WATERY IDEAS

Submitted: Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005 at 19:31

ThreadID: 121749 Views:4507 Replies:2 FollowUps:1

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Tellem Bugrem

G'day All,

Reading Steve's post that contained water collection ideas, amongst other subjects, I thought it may be worthwile having a posting on the Watery Subject.

Steve, I have tried to send you a sketch of the rainwater collection system I have installed at my home. (Let me know if you haven't received it by email and I'll fax it to your office). Connected to the downpipes are leaf diverters and "first flush" diverters which help putting clean water into the tanks.Inside the tank the water passes through a fine mesh sock for the final filter. Obviously, you can install other filters between tank and tap. Having lived with tank water almost all our lives, we don't feel the need to have further filtration. We use rainwater for everything, including drinking, making home brew, filling all water tanks on BT , dishwasher, showers, toilet and some of the garden. Our usage of town water has dropped by 43% and the pay-back period is about 3 years. We are now up to 6 years so are well in front.

The reason for telling you this is, of course, is that perhaps with your inventive brain, you may be able to adapt some of the principles for collection of rainwater from caravan & annexe roof. I too have been thinking of this concept. So by having this post on the forum, some other ideas may emerge.

Brian, in my current project of installing a washing machine on the A-frame, I came across a whizz-bang little pump which is going to replace the submersible pump I have had for pumping water out of creeks. It is a combined submersible and in-line pump called an AMAZON. It is 12v, 4.5 amp cylindrical pump that can pump 18 litres/minute at 15 psi through a 12mm hose connection. For the washing machine it will pump in-line from a 100 litre collapsible tank to the inlet of the washing machine. The outlet of the washing machine can be connected back to the inlet of the tank for recycling. Of course we won't be travelling with the rubber tank full.....only on washing days. To fill the tank from a cleanish creek we will simply throw in the pump in submersible mode and fill the 100 litre tank in less than 6 minutes. Haven't tried it yet, but have been told that the pump will pump up to 10m of head with ease.(That's 10m vertical)

The pump is only 40mm diameter and 150mm long. Cost? About $120 at Boating Warehouse in Newcastle. Possibly other Marine suppliers such as Whitworth's may have them.

Cheers...............Rob & Liz

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Reply By: Bushtracker - Thursday, Jan 27, 2005 at 23:07

Thursday, Jan 27, 2005 at 23:07

Thank you Rob and Liz,
The drawing came through just fine...

I had incorporated much of the same as that drawing, with a flushing line to clean out the system as the roof cleaned off, and flush out of any bull dust or whatever, and then another valve to open up to fill the tanks.. Thank you....

Just have to be a bit careful on what rainwater collection system you use up north, as birds and bats are spreading some bad diseases now... This is a change in just the last five years.. And they also estimate that as much as 35% of the people north of Brisbane on tank water are living with internal parasites that can prematurely age them, wearing on their immune system... I am not sure I would be using tank water off of a Station roof to top up my drinking water system... OK to boil for coffee and tea, but not for my drinking water thank you...

And there are also really no safe open to air water systems one should trust for drinking water... For instance out of a creek or river: Hepatitis is a sub-micro-virus that is so small it cannot be filtered out. It can be deadly, and is at very least is very serious and hard on your liver.. I know, I caught it in the mountains while deer hunting, out of a clear mountain stream in 1973... How did it get there? Who knows, maybe a septic system overflowed into a tributary after a hard rain some time... somehow.. But anyway I caught it, and there is no way to filter out Hepatitis virus, that is why it is so contagious... Not that it is so strong or virulent, it is so small that it is biologically invasive, like throwing a pencil in a barn door as it enters a human cell and that is why it can be transmitted easily in its minute size. It is about .2 micron, which is about the size of the particles floating in the air in cigarette smoke, and below even ceramic filtration, and that is why I put together the companies to make the water sterilization system we use... The prefiltration in ceramic and high pressure carbon, is for the larger organisms, but the Ultra Violet Sterilization is the only way to fry things like Hepatitis and the spores of Botulism..

So, please be careful... Giardia for example, the disease brought in from India spread by birds and bats, could be a bad bout of illness or a couple of weeks in the hospital... Not the end of the world... But Hepatitis, now that is something serious that can change your life or kill you...

Kind Regards, from the source at Bushtracker...

"The Last Stand In Open Country"

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Follow Up By: Turist - Friday, Jan 28, 2005 at 00:17

Friday, Jan 28, 2005 at 00:17

Giadia, Heliobactori, Bali Belly, Montezumas Revenge, Hep v etc etc.
If you have been brought up on unfiltered Sydney water you have probably built up an immunity by now. (JOKE)

But you most likely have good teeth.

Regards
Bob