I want to install a capture system for the runoff from my 3 car garage roof and use it for the garden or for SHTF purposes..someday. It will give me the added benefit of being able to use a drip hose, since my current options are (a) softened salty water or (b) hard water, either of which will clog the hose pores.
I saw an Instagram in my FB feed that made a statement that stuck with me. Instead of asking yourself 'What am I going to do today; say Who am I going to be today?' So I decided I was going to be a painter today at 5:00 a.m. I had confiscated some flooring planks from a renovation going on behind my house. My inspiration was I could use them on the carriage house doors which were looking terribly bad and I hated looking at them every Monday morning on trash day. So I painted them white, drilled holes at the top and bottom, and nailed them to cover up the site I dreaded seeing ever Monday morning. I still have some planks left so I'll use them on the gate that also needs to be refreshed. That's my spontaneous RRR DIY project today. Reuse*Repurpose*Recycle
Didn’t see a reply on my alerts so sorry for the late come-back. Yep. I have plenty of room in the crawl space and the more I think about it, the idea is a feasible and worth while thing to do especially since we’ve had at least a month’s worth of drought now. So far as soapy water on plants, I recall my grandmother throwing her dishwater on her garden so I don’t think it’s a major concern and it might just keep the bugs from getting to the veggies. If I were a true prepper, I’d run the gray water through a sand / mineral filter and glean good fresh water sans the chlorine and other bad stuff in return.
I use bleach in some washing machine loads, and fabric softener in every load. So there could be other chemicals to consider beyond detergent when watering a garden.
True but in our case, we rarely use chlorine bleach and never use a fabric softener in the wash. Right now everything is on hold until I have everything ironed out in my head and then diagramed out on paper but I think there are some good possibilities.
In days gone by, po folks had tin, tile and shake roofs and the uppity folks had asphalt. Now it has reversed. If I could afford it, I’d put a tin roof on this house in a NY second.
Well, I am a fan of the painted galvanized zinc plated steel roofing and had it on my cabin back in the 70s. I think tin roofs went out before WW2. Years ago my neighbor had a shed that he sided with old tin cans, the steel ones that were tin plated. They rusted within a year so he painted it. He cut off the bottom and tops, then flattened the cans. Then he started at the bottom and applied his "tin" siding as you would do shingles or shakes. All the nails were covered by the "shingle" that went above it. He applied a thin silicon glue bead across the nailed area before applying the next "shingle" so the bottom of each shingle was secure and not bent up by the wind. I used to use old tin plated steel rectangle gallon cans for building experimental radios. The cleaned insides soldered nicely for direct grounding. Steel is hard to solder on, but add that tin plating and it solders with ease. Solder is commonly 60% tin 40% lead. My latest DIY project was installing a storm door that required so many mods that I was disgusted with myself for not embracing the beauty of the old damaged one. To further punish myself, I redid my patio with those snap together vinyl tile. Lots of bended knee and other rude degrading positions. Great DIY for youth, but it had me trying to contact the spirit of Juan Ponce de Leon and demanding he give me coordinates to the Fountain of Youth. I know the natives told him where it was located. Like most men, he didn't respond to my most reasonable request.
I saw a yt where they made shingles of aluminum cans. Rolled in the opposite direction of the way they were as cans after top and bottom cut off and cut up the side. Thinking it was a bit dangerous (sharp edges). But it looked good after finishing the shed.
I got started yesterday morning taking off the trim under the window. Of course things do not always go as expected. It was a no go with the Great Stuff because there wasn't enough space for the nozzle. So I grabbed my trusty glue gun and got to it. No air coming thru. I need to seal it on the outside where in this photo that frame is, well, it's also on the outside. The air was coming in pretty freely after I took off the trim. This is the wall that leads to the basement. I had a lot of cardboard boxes to cover all of the wall. It's not pretty. I like pretty so I'm going to use some adhesive spray and lay wallpaper over it. This is going to be permanent until it falls off so I might as well make it pretty.
For the small cracks @Von Jones you can use a screw driver or putty knife to push either fiberglass or waxed cord into the openings. Good luck with it.
Great minds think alike. That looks like what I did in my rabbit room which is like an entry between the garage and the barnhouse. We have to keep it heated in weather like this or the water/babies can freeze and it needs to be cool in the summer. It also provides insulation to the wall abutting the kitchen. And it is pretty much free!
Well, the area is much warmer than before. I can leave the basement door open and not feel the cold air in the kitchen. The adhesive spray didn't work too well so I hung it normally and used staples just in case the paste didn't set well either. I don't know how long it's going to last but it's up for now. I took some of the cardboard and secured it under the stairs and took another roll of wallpaper to cover the printing. I wanted to keep with the color I had painted the walls which coordinated well also. It's busy but I like it. Definitely an eye opener.