|
| Author |
Message |
Bucko
Member
|
# Posted: 30 Mar 2013 05:15pm
Reply
Hello, everyone! I'm very pleased to have found a cabin forum with such a wealth of experience. I've been merely reading on different topics for a while and now have a question I hope someone can advise on.
I recently bought a cabin in the SoCal desert, not far from a town and close to a water main. As it'll be more a seasonal home for me, I was thinking of using a water tank and pump instead of paying for the cost of connecting to the main. For those of you who use 1,000-gallon tanks or more, what is it like to maintain? The water won't get used up quickly, so do you have recommendations for keeping the water potable?
|
|
bldginsp
Member
|
# Posted: 30 Mar 2013 08:56pm
Reply
I don't know about potability of water left in a tank for a long time. I fill mine with rainwater which I assume is not drinkable anyway. It sits a long time and doesn't seem to change. But I've learned this-
The plastic poly tanks are dark in color to inhibit bacterial growth. White colored tanks are made too, but these are not for potable water, they are often used for water mixed with fertilizer on farms. Those tanks are heavier because water with fertilizer is more dense and needs a stronger tank, but don't be tempted to get one. You need to inhibit bacterial growth.
You can add clorine bleach to purify the water, I think a ratio of 1 to a 10,000 is correct, but double check that, I'm not sure. But, I read that if you use clorine bleach, the bleach actually combines with whatever organic material is in the tank to produce carcinogenic combounds. Yuck. I'm no expert, that's just one thing I read.
I put my tank in a shed to keep the sun off if for longevity, so I could collect rainwater off the roof, and to protect the insulation I wrapped the tank with to protect from freezing, or limit freezing. In colder areas they have to bury the tank or it will freeze solid.
In Texas they make water tanks by up ending large concrete culvert sections and sealing the joints. Wonder how the heck they do that.
Hope this helps
|
|
mustang 46
Member
|
# Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:17pm
Reply
I would not use that water for drinking or dishes just bring your own botteled water or a 5 or 10 gallon cooler jug for that you wont need that much and then you know it is safe to drink thats what we do.It is not a big deal at all
|
|
Bucko
Member
|
# Posted: 31 Mar 2013 10:15am
Reply
Thanks, bldginsp and mustang 46. Very helpful.
I was planning on bringing in my own drinking water, so good to know that plan works. And the tank looks like it'll be a big (really big) black poly one. The reputable water hauler in the area doesn't deliver less than 2,000 gallons. Thanks for the purifying technique--not pleased that it'll sit for a long time as it's a seasonal home, but connecting to the main (also a possibility) is expensive too. How big is your tank, bldginsp?
|
|
bldginsp
Member
|
# Posted: 31 Mar 2013 01:06pm
Reply
It's 2500 gallon, the minimum size that is required when you build a house, for fire protection purposes, here in the California Sierra mountains. I don't have a house or cabin yet, but figured if I'm going to put in a tank might as well put in the required size now.
I have no idea how expensive it is to connect to the main, but in the long haul maybe it's cheaper, when you consider all the plumbing costs and maintenance of any alternative water system. But then there's the monthly fee for service. How do you stack up the numbers?
|
|
Bucko
Member
|
# Posted: 1 Apr 2013 08:00pm
Reply
Sounds like you have a good plan, and you're taking it slow, which also makes sense.
When I was first planning, the water tank looked to be much cheaper. Now because of various decisions, one of which is for fire protection, that system will cost relatively close to the low end of what I would pay for a water-main-based system. They both include plumbing to the cabin and separate "bath house."
If I choose the water main and it stays close, then I'm OK. If the water company's quote needs to increase even by $2000 (and quotes usually do increase, right?), then I'll have to delay something else, and right now all the projects are intertwined--electricity, water, construction. It's hard to know what I'd delay.
If I had a little more cash cushion or wasn't lining everything up to do this spring and summer, the water main might be fine. As it is, the cost range uncertainty is driving me crazy, plus the fact I'd have to pay for the water even when not there, around $30-40/month. The maintenance of the system might be more of a pain in the neck, but I'm close to saying I'd be OK with that--not ever having maintained a tank and pump, that is. Ignorance is bliss?
Anyway, sorry to ramble. Guess I'm still figuring it out!
|
|
|
