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jrbarnard
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:24pm
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So, my delima...to dig a water well or not.
Now, a water well will probably run 20k-ish
I have a 39x32 footprint roof, so approximately 1248 sq ft of rooftop to collect water from.
I have a 2500 gallon water tank and plan to add a 2nd one, since I do not want to lose any rainwater. We get an average of 19-21 inches of rainfall per year.
I have 4 330 gallon water tanks I use to feed the animals.
We will have a shower and a toilet...albeit we will have water saving features installed on them such as a shower that does not run constantly but requires a button to be held to keep from wasting water and we will be bringing drinking water.
We also use paper plates vs washing stuff.
I am thinking, with 5000 gallons of storage, I do not really need a water well.. i.e. the cost benefit is not there.
EVEN if I have to pay to fill the water tanks once every few years, it would cost less than the upkeep of the well, much less digging it.
Ideas?
Russ
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adakseabee
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:14pm - Edited by: adakseabee
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Russ, you may have already checked out a cubic feet to liquid gallon conversion. Iif you have not, using the area of your 2084 SF collection footprint multiplied by 1.66 FT (20 inches) yields 25,882 gallons of water based on a 20 inches of annual rainfall.
As I see it, the variables are the annual rainfall, the water required for your animals, and your personal usage. Hopefully, the rainfall is spread out over the course of a year, would average the rainfall amount you specified, and what rainfall you get would not be all in one season. You seem to have factored in minimal personal usage, but you have not specified what is needed for your animals. Assuming 19-21 inches of rainfall spread out over a year and animals that do not impose a heavy demand for water, you might just have your solution in additional tanks for storage. Don't forget to factor in water loss due to the need to flush nasties off the roof and gutters with the first several gallons of collected rainwater with each rainfall.
Good luck with your plan. Adakseabee
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WY_mark
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:22pm
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I'm struggling with the same dilemma and leaning hard toward the cistern route. How far are you from a water source or how far would a delivery truck drive?
I wouldn't figure minimal use, I'd figure comfortable use and then practice minimal use. sometimes you just want to soak in the shower for 10 minutes after a hot dusty day, allow that luxury.
doing the calculations for my own site I figure that I can pay for water delivery for 5-7 years before catching up to the cost of a well (a similar $17-20k). For me there's a fairly large IF on wether that well would even find water. I HATE the idea of being dependent on delivery, but the money goes so much farther elsewhere. The big downsides I see are no irrigation drip line and in your case I'd look carefully at the animals.
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jrbarnard
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:34pm - Edited by: jrbarnard
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I am not factoring minimal usage, hence the debate on getting a well or not. I have 4 300 gallon water tanks that I suspect will need to be filled 3 times each per year. That totals about 3600 gallons of water. Let's call it 4800 if I decide to add another one.
So 4800 gallons of water worst case for the animals
100 gallons of water per visit, 2 per month, 200 gallons for showers. Let's call it 300 to be safe. times 12 is another 3600 for showers.
that is 8400
We would not be drinking any of the water, we bring drinking water.
That should give us an average of about 4300 gallons for flushing toilets or washing dishes in the sink etc.. and overage.
We will have 5000 gallons of storage space, so a well might not be worth the money.
Even if we have to pay to bring in water once in a while, I can get it for about 20 cents per gallon, so about $1000 would fill the entire 5000 gallons.
The chances of me needing another 5000 gallons every year would be pretty slim.
I MIGHT need 1200 once in a while in a bad year, but a few hundred a year, even if I needed it every year, would still be less than the cost of a well.
Oh, and right now I only have had to fill the 2 300 gallon tanks that are placed 2 times in the past 16 months, so that allows a buffer.
Russ
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:02pm
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collecting rainwater for all uses is quite feasible as long as there are no state restrictions. we have sold the suburban home and are moving to the cabin full time. we're in a semi arid area with rain mostly in mid June thru mid August, some snow fall. so we need lots of storage to go full time. in brief we now have 4800 gallons above ground and 7000 gallons below ground. the below ground is being increased with one more 7000 gallon and one 10000 gallon epoxy coated concrete cisterns. above ground will get 2 new 2500 gallon tanks and 2 used 1250 gallon tanks. my friend has a total of 20000 gallons. neither of us have wells, mine would be 800 feet deep if an inch. we collect off a 1200 sq ft cabin and porch roof plus an 800 sq ft shop roof and about a 200 sq ft roof on a utility shed.
some above ground water is for irrigation and livestock. the entire household needs come from the underground and pass through filers and ozone treatment with drinking water going through reverse osmosis as well. we also have fire suppression pumps in case of wildfire,another reason we want large capacity.
it is a bunch of money but better than a deep hole in the ground especially considering the almost for certain high mineral content including arsenic well above epa safe levels
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:04pm
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here's an interesting collection calculator
http://save-the-rain.com/SR2/
click on start
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2013 08:28am
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I always like to recommend this- its a 200 page PDF file from the Texas Water Development Board on rainwater harvesting. Great advice on how to do it:
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/rainwaterharvestingmanual_3rdedition .pdf
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