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CarlFlink
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# Posted: 20 Apr 2020 22:58
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Hello: I have a small cabin in western Wisconsin that has on-grid electricity, but no running water. I am considering a 3 season cistern approach since my family doesn't really use the place in the winter. I want to avoid burying the cistern so that I can easily access it during the non-winter seasons and drain it easily in preparation for the winter. The land also has three fresh water springs that are drinkable right from the ground and I would use this water to fill the tank, although I still might be interested in setting up a rain harvesting system. I want the water to be used for drinking as well as toilet and cleaning. Can anyone point me in a good direction for a design? Thanks.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:11
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The cheapest dollar to gal of water storage is going to be IBC totes. Usually the food grade ones are about $100 here.
For drinking water use a new 55gal drum from Walmart. There not in stock now but usually less than $100. I wouldnt drink the spring water with out filtering and purification. Either a ceramic filter or UV light.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:40
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We haul water from a spring. Inside the pictured building is a 550 gallon water tank... it has been spray foamed which might help with shoulder seasons but likely no necessary. Our water pressure pump, a Shurflo RV pump is in the small box attached to the right side of the building (generator and storage on the other side). This attaches to PEX pipe buried over to the cabin. The box is well insulated as is where it comes up out of the ground and into the cabin (survived a couple of 10*F nights already this spring). The RV pump had it's own solar panel and deep cycle battery but that has been replaced with a 120vac - 12vdc transformer. There is plastic pipe, 1 1/2" with quick connects and valves so we can hook up the 1" Honda pump to pump water into the tank from our 120 gallon trailer mounted tank that we fill at the spring.
We drink our spring water, but it is tested at least once per year. As a precaution we do put 1/2 cup bleach per 550 gallon tank of water. Brett's recommendation of filter or UV is probably the best way to go from an untested source.
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:37
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Another food-grade 55 gallon drum source: your local soda bottler. We get used barrels for under $20, need to rinse. I swear our barrel water still smells of Mountain Dew after 6 years...
SE Ohio
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 21 Apr 2020 15:48
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Our cistern setup is a 120/240v jet pump by a stream that pumps upto a single IBC tote. Then from there it goes down hill to our site. I need to drag the generator through the woods to power the jet pump but 250gal of water lasts us a few months. It takes 45min to fill the IBC tank and everything is feed with 1in poly. So 45min of generator run time gives us water that dosnt need to be pumped again. We have very nice water pressure at the site.
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Steve961
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2020 12:43
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I'm also in Wisconsin and have an above ground cistern that I use in the warmer months. It collects rainwater from the roof, flows through a leaf eater screen, then into a DIY first flush diverter, and finally into a 275 gallon tote. It's worked well the past several years, and the quality of water I get has been very good. I don't use it for drinking water at this time, but I know I could if I had too.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 22 Apr 2020 18:13
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Steve... nice looking set up!
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2020 07:25
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That is very nice Steve. I see you even made provisions to add another IBC with the 4 way Tee. Very clean setup you have there.
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Steve961
Member
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2020 17:31
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The other outlet is actually for an underground 300 gallon spherical cistern I am planning to install someday. This will then allow me to have water at the cabin during the winter months. I'll keep the tote for extra water needs in the summer, and since it's elevated it's quick and easy to get water out of it without a pump.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2020 06:42
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I looked into buying a spherical tank. They went cheap, well over $1 a gallon. I opted for two 55gal pickle drums plumbed together. I'm going to connect them to the outlet on the IBC tote we currently use so there's always water in them.
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