Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Design and Construction => Topic started by: argonaut on May 01, 2011, 10:50
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As there have been a few discussion on water storage .. thought I'd mention something that may be of interest.
I did a Selfbuild project for my house ... and one of the things that I thought our EU neighbours were way in front on, was storage of rainwater.
In Benelux countries all new buildings have to have an underground storage tank collecting all rainwater from the roof.
Or a shared unit for multi house developments.
This then provides untreated and 'free' water for garden, washing cars etc.
I took this to next level ... 75% of all water used in the house is actually used in flushing the toilet & in the washing machine.
So I built in a third water circuit ... i.e Hot Cold & recycled ... so all cisterns, washing machine, outside taps etc. off third circuit.
Underground I have a 5,000 gallon storage tank ... all gutter pipes go to this, and there is basic filtering at each gulley, and a coarse leaf filter in tank.
When tank is full water overflows into normal surface water drain.
It has a built in high pressure high volume pump, and a float arrangement so that water is always 'pumped' from about 4" below surface.
On checking in annually water is always clean, fresh .. maybe as it's totally dark, environment no algae growth.
The house side has a control unit ... that keeps a small container of water pressurised, so if you open a tap .. you get instant mains pressure .. then pump kicks in.
Should tank get low, if it gets to less than 10% it will auto top up from mains so no need to change any plumbing.
If anything should fail, there is a manual lever to switch 3rd circuit to mains water.
The plus is you get untreated water for your washing / car/ garden etc. ... no chlorine.
It's yours so not affected by hosepipe bans.
Once installed - it's almost free (small cost on pump)
I am on a meter so drastically reduced water charges ...... and as much water as I want for garden.
This is such a no-brainer solution that UK should force this to be required on all new builds.
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A good set up ! I would like the same but the cost of installing an underground tank means i need a lottery win first. :)
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I agree more should be required in new builds, but you are lucky if they have an outside tap or a single water butt.
The not-so-new development (2 blocks of flats) I live in, all the downpipes go into the main (foul)sewer, no waterbutt(s), no outside tap, no way the grounds keepers can water the plants, unless they attach a standpipe to the Fire Hydrant in the pavement.
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This is an old idea used here many years ago, called cisterns. Most were huge 'tanks' built from rock and concrete, or building blocks in basements/cellars into which downspouts drained. This water was used for laundry, bathing, watering plants, etc. Well water was used only as drinking water.
While very ecologically minded for today, the cost is prohibitive for many as well as impractical if you've no large area to store the saved water (think terrace houses, apartments, flats, etc, houses without cellars)
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Think you missed the explanation ....... I said this should be designed in on new builds ... no point saying you can't, if it is a requirement then you simply have to.
On individual houses tank can be under garden or under drive - all new properties have to include off road parking ... so they can go there.
For multi dwelling development they pout a single large tank underground where there is communal parking.
It can be done ... extra cost to build is very low.
Recuperation time is swift due to significantly reduced mains water - all new builds are on a meter.
For a cheaper DIY post build option .... you can obtain (easily) used bulk fruit juice containers, these are large plastic tanks in metal cages ... you put these underground, and there are many firm who sell these used tanks & pumps systems for them.
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This is an old idea used here many years ago, called cisterns. Most were huge 'tanks' built from rock and concrete, or building blocks in basements/cellars into which downspouts drained. This water was used for laundry, bathing, watering plants, etc. Well water was used only as drinking water.
While very ecologically minded for today, the cost is prohibitive for many as well as impractical if you've no large area to store the saved water (think terrace houses, apartments, flats, etc, houses without cellars)
A friend of mine in Australia has something very similar. It's a case of having to in some parts of Aus.
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True, Argonaut, but there's still the same old problem on terrace/mews houses as to where to put the thing. Many newbuilds won't have basements/cellars to place it, and definitely no outside area to set it. Building cellars adds significant cost to new builds like this (trust me on this!) and people who can can't afford detached houses will certainly not be able to afford these added costs on even smaller homes.
I do agree that at a certain price point, new houses should try to include these as they really are ecologically sound, but only if the owner is willing to use it. Because many won't.
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5,000 gallons!!!! :ohmy:
The average UK fuel tanker only carries 5,000 gallons. That is a hell of alot of water. How is the tank constructed?
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It looks like a Thomas the Tank engine .... large industrial plastic cylinder .... you can stand upright inside it.
Estimate about 20mm thick nylon.
It is ribbed with a lot of external and internal strengthening braces, where is is much thicker.
There is an access tube fitted at top of one end ..(hence Thomas Tank engine look)
The tank is fully buried, only the access lid to the access tube shows above ground.
I put a ladder into this and enter the tank once a year to clean it ( and turf out the frogs)
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That is truly amazing. :)
I was convinced that really you meant 5,000litres. :D
And there I was thinking that my 6,000 litres was OTT. I'm impressed. :)
That must have been one hell of a hole.
Edit.. I have just worked out that your water capacity is that equivalent of 20 IBC's. And here I am down to my last 200 gallons from my six IBC's. I've only managed to collect 500 gallons since Feb of this year :(
(http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/141/rszp1070835.jpg)
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Edit.. I have just worked out that your water capacity is that equivalent of 20 IBC's. And here I am down to my last 200 gallons from my six IBC's. I've only managed to collect 500 gallons since Feb of this year :(
(http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/141/rszp1070835.jpg)
How much did all those IBC's set you back? I notice they are all matching.
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My brother lives just outside of Adelaide, and just about everyone has a rain water tank (or 2), in the kitchen there are 3 taps, hot, cold and rain water tank.
They use the tank for drinking and cooking as the water tastes a lot nicer than the mains- there is almost a saltyness to the mains water.
We are very behind here, and blaming cost is not enough of an excuse.
If every new house had to have a water tank, and collect grey water for flushing of the loo the overall cost would come down as it would become cheaper to manufacture the tanks etc.
Especially with the savings made due to using less mains water!
But then you hit the councils....
My Dad tried to do a new build of eco-flats, with a sedgegrass green roof, (apparently filters the water so can be drunk- I am not sure on this!) all grey water reused and tanks etc and the local council refused planning because 'No one else has ever done that here'...... What do you say at that point!
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I to think it should be compulsary to have a water tank on new builds.
everything is done to maximise profit on property, so the cost of buying and setting a water tank system is nothing to the developer....couple of grand from his profit on each build. As a minimum standard,a smaller tank can be fitted, just for say watering the garden and washing the car, even if it had a hand pump on it to draw the water
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I to think it should be compulsary to have a water tank on new builds.
everything is done to maximise profit on property, so the cost of buying and setting a water tank system is nothing to the developer....couple of grand from his profit on each build. As a minimum standard,a smaller tank can be fitted, just for say watering the garden and washing the car, even if it had a hand pump on it to draw the water
So much more could be done but profits drive our shrinking country-side and expanding road network. :(
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But how much would it cost a developer to put a 500 ltr tank underground drawn by hand...very minimal, compared to a full system with electric pumps.
Every little helps....as the advert says ;)
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Sadly too many people when buying their new build are worrying about the colour of their kitchen tiles, and not whether it has a rainwater tank!
Any many will spend lots of £££s on changing the tiles and fittings but not think that the same money on a tank will save them much more on water bills!
I am amazed by the illogicality of many peoples thought processes (but then I think they think mine are daft!)
We have a wish list of what we want when the money appears to enable us to move and like most people on here the outside space is as important (if not more so) as the inside space.
But so many houses (and many other items) are to me designed around 'appearance' and not around usability!