?
Another question... Did you say that if the top tank overflows, it can go down into the main storage tank in the ground? But then that water wouldn't be filtered for drinking?
Correct, the overflow goes into the 5000 gallon cistern. So everything there is only screened for debris with the vortex filter and sieve before going into the surge tank. We use water in the cistern for non-potable purposes like laundry, cleaning dishes, showering, etc. We pump it out of the cistern into a pressure tank to get pressurized water in the house. All our drinking water comes from the clean water tank at the bottom of the filtration setup.
@@HeirloomBuilders Ahhh, thank you for clearing up my confusion. Much appreciated.
What material is the cistern? Did you guys make a concrete room under the ground? Isn't that porous? I wonder how much this would cost to have a contractor do for me if I buy a rural property where wells run dry.
I built the cistern with a 6” concrete floor, 8” concrete walls and a 4” concrete lid. Is very minimally porous, and barely weeps any water through it (only one little section weeped, but not even enough to drip). We patched that with hydraulic cement. I would budget $10k-15k for a contractor built cistern with todays prices.
In some videos it looks like the out pipe up from the gravel to the tap, exits above the sand, dose it matter what hight it is when it exits the barrel?
I'm guessing the lower it is on exit, the higher the flow rate ... Dose it matter?
Thanks anyone.
The outflow pipe exits 2” above the top of the sand (so that there is 2” of standing water on top of the sand) to keep the living bio layer alive, but not so deep that oxygen has trouble diffusing into the bacterial layers beneath the surface of the water.
Brilliant, thank you. 👍
Would you consider a need to completely replace the sand in couple of years? Or do you think the bacteria will cleanse it ?
There is no need to clean anything except the top 1/8” of sand.
You said the system works in gravity. How do you get water from the systern to the house? What about freezing
Good question. The filtration and collection all happens by gravity. We pump water from the underground 10,000 gallon cistern in to the house with a jet pump and pressure tank located in the little lean-to shed on the back of the house. We’ve had lots of consecutive days in the single digit temperature (deg F), with no issues freezing. The pipes connecting the tanks together are not welded with PVC glue so they can expand without busting. That only works because the filtration/collection system is not pressurized (its gravity draining tank to tank).
at the 7:46 mark, there's what looks like a centrifugal filter. Where in your system is that, what is it called, and where did you get it? Thanks!
Hey Eddie! It’s a Wisy vortex filter. I would highly recommend it over a first flush diverter.
@@HeirloomBuilders Thanks for the info! Any idea which model you have? I see a LOT of them...
Could this system like yours be a solution for the 3 cities in Michigan with lead water?
Absolutely! I hope people start building small systems like this to treat their water
Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes at the frog
I hope she’s eating the mosquito larvae! The frog is harmless in this unfiltered biological dominant side of the filter.
Have watched this twice now and really learned a lot. - Can you explain how you get the filtered water into the holding tank for drinking water? Do you have a pump that shoots it up the pipe to go into the holding tank etc.
Hey Stephen! Barometric pressure “pulls” water from the bottom up through the 1” pipe and into the holding tank as more water is added to the unfiltered area on top. It’s kinda one-in/one-out. Hard to explain, but the clean water inside the pipe coming from the bottom of the filter always stays at the level of the water coming in from the surge tank, and so it spills out to the clean water holding tank
@@HeirloomBuilders ah! So need pump needed!
@@StephenOwings correct. No pump necessary!!!
@@HeirloomBuilders awesome! Do you happen to have like a set by set how you setup your system. I am familiar with the tanks but typically they do not have big openings, so I find it hard getting it all setup. Did you just cut in a bigger opening ?
@@StephenOwings yes. We just cut a bigger opening in the top (on the surge tank and the filter tank - places where it doesn’t matter too much if bugs, frogs, etc explore the tank. The clean water tank we keep sealed up. Working on a step by step plan....
@HeirloomBuilders - Did you line your in-ground concrete cistern? Or what did you do to finish it on the interior?
No liner, just 8” thick solid concrete walls. There were a few small points that weep/leak a little bit that I patched/plastered with hydraulic cement
@@HeirloomBuilders excellent! We’re about to build a rainwater catchment and a straw bale cabin in the southern Ozarks of Missouri. Found your channel and binge watched almost all the vids on straw bale and pole barn framing. Excellent info! Thanks for responding so quickly! Gratitude! Brian + Erin
@@BEAdventurePartners awesome! Best of luck to you on your building adventure.
