#rainwater system

[ncdweller]

We are full.

The rain continues.

Yesterday we were showing this same level (raw water tanks). It was still raining, but I had opened up the pre-filter so no water was entering.

The rain stopped later yesterday, and only then did the transfer pump fire up and move 200 gallons into the drinking water tanks. Why didn’t it do this three hours earlier? I asked myself.

But overnight the rain started again and now all of the tanks are full.

The rainwater intake redesign will let me stay inside when it’s pouring down instead of going outside to open the pre-filter in order to keep the tanks from overflowing.

Instead, the water will pass by the full tanks and flow back outside. Which means we need to construct a pond or small wetland for the overflow.

[ncdweller]

Ozone injector installed. The little blue box is the ozone generator. Ozone goes through the blue tube, first going through a check valve, then through a Hartford Loop, then another check valve, then through the venturi, where water passing through pulls out ozone from the tube to take along for the ride.

I am to replace the water filters next week, as it should be full of exploded cells. That’s what ozone does to cells.

[ncdweller]

Off the scale. 1.76” of rain so far.

[ncdweller]

Thanks everyone!

[ncdweller]

I’m rethinking this pre-filter system. It’s difficult to maintain and has too many moving parts. Being outside means I have to drain it in the winter, losing out on rainwater collection.

The new system will be in one of the tanks, and very simple to clean. It’s a Wisy Linear 100. Pricey, but in the long run I hope it will pay for itself.

Now to reroute plumbing…

[ncdweller]

I had the bright idea of collecting snow melt for the rainwater tanks.

Well that didn’t last long. I went into the workshop only to hear splashing water. And yep, the tanks were overflowing. That’s a first.

I need to add another raw water tank.

[ncdweller]

So, thanks to this water meter that I almost didn’t buy, I found out our Kohler 1.28 gpf toilet came from the factory using 1.674 gpf.

Now 4/10ths of a gallon/flush is pretty minor in the short run, but with a rainwater system it’s kind of silly not addressing this.

In fact, paying a water + sewer bill for this would be kind of silly too. Not sure how you could test for that without your own meter, though.

You may notice we have used about 250 gallons so far, or half a tank. That includes 40 gallons now sitting in our water heater which isn’t connected to anything yet. And a few gallons wasted when plumbing things.

[ncdweller]

It lives!

We have hot water in the house. And we have cold water in the house.

And we have free air conditioning in the house! In December!

I put it into vacation mode, so it’s only going to heat the water to 65F, at least until I get the sink connected, and we buy a washing machine.

No more filling the toilet tank manually!!!!!