I remember back when I was a kid, we were under a boil order due to a loss of power in a lift station, and back flow into the water main... Mom was not happy having to produce the amount of water needed (don't think Clorox treatment was popular then)as at the time she didn't have enough large pots to do it efficiently... that's why I went with the filter that could be backflushed and produce 5 gallon amounts..

good luck with you rainwater collection system... you might look into a biological sand filter... several videos of them in tandem with rainwater collection units on YouTube

Thanks for the info, guys! I will definitely pass it on to my dad!
And while the vending machine doohickey at the grocery store can beat Koldkist ($1.75/5 gallons vs 6$+/5gallons), this will be even more inexpensive yet, over the long-term.

That brass-looking Big Berkely looks pretty cool, but the clear one showing the insides might interest my son.

Lots to think about. See you around!


edit: Just bought my (48 gallon) rain barrel. Probably could have gotten a better deal buying it online, but got to see it upfront and pay cash (giving that credit card a rest!). In some states, you may be eligible for a rebate. I checked the manufacturer's website (Fiskars, and no I am not affiliated with them) and found that I was not so lucky.

At the risk of sounding redundant, I've discovered that buying 2.5 gallon jugs of spring water at the grocery store is the most economical way of storing water.

Each 2.5 gallon jug costs me $2.50, comes complete in its own container with spout, and is efficient in use of storage space. According to the CDC, bottled water has an indefinite shelf life when stored unopened and out of sunlight. Since we use these for most of our drinking water, I go through one or two jugs a week and rotate through my supply at least once a year.

I would not trust the water dispensed by vending machines to be any safer to drink than my tap water. Who regulates, tests and maintain these machines to determine what level of filtration they provide? You also need to factor in the cost of the container, which will easily put you over the $5/5gal price point.

I bought a couple of the rain barrels and put those on the side of my house. This gives me about 100 gallons. I also store about 20-25 gallons of bottled water from water delivery. I did purchase one of the berkley water filters and this seems to work well for water out of the tap.

What are you doing to keep debris out?

I'm looking at small purification units too - See the post " new tech in water purification"

My rain barrels have a screen on the top to keep out debris.

i did not read thru all the posts but i put a few goldfish in my rain barrel to eat mosquito larva and algae.
maybe you could put in fish that in time you could eat!!!!

CANOEDOGS...you must not be a fan of W C Fields...

thanks Les..now i have to read thru ALL the posts to see what the WC Fields thing is about---------
by the way i thought his movies were great.