When you think about off-grid water, the first thing everyone thinks of is a well. That makes sense, a good well is what you really want. Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible. Some places just don’t have significant ground water, or the water is too far down, or you can’t afford to get a well. Even having a well doesn’t mean that it is a good one, it can have low or variable flow, or be unable to be operated without electricity.
The solution for that, often implemented and rarely spoken of, is the cistern. A cistern is a purpose-built chamber for holding large quantities of water, and is normally buried next to the house. Plastic cisterns are available off the shelf up to 2500 gallons, and if you make your own (or have it made) from concrete, you can make it as large as you like.
Most folks have their cisterns filled via a water truck. Arrange a delivery, pay the trip and water charge, and it’s done. This is better than the typical suburbanite, but it’s not a long term solution.
Look at the rainfall at your place. A little bit of rain can go a long way, if collected over enough area. A cubic inch of water is half an ounce. An inch of water on a square foot is 72 ounces, lets drop that to 64 ounces and call it a half gallon, since you aren’t going to be 100% efficient in collecting that water. A 20’X40’ area with twenty inches of rainfall could collect 8000 gallons of water in a year. Now look at your roof. Some rain gutters, piping, a washable filter setup to catch the big stuff, and you could tell the water truck not to bother coming any more. If your roof won’t work, a large rainfall collector may be what you need. Since rainfall is variable, bigger is better for both collecting and storing.
The family homestead has a well, which fills the two cisterns. The cisterns even out the flow, provide water as needed and hold extra in case of drought. Since the cisterns are on a hill above the living quarters, the water is gravity fed to the tap. Any off-grid water planning should include a cistern.
The solution for that, often implemented and rarely spoken of, is the cistern. A cistern is a purpose-built chamber for holding large quantities of water, and is normally buried next to the house. Plastic cisterns are available off the shelf up to 2500 gallons, and if you make your own (or have it made) from concrete, you can make it as large as you like.
Most folks have their cisterns filled via a water truck. Arrange a delivery, pay the trip and water charge, and it’s done. This is better than the typical suburbanite, but it’s not a long term solution.
Look at the rainfall at your place. A little bit of rain can go a long way, if collected over enough area. A cubic inch of water is half an ounce. An inch of water on a square foot is 72 ounces, lets drop that to 64 ounces and call it a half gallon, since you aren’t going to be 100% efficient in collecting that water. A 20’X40’ area with twenty inches of rainfall could collect 8000 gallons of water in a year. Now look at your roof. Some rain gutters, piping, a washable filter setup to catch the big stuff, and you could tell the water truck not to bother coming any more. If your roof won’t work, a large rainfall collector may be what you need. Since rainfall is variable, bigger is better for both collecting and storing.
The family homestead has a well, which fills the two cisterns. The cisterns even out the flow, provide water as needed and hold extra in case of drought. Since the cisterns are on a hill above the living quarters, the water is gravity fed to the tap. Any off-grid water planning should include a cistern.
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