The Brain Dump

There is some concern about using rain water to water vegetables due to potential chemical leaching from asphalt roof tiles (the most popular roofing material in the US). Most people seem afraid of any lawsuits if they state that water collected from an asphalt roof is safe to use on edible fruits and vegetables and it turns out it's not safe at some point down the road. Until someone can step forward and take that responsibility of declaring the water safe, it makes sense to try and take some precautions even though there are plenty of people who have been doing it for years without any adverse effects. A first flush contraption is supposed to divert the first bit of water that washes off your roof (presumably containing organic contaminants and non-organic contaminants such as melted/leached asphalt based chemicals) and capture it. DIY First flush holds about 1 quart of water parts list: 3/4" slip X 3/4" slip X 3/4" FPT 3/4" galvanized nipple ...

Several people have warned me that using a rain barrel to drive a drip irrigation system is not possible due to insufficient pressure.  I didn't want to believe this so I decided to try it for myself on the off-chance that I do something that those other people have not tried. My drip irrigation test will use ONLY drip emitter tubing because it is cheaper than any other type of emitter available and because wetting the leaves of my plants with a spray or mist only wastes water and increases the chances of disease on the leaves. Reality check: 100 1/2 gph drip emitters  = $25 100 ft roll of 1/2 gph drip tubing with 6" spacing  (200 emitters) = $22 Since most drip irrigation requires a pressure reducer to work properly, why not use a 0 psi rain barrel?  As long as the water source (rain barrel spigot) is higher than the end of the tubing, gravity will ensure that water comes out the other end.   Since the rain barrel is very close to 0 psi, we nee...