I liked the article and the follow up comments noting the sanitary issue raised. My plan is to drill a hole in the bottom of the right side of the water closet tank and put a separate filler valve supplied by water from the catchment system via a separate pipe. I have an abrasive edged hole saw and am about to go test it out on some decommissioned 5-gallon flushers. It’ll be interesting to see if I can successfully drill porcelain. I think this solves the sanitary issues of hooking up a catchment supplied system in a useful way, saving a great deal of labor. You would just reach down and turn off the high quality water supply and turn on the supply from the catchment. If both were left on, there would be no foul as that filler valve is an acceptable barrier between the less than clean tank and the water supply. This set up is also attractive if you have city water with aggressively rising rates.
I would not want to bathe in a catchment supplied system. Perhaps I would also set up a mop sink not connected to the regular water supply to serve as in interface between questionable water and employing it in other areas of the house where I would want to be certain that it was clean for bathing and cooking. I can see my six year old brushing her teeth in catchment water if I make it too automatic.
My day job is as an insurance agent, and I see negative inferences in that vein in your blog. You can turn that around by picking the right agent. As an agent, my mind set is to be prepared for disaster. Independent Insurance Agents are generally business people who happen to be in the insurance business and not just sales people. They are wired to serve. For my part I jealously guard my client’s data. Smart fire walls, smart routers, data encryption, virus protection, and malware sweeps are the rule of the day. Every stinking thing has a password. The carriers are over the top serious about it, too.
For guns, gold, and silver, if you want more than a little covered, then you have to detail it. They handle thousands of transactions just like it, and yours is going to go in a file for later use in billing and claims. It will not stand out in their memory. They don’t send it anywhere except under your instructions (without a subpeona), so as to help you. Same with the claim adjuster. They handle hundreds of files in a month. It is a blur and you will not stand out. Find an independent insurance agent, and shuck the direct writer sales guy. You will be happier. The independent is likely a prepper, too. I know what I preach to my people. – VRV