Water restrictions

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    Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 10:46am
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Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 14 Oct 2013
Location: Franklin
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Points: 12849
Im sure many of you this has crossed your minds

Around the country we are seeing water  usage restrictions as far more regular occurrence.
 There have been several threads/posts on washing boats, flush engines etc.
 We dont/havnt had restrictions here.. yet.
Even so I have put in 2 IBC tanks and a household pressure pump.

 Several reasons.
1/ Minerals in the water: Im sick of having to dry off the boat, clears , windows.. the vehicles, house windows and other stuff, after washing .
2/ Worked out the actual cost of Auckland water with the 78% waster water cost included.. comes to about $3:72 /1000L
3/ Eventually , with the new local housing going in , the local population will out strip the available water
4/ Thru a contact  new recycled drinking grade tanks at $100 each.

 Went a bit over budget.. the alcathene pipe fittings are not cheap...
Water use:
So how much water on a high pressure ( significantly more than mains pressure) does it to take:
1/Boat and trailer:  foam up (gone in 30sec 2L hose attachment), scrub, rinse, polish (ceramic) rinse to do the boat (including blast carpets) and flush engine in a 1/2 200L tank that is about 1/3 full from rain and last flush.
175 to 200L
2/ The wifes car  75 to 100L
3/ The Ute with canopy 100L
4/ Wash down the filleting boards knives, and stainless bench 50L

Cost:
2X IBC tanks  $200
Pump. took adive of good friend who worked with tanks for several decades.. a pump he suggested off trademe cheaper than he could do  $230
Spouting down pipes, joins, alcarthene piping, taps, plumbing to outside stainless work bench and sink, clips and sundries Approx $250.

I put one tank on top of the other, joined by 50mm alcathene down to the pump, then to 18mm alcathene to distribution points.

 Important:
dont do
I found that having one tank on top of the other, with the top tank tap open caused far too much pressure in the bottom tank. Actually swelling the cage , and the air vent in the top of the bottom tank got crushed between them.
This means I pump from the bottom tank and when gets low must manually open the top tank to re fill it.. not a biggie.. 50mm pipe flows a lot of water fast vertically.

For Auckland, so long as everything is 1m off the boundary, no need for permits, water meters and stuff.
As soon as you connect into anything that connects to the water mains and/ or the waster water system, you need permits, sign off, meters etc.

I have way more water than I use in the tanks, so its used general outside water tap stuff, and tend to wash rinse lot more things there than off the mains supply.. mainly because that extra pressure.

Im thinking about.. long term, connecting to toilets, maybe washing machine ( wash soft water is so good), dish washer... maybe the hot water system (??)
It means permits, sign off ..
 But before doing so I need to find out how much water these units use, and if the 2 IBC s and seasonal rainfall can keep up.

I would put up pics, but my forum pics are so many its a mission to find anything. Would like to delete the 160 rubbish (Identified and listed), and irrelevant ones. Or even Admin/Mod to do so on my be halfWink
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Dagwood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 11:38am
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Platinum
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Yup moved into a small coastal town and put in a 5,000 litre tank for gardens and boat etc as the Council seems well out their depth to provide for a growing population.

Washed the car and got a noticeably better result.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Big -Dave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 1:01pm
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Titanium
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Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Location: Hamilton
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When i brought my place 17 odd years ago, it had a 5000l tank, that could back feed to the house. House is on Mains supply.
I have since disconnected the back feed, and the tank runs the hoses that i use for washdown and garden water. I dont know that i could be bothered trying to re plumb any of the household water. Im picking we use about 800l a day at the moment, probably less, so that is a total of 10 days  if im lucky..., its too far between rains to keep up, and the fluffing about to change over..
you can't fix an idiot with duct tape, but it does muffle them for a while...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Big -Dave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 1:02pm
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Titanium
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Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Location: Hamilton
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worst case i could put the whole house on the tank, and a ballcock on the tank to top it up if it gets below 1/4
you can't fix an idiot with duct tape, but it does muffle them for a while...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2021 at 3:21pm
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Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 14 Oct 2013
Location: Franklin
Status: Offline
Points: 12849
Busy with another 'project ATM'
Mean time just thinking about it.
Its a good old fashioned piled house with good access underneath...and simple plumbing in.

 The required water meter is to measure the amount of water that goes thru stuff like clothes washer and down the waste.. then they charge you.
 Its worth doing to save water..
BUT
At this point in Auckland its not worth the time or money the cost of permits , consents, plumbers sign off, the water meter, and then get charged..

So connecting is well on the back burner for now.
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