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permaculture - RE: [permaculture] Life Cycle Analysis Water Tanks

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  • From: "John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>
  • To: "'permaculture'" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [permaculture] Life Cycle Analysis Water Tanks
  • Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 20:56:33 -1000 (HST)

Aloha Darren,

> I was being flippant about the strawbale idea

I thought maybe - and, I've heard wackier ideas - might work in arid SW
USA... :-)

> - though it appears that
> you have come across some examples of low tech water storages - could
> you please share the links if you can remember them.

I don't know if I ever saved a bookmark to the african wattle and clay one
I found...lost a bunch of bookmarks a while ago in switching systems too.

I do recall that I tripped over such things most often on foreign aid NGO
sites, perhaps in conjunction with their description of teaching locals to
make ferrocement cisterns or other water projects.
That's all I have to offer at the moment. If I find any again I'll post 'em.
If you mean ferrocement stuff, try ferrocement.net for starters - there is
also a ferrocement listserv based there.

> Interestingly the cheapest (retail) tanks/per litre of water stored are
> the plastic lined steel walled tanks - such as those produced by Pioneer
> Tanks.

Here in Hawai'i, in the so-called "undeveloped" subdivisions where
catchment is the norm, the most common tank is galvanized pipe sections
with food-grade liner of some sort (separate/loose liner, not bonded to
the metal).
Cheapest here is probably the "doughboy" type swimming pool - also
food-grade liner but inside a less sturdy (thus less expensive)
surrounding wall. Normally used for an inexpensive backyard above-ground
swimming pool.

Most all here are open top (though usually have shade-cloth screening over
top to keep out larger critters).

There's only one manufacturer of HDPE tanks on Hawai'i Island (island I'm
on), so small market combined with materials shipping distance makes HDPE
about twice the cost/gal. here as it is in North America. I've got one,
and I've seen a few others but not a lot.



John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Whole Systems Design Services
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net






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