I keep worrying about bacteria or critters making it past the filters, especially if you’re using the water for showers.
Honestly, that’s a legit concern. I’ve seen all sorts of stuff get into tanks—frogs, bugs, even the odd mouse if you’re not careful with your screens. For showers, I’d say a UV system isn’t overkill at all. Chlorine’s fine, but it can be a pain to manage. If you’re using rainwater for anything you actually touch, an extra treatment step is just smart, not paranoid. Better safe than sorry... trust me, you don’t want to find out the hard way what’s living in there.
Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. We set up a rainwater system last year to save on bills, and I was pretty surprised by what ended up in the first flush—dead beetles, leaves, even a tiny lizard once. I went with a UV filter for showers after that. It wasn’t cheap, but honestly, I’d rather not risk it. Chlorine’s cheaper but I found it annoying to keep balanced, and it made the water smell weird. If you’re on a budget, maybe just stick to rainwater for toilets and laundry? That’s what we did at first.