How to recycle rain water for use at home
February 28, 2011 | Length: 00:02:46
Looking for ways to cut down on your water usage? Homeowners Steve and Linda Parker have installed a rainwater catchment system that allows them to collect rainwater to recycle in their California home. Since installing the system they've collected about 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water to re-use for their laundry and their toilets.
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RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
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RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
used for years and is currently experiencing a revival due to
ground water problems. I suggest that the folks in the video do
not have nearly enough capacity for periods when it doesn't rain
as much as predicted. Time will tell. Why don't they use it for
drinking as well, that is what ourselves and many others in central
Texas do. We have a similar filtering system as theirs with the UV
at the end.
We have a large system with 69,000 gallons of capacity. The
maximum we have collected so far is 64,000 gallons. In 2007-
2008 central Texas experienced an El Nino effect so that we had
to have water delivered. Since then we have had sufficient rain to
get us to the 64,000 gallon that I mentioned. However we are
being told by the local weather people that we are in another El
Nino effect but we still have about 55,000 gallons which will last
about 7 months.
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
polyethylene tanks at side of the hosue. Unfortunately I don't
think that it will be long before an inquisitive mouse has chewed
through that bladder tank under the deck of the Parkers house.
Roof type has a significant impact on the amount of water you
harvest, metal is great, concrete tiles not so good as they absorb
so much before run off begins.
I'm looking into fog harvesting, a technique that has apparently
been used of ridges in the Andes for years.
Chris
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
in my country Jordan. a lot of houses owners like our family for
example, does have what is called (Water Well) under the ground
surface, it is 2x2 m2 . So, when it starts raining the rain water will fall
on the roof and then goes directly to one corner, after that, it will go
down by a tube immediately to the water Well. by that the house now
contains a larger water storage than before.
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
Mother natures way of saying move.
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
few years. The concept being, of course, that the waste water
from sinks, bath tubs and showers is recycled for use in toilets
and laundry and, with proper filtration, perhaps even for yard and
garden purposes. Rain water collection is something that's been
around since for a millennia or two and the concept is usually in
the form of a cistern. Commonly, a large underground container
or reservoir to collect rain water and snow melts for use in toilet
and perhaps laundry. The bladder system, however, is an
interesting one but only practical in warm to moderate climate,
not in areas like northern Europe, Asia or Canada, unless a
means to keep it thawed for less than the cost of metered water
is devised. I must agree that the concept of the bladder for use
under crawl spaces and low level sun decks is a good one,
indeed.
Recycling water against the wishes of the powers-that-be
We're told where there's a will, there's a way. I suggest you discuss the idea with neighbors, friends, et al. in your community. I don't know what form of government LaPlata county has, but surely there is a way for residents to address those who govern you. (Check the US constitution for your right to address the goverment with grievances.) Having done your research on support of the idea, implications of the idea -- cost savings to home owners; loss of revenue to the body that now collects it -- how to bring an idea or grievance to the attention of those responsible, go for it. If those who are elected to whatever body that is giving you a big "No Way" are elected, work on getting whoever you can removed from office.
Of course, you and those who agree with you will not have the influence of labor unions or big business, but you will be surprised what group of committed voters can accomplish. Passive resistance can work wonders. Consider Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: "If we do not hang together, we shall certainly hang separately." Finally, as my father used to say: "If you can't outfight 'em, out-think 'em."
Good luck!
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
Check the water laws in your state before attempting this.
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
And it's silly, as others pointed out, the water ends up in the ground anyways.
Take the hint.
That includes most of the people living in Southern California.
RE: How to recycle rain water for use at home
Transcript
Music Steve Parker: And then, by using this device called a cricket, helps direct the water. Sumi Das: Steve Parker is an architect, and his wife, Linda, an interior designer, both incorporate sustainable design in their work, and they wanted to bring similar concepts into the remodeling of their Bay Area home. Steve Parker: So, it was an opportunity to really practice what, what we preach. Linda Parker: The idea that the house could be more self sustaining over time, was, was fantastic.
Inaudible Sumi Das: They started by looking at their water usage, and decided to hire a specialist to install a system that would allow them capture and store rain water to recycle in their home. Steve Parker: So, when the rainfall hits the roof, it runs off the roof into the gutter here, and the gutter's connected to the rainwater tanks underneath the decks, so when, every time it rains, the water starts flowing into the tanks. Sumi Das: The two tanks are located under the Parker's outside deck, and hold 1,000 gallons of rainwater, combined. Steve Parker : These tanks are called pillow, or bladder tanks, essentially what they are, are like large water mattresses, you can fit them under decks, in crawl spaces, or any other space where you can't put a traditional rainwater storage tank. Sumi Das: The tanks have pipes that connect to a pump, inside the house, the pump pulls the water in, cleans it with a filtration system, and sends it to the toilets and laundry room. Steve Parker: So, here, we have the washing machine that's supplied by the rainwater system. Next to the washing machine, mounted on the wall, is the UV light filter, so that the rainwater pump pumps the rainwater through the UV light filter, which kills all the bacteria that may be present in the rainwater before it goes to the laundry machine. Sumi Das: While it looks simple enough, there are some things to check, before getting started, if you want to do this to your home. First, get a permit, some cities and states have banned rainwater harvesting in the past, so check to see if it's permissible in your area. Second, the cost of an installation is about 3,000 to 5,000 dollars, so make sure you get enough rain in your area to justify the cost. As for the Parkers, last year, they harvested between 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water, and they estimate in a little less than 10 years, they'll pay back their initial investment with a new system. Linda Parker: It's easier than you might realize, but I think a lot of people probably get turned off, they think they need a huge, deep well, or something, to hold this water in, when in fact, they may have space that they hadn't really thought about that would be easy to use. Sumi Das: For SmartPlanet, I'm Sumi Das.
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