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In essence, it is the process of collecting rainfall, filtering and storing the water and distribution to the home and the land. There are 3 main ways in which you can collect rainwater, from the roof of existing buldings and from tarps draped above or on the ground when collection is required in areas far from the principal collection systems. Once the water falls, it needs to be filtered and then stored. Typically the water is then ready for use. For efficient utilisation of water, stored water needs to be distributed in the following way;
Water Supply (3 systems )
- domestic appliances, showers and toilets,
- general kitchen use and drinking water, from the main supply but with additional filtering,
- land irrigation, can be supplied using any excess water from the main storage system, by recycling all domestic grey water and additionally from specific irrigation water collection points around the land.
To help you estimate the size and scaleability of your rainwater collection system, the following localisation data for the Val Nervia area should be used when designing your system.
- Xxmiglia has an average annual rainfall of 882mm,
- therefore, you'll need 1m2 of collection surface to harvest 882 litres of water,
- this gives a yield of 22,050 litres from a collection surface of 25m2 (enough for 2 persons),
Minimum annual consumption by 1 person (estimated),
- 1 x 3 minute shower a day, 6 litres per minute x 3 mins = 18 x 365 days = 6570 litres,
- washing hands & cleaning teeth, 2 litres per day x 365 = 730 litres,
- kitchen 10 litres per day x 365 = 3650 litres,
Therefore each person requires 10,950 litres per year.
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Waste Water Treatment (2 systems)
- grey and black water from domestic appliances, showers, no-fat kitchen sink and toilets,
- with-fat kitchen sink,
When designed correctly will allow you to recycle 100% of your waste water by the way of land irrigation and therefore illimitate the need to waste clean water from the main storage system.
- worst foods for bio composting sewage treatment are butter and chocolate as they coagulate and require more maintainance
- absolutely no products or waste items containing plastic or non bio-degradable materials, to be flushed down the toilet,
- organic soaps are best, biodegradable soaps better than nothing
Anyone with special skiils and experience in balanced ecological systems are invited to add a 'how to' page to the eco-build info pages. Include descriptions and photos that best present your craft so that others with an interest can dig deeper and ultimately refine and improve the process.
Please feel free to add your pages in your native tonque since most browsers offer the viewer the possibility of instant web page translation to your selected mother tongue.
Use this page to promote your expertise, your availability to assist with projects and to teach your craft in the form of workshops and project planning.
Rainwater Harvesting Systems can be very simple such as a water butt located under a down pipe from your guttering that you use to fill a watering can or connect to an inexpensive syphon hose to water your garden.
At the other end of the scale these systems have large above or underground tanks, filters and pumps which will not only feed to your garden irrigation and car wash but also into all the non-potable uses inside your home such as toilets, washing machines and even showers and baths.
Some of the larger systems even have PV panels to generate the power to drive the pumping and water management systems that ensure that the system is topped up by mains water when rainwater is scarce.
These systems can be subdivided into two types; Header Tank Systems and Direct Pump Systems.
Header Tank Systems as the name suggests require a header tank to be installed in the loft, have a high reliability, can easily revert to mains supply if rainwater is scarce and the control system is simple and inexpensive. However the pressure may be too low for some washing machines and flush toilets may take a while to fill.
The majority of commercially available systems are Direct Pump Systems that do not require a loft tank and generate a good pressure suitable for washing machines that are used to the pressure from a direct mains feed and suitable for car wash equipment and garden hoses. However, the control mechanism is likely to be more complex (and expensive).
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Living On The Inside Out
...where less means more
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ecosystems@21-dc.com |
ecosystems.21-dc.com
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