Hide My Catchment Tank (Volcano: hotel, houses, camping)

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

I guess I'll try this again since someone else tried to intentionally derail my original point which was: The best way to hide a catchment tank is to not buy a place with a catchment tank.

Unfortunately, that little bit of circular reasoning is just as worthless as it was the first time it was posted, since it's ex post facto (i.e. the OP already has a catchment tank).

Originally Posted by whtviper1

On the now derailed topic - I don't care if some dude pees in a reservoir Or animals. Or whatever. I don't believe for a second that a private home can purify water like a municipality can where the water is tested over and over and over again. The number of chemicals tested at the federal and state level makes for a very long list.

I personally don't want water dropping from the sky caught at a home in Hawaii, Oregon, Mississippi, or Timbuktu. I'm equal opportunity not wanting a private individual giving me water to drink or shower with they treated themselves. Period.

You''ll probably love tap water from some parts of Southern California, such as Temecula, Murrietta, and Rancho Cucamonga. Don't worry about the funny taste or odor -- it's been tested and the authorities have deemed it to be "safe to drink."
Algae in Silverwood Lake causing bad-tasting water for 3 million Southern Californians

Of course, you can simply drink bottled water…
Test Results: Chemicals in Bottled Water | Environmental Working Group

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by 1freespirit

I'm only going off of what people I know and ask if they drink theres and they have all said no - so I guess I stand corrected. In the circle of people I know the majority of THEM have decided not to I cannot speak for majority of all. So I retrack my statement

There's a lot of misinformation circulating on this topic, and unfortunately people form opinions and make decisions based on word-of-mouth that can be wildly inaccurate. I've been involved with rainwater catchment systems in a number of very different places over more than four decades, and I like to get the correct information into people's hands so they can make wise decisions for themselves.

Here's the manual... free hardcopies to residents, free online copies to all... http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf

Originally Posted by 1freespirit

My husband worked for a small town water supply plant so we he is familar on clarifing the water and what steps to take. You may be amazed on how this is actually done, its not all that high tech (well atleast in the town he worked at and it had to pass routine inspections by the county and it did pass)

Exactly, and the methods used are not really very high-tech anywhere. Nor are the federal, state, or county standards actually very high in many regards, as JonahK pointed to. If you care to do what it takes, you can actually do much better with a well maintained rainwater catchment system than you can with urban water supplies, or even with most bottled water. In cities all over the country health conscious urban dwellers are installing rainwater catchment systems so they can disconnect from, or at least discontinue the use of, the local water utility.

As the folks at Island Catchment in HPP put it...

Is catchment water clean enough to drink?

A residential water supply that collects rainwater stored in a catchment tank can be much safer and more reliable than most municipal water sources. Many large cities and towns are built on rivers or other rain-fed water sources. Unfortunately, pharmacutical residue and other contaminants cannot be completely removed from our municipal water supply with any present water treatment systems. Even with chemical additives, trace amounts of drugs and biological contaminants can be found in ground and municipal water supplies.

This points out the need for a properly set up rainwater catchment system that you have complete control of. Your system will include a food grade liner, a first flush diverter, floating intakes, a dual filtration system and a UV sterilization unit. A well-planned and complete rainwater catchment and storage system will provide safer, cleaner and better tasting water than can be obtained for residential use from any other source.

Frequently asked questions about rainwater harvesting and catchment water storage for home use

Originally Posted by 1freespirit

for this reason and his experience I do think our catchment water is safe to do dishes, clothes, showers and probaly even drink if we so chose to do so but we choose not to. I guess its more me then my husband I choose not to.

Don't guess about water safety with your catchment system. You have to test your water to know what you've got, even just for dishwashing. You can get your water tested annually for the most serious pollutants, free, through County Extension offices. See the CTAHR manual I linked to earlier for instructions on how to go about it.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Jonah K

Unfortunately, that little bit of circular reasoning is just as worthless as it was the first time it was posted, since it's ex post facto (i.e. the OP already has a catchment tank).

