In Australia the house tank is as common as a kangaroo, that's alot of house
tanks! These tanks have to do all year round. There is no "Town Water" in
many places (which is a God send) even 10 kms out of a city.
No filters, a lid to stop the light and a few screens on the gutters and
inlet/overflow to stop leaves and mozzies getting in. I have lived in a few
houses with this setup and the water is absolutely beautiful. We used it for
everything even a water flush toilet all year round. Maybe you could put a
bag of limestone in the bottom to harden the water to stop the uptake of
heavy metals in the body. If you do this and you like lots of soap lather
you have to make sure your soap us made from the right base. I can't
remember which it is for soft and hard water. Make sure you keep your roof
gutters free of leaves or you'll end up drinking tea. There are commercially
available "leaf-free" gutter systems in Australia.
Ohh, don't do this if your roof is painted with lead based paint.....not a
good idea. Un-painted galvanised roofs are OK other wise most Australians
would be dead at twenty.... : )
Just a question Jeff. Why put the tank right away from the house in zone 8
where you have to spend more money on pipes to and from, not to mention
electrical runs etc. etc.? A tank next to every roof (house, garage,
tractor shed......) is what we do down/up here?
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Owens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Friday, 18 February 2000 10:53
Subject: [ecopath] Water Harvesting
>Here in Portland a couple put in a rainwater system and
>it was described in the newspaper today. What surprised
>me was the comment that this is the only know system in
>the area. Here is a summary.
>
> Total cost $1500 (less than a well?)
> cistern size 1500 gallons
> water collected off roof.
> includes filters, pumps and pressure tank
>
>This system easily provided all water for the winter
>but the summer period was not discussed. I
>assume one month without rain would drain the tank.
>The possible use of composting toilets and other conservation
>techniques might extend the system a few more months.
>
>The tank was outside in zone 8 (too large to freeze?). The
>size and weight of the tank makes it difficult to include in
>a existing house but that would open up lots of heating and
>cooling possibilities. Some day...
>
>jeff
