Catchment system design for a germaphobe... (power lines, camping, live)

[67Cam]

So I started a poll (please participate!). Every person who participates get's 3 rounds of whatever you drink on me if/when I make it over there!

Anyway, as a mid-level germaphobe initially the thought of drinking catchment water did not go over well, but I'm coming around to it. I just wouldn't want to deal with toting jugs of water for brushing teeth, cooking, etc... while showering in water I didn't think safe enough to drink. So if I could have a system that could satisfactorily produce clean water I would be on board with it.

So, not considering costs, what would a bulletproof system be? Over the top, double redundancy is encouraged. This is what I threw together while laying here on the couch. Don't be judgy on the graphics - I did it quickly on my iPad. What I didn't include in the drawing is what happens on the roof. As per the catchment pdf I would ensure nothing is hanging over the roof (power lines, trees, shrubs, etc.). I also thought about fine gutter screens to keep out big stuff.

Take a look at my plan below (start upper left, work to the right then bottom left to right). Let me know what you think.

[cagary]

This filter goes between your catchment tank and the plumbing system that leads into your home. Its all you really need.

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

[J.vick]

Originally Posted by cagary

This filter goes between your catchment tank and the plumbing system that leads into your home. Its all you really need.

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

After reading a lot on this it seems the best and it's not too expensive for peace of mind.
Well for me that is peace of mind.

[OpenD]

Agreed, the Sawyer filter is all a normal person needs, at a minimum.

Everything else you have included is a nicety, or adds convenience. but only the Sawyer filter is essential. And with it the ultraviolet sterilizer is totally unnecessary, and requires electricity to operate, plus a monthly wipedown of the bulb, and a $100 replacement annually. That's a lot of bother and expensive for something the Sawyer filter eliminates.

Don't stress yourself. Just have water delivered. Or live where county well water is available.

[terracore]

We use a 20 micron filter, followed by a 5 micron carbon filter, followed by a UV sterilization unit (our UV unit is only guaranteed to sterilize if particulates are =< 5 microns). That is our whole-house system. We have an additional .5 micron carbon filter in our fridge water/icemaker system where our ice and drinking water comes from.

We have no problems, and have suffered no health problems from drinking our catchment water treated in this manner. All of that being said, I fill up four 5-gallon water bottles when I go to the county spigots because catchment water is essentially distilled water, and distilled water has no minerals. Catchment water has no added chlorine. So we drink a combination of county and catchment water.

I would not shower/bathe in, brush teeth with, or drink untreated catchment water unless I had to. But especially the part about brushing teeth and drinking.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by terracore

We have no problems, and have suffered no health problems from drinking our catchment water treated in this manner.

All of that being said, I fill up four 5-gallon water bottles when I go to the county spigots because catchment water is essentially distilled water, and distilled water has no minerals.

I'm not sure what your reasoning is for drinking county water for the minerals, because the assay on the minerals in Hawaiian well water, from running through lava rock is not optimum for nutrition, if that's what you're concerned with. It's possible you could run a mineral deficiency even if you drank nothing but county water. The remedy is simple... nutritional mineral supplements, available at Island Naturals.

And the same is true for rainwater, just slightly more so. It's a little more acidic than well water, but naturally much softer water without the calcium, etc., so you buffer it with small amounts of baking soda to make it more neutral.

Catchment water has no added chlorine.

Easy to fix. Just add chlorine, per the CTAHR manual. Why reinvent the wheel when the protocol that is proven to work is available for free from CTAHR?

I would not shower/bathe in, brush teeth with, or drink untreated catchment water unless I had to. But especially the part about brushing teeth and drinking.

No, untreated water is risky, just as untreated water from even the most crystal-clear rivers and lakes is too risky when you're camping. That's what the Sawyer filters were invented for in the first place. With them, you can pull contaminated filthy water from a ditch and run it through a Sawyer filter and turn it into safe, potable water.