Hmmmm, so - there are no available properties on the Big Island without a catchment tank? It is more dire than I thought! I like the ex post facto though - I need to work that into a meeting today.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Hmmmm, so - there are no available properties on the Big Island without a catchment tank? It is more dire than I thought! I like the ex post facto though - I need to work that into a meeting today.

Your loaded question and the assumption behind it are irrelevant -- the OP's not necessarily in the market for another house (or even a better catchment tank) based on the prima facie evidence presented thus far.

[terracore]

Rain water is essentially distilled water.... water that has been evaporated into a vapor and condensed back into water. As it falls from the sky it requires no treatment to consume. But then it runs off your roof, through your gutters and pipes, and into your catchment tank. It's short journey from your roof to your tank exposes it to contaminants which must be removed before you can use it. Personally, I wouldn't drink catchment water unless it has been filtered and sterilized, and we have filters and a UV unit that does just that. The county water on the Hilo side tastes really good, and I drink it, but I'd rather drink my catchment water than the nasty tasting stuff that comes out of the tap in Kona.

[1freespirit]

Personally I like having catchment water to me is safe we keep it clean and test a few times a month... my hair hasn't fallen out yet, my skin looks and feels like normal skin and no one has gotten sick from eating off our dishes.

and for drinking water our FloJet BW4000 Bottled Water Dispensing System that we purchased from Amazon works just wonderfully.

I love not having to pay anyone for our water... We own another home in Hawaiian shores rec and that is on community water and cost about $600 a year our cottage is on catchment and we are satisfied with having that.

[OpenD]

Hey, Cagary... how'd you like to try to hide a pair of half million gallon rainwater catchment tanks, like they have at Volcanoes National Park? That's those big white things in the picture below the "Drinking the Rain" poster on this website...

Drinking the Rain at Hawai

It's the largest rainwater catchment system in the state, and it handles nearly 5.5 million gallons of drinkable rainwater a year!

Anyway, I don't think Hibiscus would help them, but how are you doing?

[Eastern Oregonian]

You could put white lattice around it and plant some kind of vine to cover it up.

[NoMoreRent]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Lol, no problem folks. You all drink your acid rain mixed with baking soda that sits in open air all you want. I'll take treated tap water anytime.

By the way, in Hawaii, life expectancy is lowest in Hawaii County among the major islands. Go have another sip of.....

Seems like you're just trying to argue for the sake of arguing.

I'd drink these folks' treated rainwater any day vs. municipal water, which is usually chlorinated to death, and filtered only roughly.

I once toured the bottling plant for a bottled water product called Oregon Rain. They had a huge property with a catchment system in place to catch rainwater off the Oregon coast... then trucked it to their bottling plant. Water when through a .3 micron filter, then a .1 micron filter, then a UV unit and then into the bottles. It was the best tasting bottled water I've ever had in my life.

I'd count myself lucky as hell to have that coming out of the taps in my house!

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by NoMoreRent

Water when through a .3 micron filter, then a .1 micron filter, then a UV unit and then into the bottles. It was the best tasting bottled water I've ever had in my life.

I'd count myself lucky as hell to have that coming out of the taps in my house!

Yep, that's essentially the setup for a first class home unit here.

Sawyer has a remarkable new technology available for the final filter, in their Point ONE Absolute filter, which is a true .1 micron hollow fiber filter, adapted from dialysis technology, which simplifies cleaning to an occasional backflush, and doesn't require periodic replacement. Sawyer says it's good for a million gallons. and theoretically you wouldn't need the UV sterilization any more, although I have nothing against redundancy.

You can buy just the filter and housing, or buy it pre-plumbed in a whole house configuration with the backflush valves already in place. It's pricey, but reduces installation to a simple hookup.

Sawyer PointONE 10" Filter Kit Pre-Plumbed with PVC Back-Wash - Sawyer International