When it rains I often hang something from the edge of my tarp to tighten it up and stop water pooling in the fabric.
Providing your tarp is kept reasonably clean, this rainwater could be used for cooking, washing or even drinking if treated properly.
Often what I do is hang a “Millbank” bag on the tarp with a drip line to carry the water into the bag instead of just over the edge.
This little project is for direct collection into a metal bottle and was inspired by some commercial gizmos I saw Stuart with at the weekend. It's cheap and very easy to make.
It started out as a spare lid from an old aluminium bottle that had seen better days, a small pudding basin, aluminium in this case (50p from Tesco), and a short length of tubing.
The lid has a loop in it that makes hanging the collector easy and a bit of nylon cord finishes the list.
The pudding basin is drilled in the base to fit the threaded portion of the lid.
The lid is drilled with a large hole in the top to fit the tube and some smaller holes around the lid to drain into the hollow centre of the lid.
The tube should be a tight fit and is cut long enough to clear the top of the basin when it is screwed together.
In use the cord loop attaches to the edge of the tarp and water running off the tarp follows the easiest route down the cord, filling the basin.
The small drain holes filter out larger bits like leaf debris and pine needles while the pipe, standing above the water line, will prevent the system developing an air lock.
The whole collector now acts as the weight I would normally add to tension the tarp.
The water can now be stored by replacing the undrilled bottle lid and the collector weighs only an ounce or so.
Providing your tarp is kept reasonably clean, this rainwater could be used for cooking, washing or even drinking if treated properly.
Often what I do is hang a “Millbank” bag on the tarp with a drip line to carry the water into the bag instead of just over the edge.
This little project is for direct collection into a metal bottle and was inspired by some commercial gizmos I saw Stuart with at the weekend. It's cheap and very easy to make.
It started out as a spare lid from an old aluminium bottle that had seen better days, a small pudding basin, aluminium in this case (50p from Tesco), and a short length of tubing.
The lid has a loop in it that makes hanging the collector easy and a bit of nylon cord finishes the list.
The pudding basin is drilled in the base to fit the threaded portion of the lid.
The lid is drilled with a large hole in the top to fit the tube and some smaller holes around the lid to drain into the hollow centre of the lid.
The tube should be a tight fit and is cut long enough to clear the top of the basin when it is screwed together.
In use the cord loop attaches to the edge of the tarp and water running off the tarp follows the easiest route down the cord, filling the basin.
The small drain holes filter out larger bits like leaf debris and pine needles while the pipe, standing above the water line, will prevent the system developing an air lock.
The whole collector now acts as the weight I would normally add to tension the tarp.
The water can now be stored by replacing the undrilled bottle lid and the collector weighs only an ounce or so.