Hey bro. Can it freeze?
Thanks for posting. Your system is excellent. Could you share the details of the filter design?
Hey Glenn! I'm hoping to get that info online really soon. I have it all detailed in SketchUp. Just need to make time to film a decent video.
Also, see minute 4:00 in this video for a filter design review.
@@HeirloomBuilders awesome! I have done some detailed reading of sand filters and the water quality reports of scientific studies is excellent. I'm convinced this is the route I want to go. I like your design because of its throughput. Much faster than other models I've seen.
@@gpooleii Glad to hear that you concluded the same. After living with the biological slow sand filter for 8 years, I can 100% support it. The key to the high output is the wide surface area of filtration on the top layer of an IBC tote (~13 sq ft). And a surge tank as big as you need to sustain long periods of drought.
Hey Glenn, if you need the details, plans are now available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale/rainwater
Any chance you can go over the sand IBC in detail so I would be able to replicate this?
Hi Joe, detailed plans are available online at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale
If you divert the unfiltered rainwater overflowfrom surge tank to your cistern, wouldn't that defy the purpose of your filter rainwater that is stored there?
Yes and no. Diverting the unfiltered rainwater to the cistern makes all the water considered to be unfiltered. However, we only use the cistern water for showers, laundry, and cleaning dishes. We don’t drink water from the cistern, but the fact that any solids settle to the bottom and any pathogens that may be there die by attrition (they run out of hosts to parasitize), I would drink the water there if needed. We boil that cistern water for coffee since it’s less acidic from sitting in the concrete cistern. But our drinking water comes from the IBC Tote that’s on the bottom of the filtration stack.
did you not put a ''first flush'' device at the start of the down spout.?
Good question. We use a Wisy vortex filter that keeps ALL debris (except for pollen) out of the tanks.
Why might you divert the overflow, unfiltered rainwater into your larger holding tank under the shed?
We divert all the overflow water to the cistern under the shed because we only have 300 gallon rain surge/holding tank. Most of the rain storms we get produce rain faster than the surge tank and sand filter can process it, so we would lose most of the rain if it didn’t flow into the cistern. We could fix this by making a huge 2000 gallon surge tank, but since we only use water in the cistern for showering,laundry, etc, we don’t need it to be sand filtered. We drink water from the lower IBC tote (filtered water) tank only.
Hello...Thanks for this video! I am taking on a project and I'd love to get your guidance if possible
@russtre you’re welcome! The best way to reach me for dedicated and thoughtful guidance is to book a consultation online heirloombuildersinc.as.me/schedule.php. I look forward to hearing more about your project.
do you have a resource than can help with an urban collection system? i collect off a 9,000 ft roof. you have pollen. I am plagued with pollen size dirt caught by the rain in Indianapolis. all sorts of reasons why the dirt is in the air. my 500 mesh filter was getting clogged with each rain. I'd install a sand filter but that will get like your pollen problem with every rain.
Are the solids/dirt suspended in the water for long periods of time? What is your end use of the water? Seems like a huge collection tank that can allow the solids to settle before draining to a filtration system might be a good solution.
Thank you for this video. I';m going off grid in Hawaii, and would love to do this system. My only issue is that the water tank is above ground there. I would love to buy a copy of these plans from you, if you sell them. Thanks
You’re welcome, Eddie! Plans are available at www.heirloombuilders.com/designs-for-sale
@@HeirloomBuilders Yeah, I saw that after I posted.... duh me. LOL
Already ordered plans. Thank you.
Do you test your water, or have you? My wife of course is skeptical that this works. (I know it does), but if there was some test results of before vs after, that might alleviate her fears.
@@eddieco thanks for the order! We tested our water a couple years ago: it showed no coliform bacteria and only small amounts of calcium and sodium (both which are good things). Feel free to email me for a copy of the test results logan@heirloombuilders.com
@@HeirloomBuilders Thanks Logan! I sent an email.
