Rain Water Butt Pump

[wyleu]

Mny different positions are supportable in this regard but, there is danger involved in this and it should be stated. You've got to remember that potable water has only really been an option in the last one hundred years or so. The majority of the English population spent most of their time drinking fernmented drinks of one sort and another and water was (rightly) viewed as fairly suspicious, whatever preferences that may be expressed would dissappear pretty quickly if the shortages got to the stage where thirst was an issue and probably most of us wouldn't come to too much harm from the occasional draft from this sort of source. Last July I drank a decent sized tumbler from our garden pond, which seems to be a fairly active environment, and I don't seem to have come to any harm other than the obvious mental problems, I'd be less willing to do the same with the contents of my roof run off water butt, based on smell alone.

Know your source is probably the correct solution and personally I suspect that as these resources become more considered the basic quality will come under increasing scrutiny which is nothing but a good thing. Personally I don't object to flouride but anyone who'se seen Dr Strangelove can see the potential damage, and I would prefer it if HMG was a little bit more agressive in chasing Water companies when they accicdently dump a several tons of ammonium Sulphate into the supply. It is something that should be punished by a bit more than a paultry fine and a well hidden sorry in the press. I would love to be independent of all my utility companies except as a backup but from what I have discovered that requires becoming a semi-expert in many area's of endeavour. This is just one more and you can also find there are several differing views. Personnally I use the water book from CAT as a guidance but there are probably area's where that is not infallible, and whilst it's easy to debate at great length as long as you don't actually do something it's the process of setting it in motion that is the real test and as people on her can demonstrate it's not undoable are to be applauded as the real experts.
However a rural setting with space is probably a different proposition from the middle of the average British housing estate and any expertise offered should be carefully considered in context, and whilst the water supply company could probably supply a similar quality to both environments the alternative would have considerably different techniques and problems. I've felt fairly rough after drinking tea from a mates house from the middle of a wood in Surrey on a very suspect connection to the mains water involving local storage tanks and various pumps, which was drunk with no harm by the resiidents. If I lived there and they visited I suspect the situation would be reversed. Perhaps the localization of individuals might make alternative sources more viable, but there are many lifestyle changes for most people before that could become viable.

Thanks for the info Odbob, any chance of some pictures?

[odbob]

Wyleu   Yes I fully understand the concerns over what is acceptable as drinking water both from taste and safety, I think that it is very important to stress that what works for one individual is not best for others, personally I have drank from my extremely filtered and U.V treated rain water and did expect to be still here to tell the tale. But as I said, the system is there purely as an emergency and, I must admit, for my own amusement ( it keeps me occupied along with all my other schemes).
You ask for pics, well I've had 35 years hands on experience designing and installing energy management / alternative energy systems, but am sadly lacking in computer knowledge, over two years since retiring I have built up a very basic web site and am happy to show this with pics  but don't know if it acceptable to promote my site on yours. Plus my site is aimed at the person in the street and definately not at so called eco warriors
Maybe at some point I'll learn how to upload pics

[Paulh_Boats]

odbob, list

Certainly post your web site - its probably interesting to us eco warriors. If you need help with the photos, email them to me and I can add them to your post with my adminstrator rights.

An interesting read on water filtering is the Oxfam website. You can download the user manuals for their emergency water treatment kit that literally comes flat-packed Ikea style, complete with "check the components against the diagram before you start". Obviously it is aimed at large villages, but there is a lot of practical detail which could be scaled down.

I'd be interested to know how much £££ can be saved off the water rates by recycling rainwater for WCs. I haven't a clue how much the water companies charge, presumably they charge per 1000 litres used??

-Paul

[renewablejohn]

Wyleu

With regard to our stream as a source for drinking water we are fortunate in that the stream is a tributary into the main drinking water reservoir for Bolton. The farm had its own water supply from a spring fed by this stream dating back to 1721 however it was sold to the next door neighbour in the 1980's. We tested the stream prior to the installation of a pump and found that apart from a higher concentration of iron the water was of good quality.  

I accept you have to be careful with drinking water but with modern filters and a clean source of supply you can become independent of the utility companies.

Always test the water before you start so that you know which method of filtration is most appropriate

[odbob]

OK Paul, here goes,    www.myhomeenergy.co.uk     if you go to  "saving it"  you will find some pics on my rain water system   

[billi]

hello again

beside the fact that we all drink rainwater of somesort in the end, i would say most europeans even drink lake water... filtered and desinfect...

its all centralized like allways


My point here is in west ireland in the country ... all houses drill their own well about 200-300 feet   , each year the drilling companies suggest to drill deeper (they get paid by foot) , i supose they use the borehole as a storage tank as well ,

so you spent about 2000 euros  for that and then another 500 for a 1.5kw-3kw pump and then.... shite water and then a iron manganese filter...  so in the end about 4000 euros  and still not 100% sure if the water is sound....

a clever filtersystem for roof/rainwater schould be a good seller(beside the minerals that are not in rainwater)

another point against deep wells is that the ground water levels for the rest of the land , country, globe are disturbed 



All the best and didnot drink my water last night just poteen (so  forgive)

[Ivan]

Great website Odbob! Hope you don't mind - I've linked it on the new Navitron website's Links page.


Ivan

[odbob]

Thanks Ivan, I'm only too pleased you like my web site and I happy that it is linked from your new web site, I was going to ask, me being a novice on these computer things, is there a simple way to add a resiprical link to your new web site ?

Back on the question of cleanliness of rain water, anyone who has observed the collection over a length of time will know that initially it is filthy having trapped many pollutants ( mainly kerosene byproducts from the vast amount of air flights) as it falls to the roof  and then from the roof itself ( the birds don't help)
The one that has certainly worked for me is as described on my web site and that is to force it through a sand filter  prior to entering the storage tank and then to run it through a 1 micron filter element prior to going to the various outlets, I know that some of you will think this is too high filtration just for say, W.C's but I have seen over past years, the effect on the W.C pans by continuous use of poorly filtered water, needs a lot more aggressive cleaning. Anyway, my wife would not be too happy if the rain water looked or smelled any different to that of mains water.

There are many issues relating to the successful collection and use of rain water but certainly after 5 years of observing my D.I.Y. system I can honestly say that it has well paid for itself in that time and this includes any repair costs, filtration costs etc.
It works for me

[Ivan]

Depending on your browser, you can probably just copy and paste: www.navitron.org.uk     into whatever program you are using for writing the website (if it comes up in blue and underlined, then it has copied both the text and the link). Incidentally what programme are you using to write your website?


Ivan

[odbob]

Ivan,   Thanks will try that.
I use a "what you see is what you get" editor namely :- Nvu, it's a freeby off the net and woks very well, havn't tried anything else though so no comparison

odbob

[Smooth Hound]

Have a look at the rule boat bilge pumps, they start at a 360, which is quite cheap,

http://www.rule-industries.com/products/pumps/bilge_pumps/rule_360/iid_236/index.htm

Here it is, you can get a float switch as well to go with it, i think on its own ite only about 12/15 pounds and another 10 for the float switch, you will have to check as to how high the pump will push the water up, but if its not enough then they go up in stages to about a 2000,   the number sinifies how many gallons per hour it will pump.