Consuming catchment water... (Volcano, Kilauea: hotel, house, buy)

[67Cam]

I've been on this and another forum for a few months, soaking in the knowledge, dreaming about moving to the BI someday and working through a plan (big and small details).

There's been much discussion around every aspect of catchment water and initially I assumed everyone drank this water. After spending time here it seems a fair number do not. Now I should disclose I'm a mid-level Germaphobe, so at first the thought of drinking it didn't sit to well with me. I'm slowly warming up to the idea and have imagined a system that may pass my mental block of drinking it. But that will go in another thread.

I'd like to hear from the people who only have catchment water (or did in the past); where do you draw the line at catchment consumption? I'd really like this to just be a thread to gather information, not a raging debate over should you/shouldn't you.

If you could be so kind as to take the poll and if possible, briefly describe your catchment system.

Mahalo!

[J.vick]

Can't wait to see how this turns out since catchment water is in my near future.
Mahalo

[cagary]

Wait a minute. I don't think anyone drinks or even uses catchment water "straight".

Everyone has at least one or two filter systems between the tank and the inside house plumbing. Plus most people dump bleach directly into the tank to keep the water clean. This "bleached" water then goes through some kind of filter before any one would think of even showering with it. As far as drinking it goes, many people have one of those filter pitchers in their frig that they drink out of.

[67Cam]

Originally Posted by cagary

Wait a minute. I don't think anyone drinks or even uses catchment water "straight".

Everyone has at least one or two filter systems between the tank and the inside house plumbing. Plus most people dump bleach directly into the tank to keep the water clean. This "bleached" water then goes through some kind of filter before any one would think of even showering with it. As far as drinking it goes, many people have one of those filter pitchers in their frig that they drink out of.

I didn't say anyone drank it straight. I guess I could have added something in the choices about filtered water but that is why I asked people to describe how their system is set up. I didn't want this to be complicated - just want to know who drinks their catchment water and how they filter it (if they do).

[lucknow]

Years ago I sold water systems. We have thousand of rural homes that use rainwater they catch and store in cisterns in this area. I am assuming the water that you are talking about is rainwater. There are two different hazards in using and drinking rainwater.

Firstly and most importantly are, "Germs" or biological hazards. Now I see some people here put bleach in the water. That is about the poorest solution there is. The easiest and most economical way is to install an ultraviolet system on the main feed coming out of the storage. That kills everything alive in the water. Now here in this area we have a lot of industry and pollution of all sorts. The best solution and again the lowest cost solution is a large whole house Carbon filter that is installed downline from the UV system. You never ever want bio contaminated water in ANY FILTER. If you buy one that can be backwashed the filter media will last decades. Even though those two systems supply really good water a lot of my customers would also want a reverse osmosis system for their drinking and cooking purposes. That is a bit of an overkill but guarantees pretty much distilled grade water when combined with the other two systems.

I have tested people's water that just put chlorine in the tank as a treatment and found the water to be totally contaminated with bacteria.
It's a poor solution for many reasons. If you have ever had a pool than you know just how long the chlorine lasts. One of my friend's kids nearly died from a bacterial infection via a cistern that he treated periodically with bleach. However when you have your big carbon filter I would treat my storage tank a few times per year with chlorine just to keep it clean. The carbon filter will remove the chlorine. I would also keep my gutters and roof relatively clean if the water is gathered that way. Bird poop is nasty.

[OpenD]

OH, gack!! What a terrible poll! Toxic killer? Talk about biasing possible reactions! A third of the residents of the Big Island depend on rainwater catchment for their residential water supply.

Properly managed, following the recommendations of the CTAHR Rainwater Catchment Manual,
free download here, http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/RM-12.pdf
your catchment water can be safer and more pure than the average well water. Even bottled water typically has higher bacterial counts.

If you're really all that germophophic, then you probably should not move to Hawai'i at all, because the water is perhaps the least of your worries.

[Grassyknoll]

My family and I have been drinking our catchment water for over 7 months now. Standard set up-UV-particulate with a cup or two of bleach per month. The drinking water also goes through a Britta just for fun.
After reading about the woman whose decomposing body was pulled from the water-tank of an LA hotel last year, I have no qualms about handling my own water.

[67Cam]

Originally Posted by OpenD

OH, gack!! What a terrible poll! Toxic killer? Talk about biasing possible reactions! A third of the residents of the Big Island depend on rainwater catchment for their residential water supply.

Properly managed, following the recommendations of the CTAHR Rainwater Catchment Manual,
free download here, http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/RM-12.pdf
your catchment water can be safer and more pure than the average well water. Even bottled water typically has higher bacterial counts.

If you're really all that germophophic, then you probably should not move to Hawai'i at all, because the water is perhaps the least of your worries.

It was a tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor and to try and lighten up the conversation, as past posts on this subject have gotten, testy... I guess my communication skills aren't up to the task of conveying that. Sorry if I offended anyone.

On that note, has anyone found Waldo yet? Hint, he's somewhere on the other post I started at the same time as this one.

BTW - While I am a little germaphobic, if catchment water were the only thing between me and moving to Hawaii it would not be a barrier. It's just a mental thing and I can get past it. Just helps to plan it out, talk about it and hear from others already doing it.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the poll! It's anonymous so please pick one even if you don't want to comment.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by 67Cam

It's just a mental thing and I can get past it. Just helps to plan it out, talk about it and hear from others already doing it.

Yes, clearly it's just a mental thing!

So why mess up your own mind and that of others with all the negative talk and paranoid attitude? When you panic others will stress up as a result. Even just joking around, I think you spread the unreasonable concern you have to others, when is in't any logical rationale for it at all.

To start untangling your thinking, let's start with terminology. Use something more empowering, like the label which is used in many other parts of the US where Rainwater Harvesting is also common, particularly in the rural Southwest. Yep, that's the terminology used. Rainwater. Harvesting. This thread could easily have been titled Drinking Rainwater, which is considerably nicer sounding, don't you think? And clearly less worrying.

One of the treats for tourists at Volcanoes National Park are the free rainwater filling stations for water bottles and canteens there at the Kilauea overlook. It's so pure, so delicious, everybody loves it!

And it comes down out of the sky for free! How magical! And all you have to do is a few very simple things to ensure it stays that pure once it has fallen from the sky.

Got it?

[Due]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Yes, clearly it's just a mental thing!

So why mess up your own mind and that of others with all the negative talk and paranoid attitude? When you panic others will stress up as a result. Even just joking around, I think you spread the unreasonable concern you have to others, when is in't any logical rationale for it at all.

To start untangling your thinking, let's start with terminology. Use something more empowering, like the label which is used in many other parts of the US where Rainwater Harvesting is also common, particularly in the rural Southwest. Yep, that's the terminology used. Rainwater. Harvesting. This thread could easily have been titled Drinking Rainwater, which is considerably nicer sounding, don't you think? And clearly less worrying.

One of the treats for tourists at Volcanoes National Park are the free rainwater filling stations for water bottles and canteens there at the Kilauea overlook. It's so pure, so delicious, everybody loves it!

And it comes down out of the sky for free! How magical! And all you have to do is a few very simple things to ensure it stays that pure once it has fallen from the sky.

Got it?

I agree OpenD.

During my youth, I drank Rainwater harvested by my grandfather's (and other Central Texas farmers) cistern. Best tasting water ever and it was free. Never got sick from it (or the raw cow's milk).