@@HeirloomBuilders sent you an email
Also wanted to ask. The vortex filter. I don't see a link in the description as to where you got it. So, where did you get it? LOL
What keeps water in sand tank from back flushing into top tank?
The float valve. Once the water fills up the valve to to the top tank shuts.
In order for the water to be treated doesn't it need to sink down through the sand and gravel media before flowing into the next tank?
For sure. The clean water outlet pipe starts at the bottom of the filter tank, goes up to the surface and turns 90 degrees out to the clean water tank (make sure the 90 fitting is glued or soldered together to isolate it from the dirty water at the top of the filter bed)
Ah ok. The outlet pipe was not in the diagram so I couldn’t tell. Thanks man! Great system!
I’ve built a 10,000 gallon storage cistern that I need to put a liner in. I’m going to be using this water for everything, including drinking. What type of liner did you use in your cistern?
Hey Carson! I didn’t put a liner in the cistern. I just made sure that the concrete was pure (no fly ash) and that all my seams were tight. Fortunately I don’t have any leaks. The alkaline concrete helps neutralize the acidic rainwater. If you have some leaks, you can try hydraulic cement to patch them, or a NSF food safe silicone caulking. Copper sheet would be really expensive, plastic or EPDM may not be food safe.
@@HeirloomBuilders thanks man! I have found a company that makes food grade vinyl swimming pool liners in custom sizes. I think that’s the route I’m going. I was just interested in what you had used. I haven’t found many people that built a block cistern!
@@casonknipe3961 who is the company that makes those liners?
@@HeirloomBuilders I’m going through a local swimming pool company but the manufacturer of the liner is Fab-seal in Oklahoma. I have contact info if you want.
That was amazing. I want to try that. Why build a concrete cistern? Is that cheaper than buying an underground one?
I built a concrete cistern for a couple reasons. 1. It also serves as the foundation for a storage shed 2. The basic pH nature of concrete helps neutralize the acidity of the rainwater. Since I provided all the labor to build it, the concrete cistern was a little cheaper than buying plastic tanks
@@HeirloomBuilders I see. That's interesting. Now all I need is a video showing me how to fill 10,000 gallons of water storage from rain and surface catchment in an area that gets 7" of moisture per year and I'm all set. Thanks!
@@HeirloomBuilders Do you have plans available for sale for the concrete cistern?
@@maverickgood5204 no, unfortunately we dont have plans available for the cistern
Would putting cheese cloth over where the water feeds in keep pollen out? Or would it back up the water in a heavy rain?
How do you keep it from freezing in the winter?
Everything that holds water has room for the water to expand when it freezes. Drain piping exposed to open air is also not glued
can i use the output water to my hydroponics system?
Absolutely!
So the water flows in from collection, then down through the sand all the way to the gravel base. Does it then saturate the sand rise back up through the sand and is clean? What keeps the water from collection mixing with the water on top of the sand?
Oh once its saturated the water level rises and closes the float switch. Does that float shut off the collection and open the path to clean water tank?
Does it really clean the water in mere minutes?
Drew Sanders good question. See Minute 4:15. The dirty water flows down through the sand bed and the clean filtered water is picked up by a pipe at the bottom (buried in the gravel) and goes up to a 90 elbow in the pipe at 2” above the top of sand bed that then spills out into the clean water storage tank.
HeirloomBuilders Oh okay, thank you for clearing that up. Does the sand ever need to be changed?
Drew Sanders the top biological layer needs to be cleaned every year or two (to remove pollen/etc), which takes off 1/16” of sand. So I’ll probably need to add a 50 pound bag of sand every 15 years or so.
Is the aluminum jacket welded or fastened? I imagine the biosand filter takes care of any mosquito larvae or nesting? Are you using 2 grades of sand? A fine on top with a course beneath? Thank you so much.
can you drain the biological filter during the winter months?
Sure, but if you do that, you’ll need to re colonize the beneficial bacteria layer again before the filter will operate with full efficacy. That process takes a couple weeks
Is that the schmutzdecke that you are removing? Thanks.
Some of it gets removed yes, most of it stays in tact.
Hi, I was just wondering, how do you filter out chemicals??
Most chemicals are filtered out by the sand by way of forces I don’t fully understand. I’m thinking about adding a layer of charcoal to filter some of the more man-made “forever chemicals”.