# Collecting rainwater for the animals??



## hulkamaniac (Feb 11, 2009)

I just had a bizarre idea to cut my water bill by collecting rainwater for my dogs to drink. Currently, I've got a spigot on the side of the house. They lick it and it dispenses water. I'm thinking of putting said spigot on a barrel that collects rainwater. Has anyone tried anything like this?


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

I think depeding on where you live, it may or may not be a good idea. If you live in a more developed area as opposed to way out in the middle of nowhere, there's a good chance that there will be a lot of pollution in the rainwater. The rain literally washes the smog out of the air. You wouldn't want to drink bathwater, right? Seems like sort of the same thing, in my opinion.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I've actually done a little research on this topic. My dad wanted to collect rainwater for the plants and we looked into the situation to see how far we could take it. Experts seem to agree that collected rainwater is NOT potable without treatment. Having said that, most of the experts I talked to/researched were assuming that some sort of collection system was being used, ie the rain was falling onto a roof or into a pipe and then going into the cistern for storage. Of course that water wouldn't be potable...I dunno so much about water falling straight into a collection container.


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## hulkamaniac (Feb 11, 2009)

FilleBelle said:


> I've actually done a little research on this topic. My dad wanted to collect rainwater for the plants and we looked into the situation to see how far we could take it. Experts seem to agree that collected rainwater is NOT potable without treatment. Having said that, most of the experts I talked to/researched were assuming that some sort of collection system was being used, ie the rain was falling onto a roof or into a pipe and then going into the cistern for storage. Of course that water wouldn't be potable...I dunno so much about water falling straight into a collection container.


Well, potable for humans and potable for dogs is a completely different thing though. In the wild dogs will drink from mud puddles. Not the safest thing because of parasites, but definitely not potable. What is it about collected rainwater that's not potable?


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Does it collect the rain water that runs off the roof? I am a little worried there might be chemical run off and other contaminants that might be found on a roof or just in rain water in general. I know people use it to water their gardens and stuff.. but.. I don't know... I guess maybe it wouldn't be so bad?


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

FilleBelle said:


> Having said that, most of the experts I talked to/researched were assuming that some sort of collection system was being used, ie the rain was falling onto a roof or into a pipe and then going into the cistern for storage.


It's been flowing across the roof of a home/through a gutter for a while before going into storage. Soot, dust, bacteria, small insects, animal waste, leaf rot, etc, etc.


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## pittsabowawa (Jul 26, 2009)

can't you buy a treatment for it? Kinda like the stuff I use to make tap water suitable for my fish... I wanted to collect it for my rose garden but the parents weren't into it 
I always figured If I had a lot of dogs and (hopefully) horses I would collect rain water to use in addition to my garden.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

FilleBelle said:


> Experts seem to agree that collected rainwater is NOT potable *without treatment*.


Yes, you can treat it. It would probably be worth treating if it was your primary source of water for the household, but the initial cost plus upkeep might not make it worthwhile just to give to the dogs.


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

I was shocked, recently, when I read that in parts of the arid west, collecting rainwater on your own property is illegal. Water rights are a complicated and contentious issue in some parts.

Unless you leave the spigot running all day, I doubt your dogs could possibly drink enough to impact your water bill. There are different kinds of automatic fountains and watering dishes that only meter out water as needed.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

hulkamaniac said:


> Well, potable for humans and potable for dogs is a completely different thing though. In the wild dogs will drink from mud puddles. Not the safest thing because of parasites, but definitely not potable. What is it about collected rainwater that's not potable?


You know, I'd like to think that dog owners try to give their dogs a better quality of life than that of a stray, so I'm not easily swayed by the "Well stray dogs do it!" argument 

I think for the living creatures in your home, you should stick to normal clean water from the tap (Or filtered like I do ). You can still save money on the water bill by collecting rainwater and using it to do things like wash your car/outdoor furniture and watering your lawn. Just an idea.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Nargle said:


> You know, I'd like to think that dog owners try to give their dogs a better quality of life than that of a stray, so I'm not easily swayed by the "Well stray dogs do it!" argument
> 
> I think for the living creatures in your home, you should stick to normal clean water from the tap (Or filtered like I do ). You can still save money on the water bill by collecting rainwater and using it to do things like wash your car/outdoor furniture and watering your lawn. Just an idea.


I gotta agree with this. Dogs in the wild (or even on the street) DO drink from dubious sources. They also fight one another, go for days without food, freeze to death, and catch strange diseases (possibly as a result of drinking from dubious sources). I would, at the very least, have my rainwater analyzed before giving it to the dogs...but I'd be much more likely to use said runoff for my lawn.


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## HyperFerret (Feb 7, 2009)

Back when I had only 3 dogs I had a spigot thingy once, where it was screwed onto the water spigot and as the dog lapped from it, it dispensed water. Got in trouble by animal control and was told that wouldn't suffice. 

