Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Free-standing rainwater catchment
Passive
One of 10 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
What your site needs
Open ground clear of overhanging trees, and somewhere to anchor against wind: a sheet on a frame is a sail before it is a catchment
A tarpaulin stretched on a frame of poles that catches rain and funnels it into a container. It works where there is no roof to collect from, or none clean enough to drink from, and can stand anywhere on the land. The sheet stays cleaner than a roof, so the first rain is less dirty.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Free-standing rainwater catchment (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Regular · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have no roof to collect from, or none clean enough for drinking water.
Drilled well with an electric pump Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if there is water under your land and you want your own supply at the tap through dry spells.
Rainwater harvesting and storage Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have a roof and want free water for the garden, washing and flushing.
Spring capture Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if a spring rises on your land and you want water that can flow to you with no pump.
Drilled well with a hand pump Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have a well and want water through any power cut.
Drilled well with a rope pump Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have a well and want the cheapest hand pump, repairable with local materials.
Hydraulic ram pump (belier hydraulique) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if a stream with enough fall runs on your land and you want to lift water with no power, for decades.
Fog collector (cloud net) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you live where fog is frequent and want water with no power.
Mains water Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Specialist · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if the network reaches you and you want treated water under pressure with nothing to manage.
Spiral pump (coil pump) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Regular · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you have a moving stream without the fall a ram pump needs.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.