The Rain!!

[YurtGirl]

Seems to me that 'rainy season' in subdivisions South of Mountain View tends to start somewhere from September to January and end around April/May. So you have June - August that tend to be somewhat reliably less rainy... If that helps... Some years are more rainy than others. Vog tends to only get bad for extended periods in January - March in the same area.

Melissa Fletcher
___________________________
"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973

[Midnight Rambler]

If you have a lot of shade and damp vegetation, you'll get a lot of mosquitoes. Certain places with slightly older lava flows in the subdivisions are like that. They don't need obvious standing water; there are tons of them in gulches that are dry 99% of the time.

[sputnut]

So, is it noticeably drier about halfway down (between the highway and the ocean)in paradise park than in Hawaiian acres or Orchidland? If so, is it still capable of keeping a catchment system operating? (how much trouble are those things, anyway?)

comin' your way soon!

[Cagary]

Orographic precipitation. Warm humid air over the ocean is blown up against the east side of the Big Island by the the Trade Winds. Warm air can hold more moisture than cool air. As the wind blows the air up against the island, it rises as the elevation increases. The higher the altitude, the cooler the air becomes and the less moisture it can hold. Generally the higher the elevation, the more rainfall you get. HPP usually less rain than Orchidland. Orchidland usually less rain than Mt. View. Generally.

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[csgray]

Even in lowest Puna there is generally enough rain to keep a catchment system working. The word "generally" means unless you have a long drought, babies in cloth diapers, teenagers taking hour long showers, or mainland visitors with all of the above (that was the only time we ever bought water.) As far as the effort it takes to make it work, remember, you are the water system manager. A well set up system is easier to keep clean and healthy, and a poorly set up system is constant work and the risk of illness. UHH has a manual that is the "bible" of catchment system operation, if you search here the link will probably come up.

I can't emphasis enough that it isn't just a matter of INCHES of rain, it also is a matter of MINUTES of rain. And even that can vary a lot between two properties that are even just a quarter mile apart. But the "general" rule is closer to the ocean=drier and higher up the mountain=wetter, but based on personal experience, I would live in Kurtistown/Hawaiian Acres area with the big/hard showers broken up by sun over the nonstop drizzle I experienced in the back of Orchidland, but I know people in other parts of Orchidland who had very different weather.

Rent first, preferably in several different short term furnished rentals in widely scattered areas and different types of houses, that can give you a much better sense of what it is like to actually live here. We did that, then spent 2 years in a rented ocean front condo in Hilo, while we shopped houses, and finally bought in a completely different area than the one we had expected to.

Carol

[okedokey]

Catchment also depends on the area of your roof and the gutter system. Larger roof areas catch more water. There is a formula to determine it by roof area, probably in that manual from UHH. The county has a pamphlet too that is very helpful.

[steve1]

Our roof is approximately 2000 square feet, and I roughly estimate that an inch of rain on the roof= 1000 gallons in the tank. Our tank is about 8000 gallons and if 2 people use 100 gallons a day we can survive a 40 day drought. Seems to pretty much average 2-3 inches a week here in mid HPP, but sometime it doesn't rain for 2 or 3 weeks, so each situation is different because of all the variables.

Seems like a properly maintained catchment system costs about what it would cost to be connected to County water, but when the power goes out because of trees falling on the lines our water pump doesn't work.

[okedokey]

The formula is: square footage of roof area x .635 equals gallons of water per inch of rain. Providing the entire roof is guttered. The UHH has a very useful booklet called Rainwater Catchment Systems for Hawaii that gives you everything you ever wanted to know about catchment systems, but didn't know what to ask! I picked up one at the HPP office.

[sputnut]

Thank you all for the insights. I believe I have read that booklet online, but in almost all the for sale houses I have seen, they have not been done properly, with a first flow deflector and not going down then back up so it doesn't stagnate and the tight fitting covers that don't droop into the water, etc. I will probably need to work on it right away.
So, the southern end of Orchidland, Hawaiian acres, Fern acres, etc. would be drier than nearer the highway, on average? Aren't those areas also predominantly without things I like like electricity and internet? (my wife likes paved roads nearby, too)

comin' your way soon!

[Kapohocat]

We have had a 5500 gal catchment tank in Kapoho for the last 2.5 yrs. Never ran out of water - not even 2/3 down at any time. We are not very conservative either and still was fine for 2 full time residents, tons of visitors and lots of Friday night soirees (with usual toilet flushing of party guests.)

We figure if at some time we have to order water - $150 for 4000 gal is pretty cheap over all delivered.

as for the power issue, I am looking at solar pumps, to even eliminate that issue. If power does go out now, we just dump a bucket of water straight from water tank into toilet tank.