Going Off Grid in East Tennessee; The Story and Chat Thread (power lines, campgrounds)

[Gary Slusser]

Lisa, is the DC pump going to be able to suck water uphill from the 1200 gal tank and with the distance from the tank to the DC pump? I have extensive experience with pumps and I'm concerned about that. What type and gpm DC pump is it?

The well pump, how are you going to control it to know when to start the generator, and shut it off. I'd suggest float switches in the 1200 gallon tank.

Have you thought of any need for water treatment equipment and where it would 'fit'?

[Bones]

Originally Posted by Gary Slusser

Lisa, is the DC pump going to be able to suck water uphill from the 1200 gal tank and with the distance from the tank to the DC pump? I have extensive experience with pumps and I'm concerned about that. What type and gpm DC pump is it?

The well pump, how are you going to control it to know when to start the generator, and shut it off. I'd suggest float switches in the 1200 gallon tank.

Have you thought of any need for water treatment equipment and where it would 'fit'?

Gary, you bring up a good point about water treatment with that amount of water sitting stagnant for such a long period of time, even though it' is buried.....

[Blondie621]

I just happened to find this thread....what an exciting adventure to post here. I am on page 4 right now! This is great! I would love to live there ad so would my doggies. How far are you from any kind of stores?

[js2743]

Originally Posted by Bones

Lisa, what type of flooring are you going to use....¿ Have you sealed the floors against moisture, drainage (large rocks under the slab)....¿ Looks like the soffet extends to the bottom of fascia...(no drip edge = good for rot)
Like the color, blends nicely....

We haven't completed the fascia and soffet yet. We are doing gutters today and trim as soon as we get more.

trim isnt gonna help your problem with the drip edge the way you have it.

[Korel]

Originally Posted by js2743

trim isnt gonna help your problem with the drip edge the way you have it.

I too noticed that but I'm not one to tell a guy whose doing such a great job how to do things. From the photo, it appears that the soffit isn't behind the fascia and wind blown rain could easily penetrate above the soffit. Just an observation.

[ylisa7]

Gary- Hello fellow rver. Mike says thank you a float switch would be a good idea.

Gary and Bones- Thank you for your concerns. I don't know anything about wells, pumps, switches, etc. so I'll let you know what Mike told me. The 1200 gallon tank will be up the hill behind the house. It will siphon feed down to the house. The DC pump is for pressure only. We also live in the mountains where the water supply begins and it is some of the best water in the country. It will not become stagnant because it will replenish everyday. As Gary stated use of a float switch will help refill the tank. It will be similar to a spring box. As many of you know a spring box stores the water from a spring for use in a residence. This will be the same concept. We estimate we will re-fill the tank every 2-3 weeks and being that it is under ground it certainly shouldn't get stagnant. We will also have a filter inside the house for drinking water.

Blondie621- Thank you for reading our story. We are 7 miles to a small town with groceries, banks, fast food, dollar stores, etc. The next largest town with a mall, Lowe's, and Wal-mart is about 20 miles.

js2743- If you will re-read Chapter 6 on page 8 you will see that we already put in 136 feet of drip edge. Thank you for your concern.

Thank you all,
Lisa

[ylisa7]

Originally Posted by Korel

I too noticed that but I'm not one to tell a guy whose doing such a great job how to do things. From the photo, it appears that the sofitt isn't behind the fascia and wind blown rain could easily penetrate above the sofit. Just an observation.

Thank you. If you look at the picture of the house above the patio doors there is a piece of trim that was installed, caulked, and painted. We will do the same thing with the top when we finish.

Drip edge is under the roof line but not under the fascia or sofit.

Lisa

[TN Tin Man]

Interesting read over your morning coffee on ultraviolet water purification for a off grid system....

Water: a safe supply when you're off the grid by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #71

[ylisa7]

Originally Posted by Tinman313

Interesting read over your morning coffee on ultraviolet water purification for a off grid system....

Water: a safe supply when you're off the grid by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #71

Thank you Tinman-

That is a very informative article. Its' a little too involved for my slow brain(only 1 cup of coffee) to process right now. We needed to find a source for a DC pump. I'll show Mike when we are both mentally functioning.

Thanks again,
Lisa

[Bones]

Originally Posted by Korel

I too noticed that but I'm not one to tell a guy whose doing such a great job how to do things. From the photo, it appears that the soffit isn't behind the fascia and wind blown rain could easily penetrate above the soffit. Just an observation.

Korel, I'm sure Lisa and DH welcome comments and a bit of constructive criticism to help prevent problems further down the road..... This is a true learning experience for all of us, some things I'm sure we would do a bit different and hindsight is a wonderful thing....