Weather in Ocean View (Captain Cook: how much, houses, landscaping)

[cewcnw334]

Could someone tell us about the various changes in weather due to the elevations in Ocean View? We will be moving back to the big island this summer and would like to buy in Ocean View. But we are concerned that there will not be enough rain to be on catchment tank water. And we're also concerned about the high winds. We would like to buy in the lower section - 3 acre lot area. Should we stay above a certain street or elevation to make sure we stay away from the strong winds and also receive enough rain for catchment? We used to live in Captain Cook/Kona Paradise and had no trouble with wind or catchment. Thank you.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by cewcnw334

Could someone tell us about the various changes in weather due to the elevations in Ocean View? We will be moving back to the big island this summer and would like to buy in Ocean View. But we are concerned that there will not be enough rain to be on catchment tank water. And we're also concerned about the high winds. We would like to buy in the lower section - 3 acre lot area. Should we stay above a certain street or elevation to make sure we stay away from the strong winds and also receive enough rain for catchment? We used to live in Captain Cook/Kona Paradise and had no trouble with wind or catchment. Thank you.

AFAIK, just about everyone in Oceanview supplements their rainfall catchment with water deliveries via tanker truck. But, it's not that expensive, especially if you're conservative with use.

Typically the higher you go the more rainfall is to be expected. However, overall this is considered a low rainfall area. One possible consideration would be if you want to sacrifice the ability to grow more tropical plants and experience warmer weather in order to gain a few more inches of rain.

High winds? I know a guy in Ranchos and it's more like consistent, moderate to fresh wind. I guess for those of us who don't enjoy winds they could be considered "high", but in fact they're not.

There may be partial wind shadows or funnels in the area due to local topography-I don't know. Also don't know if winds are any less at elevation-good question.

[cewcnw334]

Thank you - we notice the weather station (Underground Weather) around 650 elevation shows winds of 30-40 mph a lot. We didn't know if that was because it was closer to south point or, hopefully, there is less wind up closer to the highway.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Keeping checking back here, OP. Grassyknoll has lived in OV, although mauka of the highway, for five or six years. Probably the one poster on here with the best first-hand knowledge.

[Amadrid]

Originally Posted by cewcnw334

Could someone tell us about the various changes in weather due to the elevations in Ocean View? We will be moving back to the big island this summer and would like to buy in Ocean View. But we are concerned that there will not be enough rain to be on catchment tank water. And we're also concerned about the high winds. We would like to buy in the lower section - 3 acre lot area. Should we stay above a certain street or elevation to make sure we stay away from the strong winds and also receive enough rain for catchment? We used to live in Captain Cook/Kona Paradise and had no trouble with wind or catchment. Thank you.

We live in HOVE, at about 3000’ on Pineapple. We do get some wind but not too much. And we seem to get more rain then lower elevations. We looked in the Ranchos when we first were looking for property but it’s way too windy down there for me. It’s also scorching hot in the summer. We like the coolor elevation but we do have to sacrifice some of the tropical plantings that we wanted to do.

As for Water, we have a 14,500 gallon catchment tank. It’s been keeping pretty full. With some of the heavy rain earlier it was overflowing quite a bit. We are considering putting on a second tank since we have gotten quite a bit of rain. No use wasting it

[Grassyknoll]

I've lived for 5 year in OV about a third of the way up in the subdivision.
Annual rainfall can vary quite a bit. It really will come down to your water usage habits and how much you are set to collect during the rainy season. For the first 4 years we (me, wife, teen daughter and 4 dogs) made do with a single 20k tank. We have all of our houses roofline set up with gutters to collect the rainfall. Being somewhat conscientious about water usage we have gone 4 years without ever buying water. I do have a 300 gallon water tote that I have on occasion used to fill at the community spigot and dump into my main tank. This was usually when we were going to have company visiting and wanted to add a couple thousand gallons as a cushion.
I recently added another 20k tank to collect from my garages' roof, it is placed at a higher elevation and will gravity feed my main tank, so I may never need to haul water again.
If you are looking at 3 acre parcels then you are likely looking at the OV Ranchos, Kona Gardens or Kula Kai subdivions. That area is at a lower elevation; a bit warmer and a little less rain.
I also have re-plumbed my bathroom showers/tubs to drain into poly tanks which I then use to water landscaping.
I will say, having lived on the mainland most of my life and had water bills as high as $200 per month, I much prefer to manage my own water collection, sanitation and distribution.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Grassyknoll

I recently added another 20k tank to collect from my garages' roof, it is placed at a higher elevation and will gravity feed my main tank, so I may never need to haul water again.

20K is a very big tank. Galvanized, on concrete ring I presume? Would you mind sharing approximate cost? Thanks.

[Grassyknoll]

Galvanized on a sand pad with inset bricks to support the outer structure.
I don't have a cost as it was on my property when I bought it but was used only for watering landscaping. I merely moved and reallocated it

[terracore]

"20K is a very big tank. Galvanized, on concrete ring I presume? Would you mind sharing approximate cost? Thanks."


10,000 gallon tanks usually run about $5k new. They are usually placed on sand but some people use used (free) carpet or anything else that will protect the liner from sharp things on the ground. I don't know what a 20,000 gallon tank costs but it's probably less than two 10,000 gallon tanks. There are advantages to having two smaller tanks like redundancy and it's easier to clean/maintain smaller tanks.