OFF GRID Rainwater Harvesting – Part 1 concrete foundation

Rainwater Harvesting System Drain Plumbing

There will be a perforated pipe to collect water under the tank and this is connected to a pipe for the tank overflow.

With the pipes and fittings cut and layed out I’ll add some drain fabric.

And the cats come to inspect the work.

I can start to glue the pipe and fittings and add some drain rock as I go. And then cover with more fabric.

Mixing Concrete

I applied some vegetable oil to the inside of the forms so the concrete would not stick. The curb will be reinforced with rebar, and it’s suspended from wire to keep it centered in the forms during the pour.

We fired up the concrete mixer and spent a few hours filling the forms.

Hand Filling Forms

I added anchor bolts before the concrete set up. Then covered the forms with plastic and left overnight.

Strip the Forms

Here’s the mending board coming off an inside form wall.

I found this worked well and made it easy to strip the inside walls.

I’d say the best part about concrete work is stripping forms. Very satisfying!