HJL,
I enjoyed the water article by EG. I own a farm and spend a great deal of time
moving water around for irrigation purposes, and, yes, water is very heavy and
difficult to move. I would like to give the folks some short hand for water.
First, when burying water lines, go large. The smallest line I will install is
two inches, when moving water over a couple hundred feet, because there is
viscosity friction that builds up inside the the pipe wall the farther you go.
It costs the same amount to dig the hole and the same amount to bury it; it
just pays to go large whenever you can. The difference between 2-inch pipe and
1 1/2 inch is a 50% loss in volume; a 1-inch pipe can carry less than 25% that
of a 2-inch pipe. Also, gravity system height does matter. Water builds
pressure at .44 pound per one foot in elevation. So, if your local water tower
is 100 feet high, you would have 44 pounds of pressure, which is not bad. I use
gas and diesel pumps to move water, and one gallon of fuel will pump thousands
of gallons great distances. If you can locate below any water source then you
can be guaranteed great pressure. – MH in the west
o o o
HJL,
The article “The Water
Solution, by E.G. describes how to plumb water from a catchment system to your
house water lines. Public Water Utilities will consider E.G.’s method unsafe
because of the direct connection to a source of contamination (the water
catchment system). Think of it this way. A person turns off the main electric
breaker for their house and then takes an extension with a male plug on both
ends, plugs one end into a house receipt and the other end into a running
generator. That seems perfectly safe. They perform the steps in any other
order, and an electric Utility Lineman or Homeowner can be electrocuted. The
safest way would be to have a transfer switch installed. Line power or
generator power, it’s impossible for both to flow at the same time. Taking
water from a possible contaminated source (water catchment) and relying on
remembering to turn off the main water value or on a check value to function
correctly is a health hazard to all connected to the Public Water Utility. The
correct way is to install a “Wye” with union fittings. Wye installed one way–
you are connected to the Public Water and physically disconnected from the
catchment system. Loosen the union fittings, swing the pipe to the other side
of the Wye, and tighten the union fittings. You are now connected to the water
catchment system and physically disconnected from the Public Water Supply. –
M.G.
o o o
HJL,
I’m a missionary in
Papua New Guinea. My main job is setting up other missionaries who are building
houses in bush locations among tribal groups to plant a church. One of the
things I do, besides installing the Solar Electric Systems and wiring is
setting up the pressurized water system. I’m familiar with the 12-volt Shurflo
RV pump that E.G. mentioned in his article. One thing that I do when I install
these systems, that helps the longevity of the pump, is installing a small
pressure tank. This helps when you need a small amount of water for a longer
period of time, like when you flush a toilet. Without this pressure tank the
Shurflo pump has the tendency to constantly cycle on and off after you flush a
toilet because the flow rate is right on the threshold pressure that turns the
pump on and off, and therefore it doesn’t know if it should be on or off. The
pressure tank solves this problem by storing a certain amount of water pressure
in the tank, so that when you flush the toilet, the pump doesn’t need to turn
on. This will also increase the life of your pump. Another thing I’ve noticed
is that if you mount the pump on a supporting post under your home or anywhere
physically on your home, it will vibrate the entire house, and the noise of the
pump is amplified through the structure, which is really annoying, especially
during those late-night potty breaks when everyone is trying to sleep. To solve
this problem, we set a separate post in the ground, which is not attached to
the main structure of the home, and mount the pump to this post, eliminating
the annoying vibrations and noise during pump operation. Hope this helps. In
His Grip, – J.S.
From the Survival Blog
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