Rain Water treatment system

[Qweaver]

This is not related to wood or sawmills but I know there are many members here that are treating their own water and I need your experience.  I've been looking at several different systems to treat my roof collected rain water and it's hard to make an informed choice since I know nothing about it.  I've more or less decided on the system below with the addition of another coarse trap that will catch sand, leaves and other such trash before it gets to the 20 micron filter.  This sure looks like it will work OK and it's made and sold by an American company.  I called and talked with them today...got thru to a tech immediately that really seemed to know his stuff.  That means a lot!  The V-750 is a 7 stage filter that is said to treat 750,000 gal before replacement and of course the 20,5 and .35 micron filters will have to be replaced as needed.  The coarse trap will help with that.
I sure hate to buy without being sure this is what I need.  The unit as shown below is $1300 and the coarse trap is $250.  With free shipping.
I appreciate your input.
Quinton

[Radar67]

What's the life expectancy of the UV and what is the replacement cost? It looks like a good set up, but I am no expert. I have seen a few very similar and the owners seem to be pleased with them.

[Don P]

 I recently read the fine print on the clear canisters as I was working on one of our weekenders systems and the jar was crazed. They are a wear part, do count on replacing them occasionally. I would locate the whole system in a drained pan of some sort if at all possible. I'm guessing your waterworks will be down below though?

[Qweaver]

The UV lamps are @ $90 and will last about a year according to the manuf.  I've heard longer tho'

[beenthere]

qweaver
What is the end goal....to get drinking water?   I gathered that, but don't see where you said.

If drinking water, what is your test to know that the filters and other treatment actually worked?

Is this in lieu of drilling a well for water?

Sounds interesting.

[Polly]

 8)we use rain water that we catch off the roof of our house our nearest neighbor is about one half mile away and their are not any trees overhanging our roof you can buy bottled water and compare with ours and you cannot tell the difference we do not use any filtration system of course if you had leaves or etc on your roof several years ago it was recomended to run water through a filter home made using screen wire first charcol next and sand i believe i rember dad run a small dairy and the health inspector required this about every other time it rained you had to go out and unclog the filter personally i believe natures system of purifing water is the best system you can get i do not intend to bost i am very blessed to live in a area where it is still possible to use rain water : :

[Beweller]

"Manual of Individual Water Supply Systems", EPA-430-9-73-003, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

My copy is dated 1973.  There should be a more recent issue.

[Part_Timer]

here is the system we were using in Africa.

http://www.waterfortheworld.com/

They had a coarse screen on the front to screen out the chunkies.  It worked very well and none of the last 3 groups have had any problems with getting sick.  It does taste a bit like pool water but I think they have the chemicals turned up a bit because of the nasties they have in the water. 

[Handy Andy]

  When I grew up, we had a cistern my dad built when I was small, he dug a big hole, poured a floor in it, then laid brick in a circle, then poured a concrete top on it, and put in a form for a crank cistern top. Then plastered it on the inside.  The pipe into the house was a couple of feet off the floor, guess that was the filter.  The guttering from the house was piped into the cistern, and a good rain would fill it up.  During dry times, somebody would haul water out in a big old farm truck, looked like about a thousand gallons my guess now.  Anyway, that's how we lived on the edge of the desert in Kansas.  The desert border is old 81 highway.  Jim