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  • From: Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Shaking the grid
  • Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:26:57 -0800

VAN DELL JORDAN wrot
Water is my main worry.
Rainwater harvesting is not as expensive as a well if you have sufficient rainfall. I once figured that a 30 by 30 foot building in a 40 inch per rainfall would provide all the water needed. 1500 gallons of storage was under $400 and two tanks were enough. Debris filters are easy to build into the plumbing between the tanks. Output sediment filtering and a UV filter into a pressure pump aand bladder will work for a house system. As a backup, some chlorine in the tank and a 12V RV pump will move enough water for drinking, cooking, and washing.

If you are concerned about drinking water and have a nearby stream of pond, the Berkey filters work well for drinking. I have a two candle Berkey and it filters a gallon in 3 hours or so. Two more candles would double the flow. I found a good deal on a Big Berkey with two ceramic candles on Amazon.
In the trailer I am hooked up to a stream water system. I bought a large sediment filter and put that on the hydrant then run a hose to the trailer. Last December I laid heat tape along the hose and wrapped everything in a double layer of insulation. It did not freeze but the inside pipes to the sink did. When it thawed out there were no leaks. The trailer is plumbed with 3/8 PEX.

The Berkey uses no electricity so power outages are not a problem. I recently bought a countertop distiller that does use 120VAC. It distills a gallon in about 4 hours. With the cost of bottled water (The water here tastes terrible) I figure the distiller is saving us enough that it will pay for itself in three months. Besides the brown junk that I clean out of the bottom makes me glad I am not drinking that water.

--
Don Bowen KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html





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