I agree with the rain water being better if you lived out in the open. Cleaner air = cleaner rain. Even in the open though, growing up I was always told that it's best not to eat the first snow as it wasn't as clean as the following snow fall. As far as parasites being in the rain water... Wouldn't parasites only be in standing water and not from rain water?

With that being said, my dogs always seem to prefer collected water over their water container. The container will be there with fresh clean crisp water yet they'll opt for the brand new "pond" in my yard or they'll drink from their swimming pool, which has also collected the rain water. I guess the "pond" and pool have more flavor.


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

I'm sure rain water falls in my dogs bowls. I don't think it harms them so much. 

As for collecting it, we've thought about it. I saw on tv where this guy collects it for home use, of course it gets stored and treated. Which is what we would do, but only after we move. I think it the long run it'd save money (after the initial cost "pays for itself") we have a lot of dogs/animals and would also be using it for ourselves.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Where my son lives in Pittsburgh (Edgewood?) the local watershed authority came and hooked up a barrel to the down spout. Told them to use it for the garden, etc. 

I have to go along with the idea dogs don't drink that much. Even counting what Labs spill, it can't be much. Rain barrels are a great idea, but I would use the water for something else.


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## chrisn6104 (Jun 8, 2009)

Damn your water bill is that high you think you will actually save a noticeable amount from what your dogs drink?
I think I could save more by cutting shower time or cut one shower a week. I don't think my 3 dogs use as much water in a week that most people use in one shower or bath.
Seems like an awful lot of trouble and potential problems for very minimal gain.


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## waterbaby (Jan 20, 2009)

You could always do a quick water quality test on collected rainwater to see if it has pollutants. I would guess your extension agency or maybe even a hardware store would carry one. 

I don't think drinking out of puddles/rivers/lakes/any other non-potable source is strictly in the realm of strays. Well-cared-for dogs do it all the time with no ill effects. On the other hand, I have a hard time believing that your dogs drink enough tap water to have a real effect on the water bill.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

Lol, I just thought of a way how you can reduce your water bill AND your electricity bill!

Build a rainwater powered mill-type power generator XD That would be so cool!


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## pittsabowawa (Jul 26, 2009)

lol... I thought of making bella a "hot walker" that generated power tee hee she could use the excercise and it would cut down on power... can't figure out how to do that though


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

hulkamaniac said:


> I just had a bizarre idea to cut my water bill by collecting rainwater for my dogs to drink. Currently, I've got a spigot on the side of the house. They lick it and it dispenses water. I'm thinking of putting said spigot on a barrel that collects rainwater. Has anyone tried anything like this?


ROFLMBO Sorry, but collecting rainwater for your dogs to drink is NOT going to impact your water bill AT ALL!


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

While it may not do much for your social life you can save a lot more on your water bill by taking showers every other day and washing clothes less often.  A watersave shower head is likely to save more water than water used for a dog. 

On the farm we had a rain barrrel to water the garden and for other outside uses and I think when they had a dog his water was filled from that. 

Puddles are not so good.. giardia and other parasites. Doubt they would live thru the dry times on a roof. Shingles are fairly non-friable.. never considered them a form of contamination and they can still be sent to a C&D land fill.


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

Nargle said:


> You know, I'd like to think that dog owners try to give their dogs a better quality of life than that of a stray, so I'm not easily swayed by the "Well stray dogs do it!" argument
> 
> I think for the living creatures in your home, you should stick to normal clean water from the tap (Or filtered like I do ). You can still save money on the water bill by collecting rainwater and using it to do things like wash your car/outdoor furniture and watering your lawn. Just an idea.


ROFL, my dogs drink from puddles, the pool, sniff feces, other dogs rear ends, eat occasional cat poop, any bugs they see, and god knows what else they are exposed to I haven't thought of. Not to mention licking their own rear ends..

Rain water isn't going to be something I get very concerned about. I would fear maybe chemicals leeched from asphalt shingles on a new roof but I doubt much gets leeched from a roof that's not very new. Bird and rodent poop would be a bigger concern from rats, squirrels, and birds but even that would be a minimal danger if any.

Standing rain water in a barrel isn't technically fit for human consumption though, it will have bacteria and bugs, it will harbor mosquitoes and other insects and usually have at least some bird and small rodent droppings in it. Best saved for watering gardens and such, but I wouldn't keep my dog from drinking it due to any worries.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

How much do your dogs drink? Seriously, if they have a one-gallon water dish and you dump and refill it once daily, that's only 7 gallons a week. Maybe add a few more gallons for washing the bowl. That small amount won't make even a blip on your water bill. Even if they have a 5-gallon bucket and it's dumped and refilled daily, that's only 35 gallons....still not something that would register on your water bill. 

The major water usage in most homes is clothes washing, long showers/baths, and watering the lawn.


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