08-01-2007, 02:05 PM
Whoops, I should have said I’m back on the mainland and that’s where I saw the filter being made.
I had a quick after work drink with one of the county water dept people I interface with and he said the filter I saw being made was a bit elaborate because county health codes require pre filtering to a certain micron level on domestic water storage tanks.
So I explained what I was thinking for HI and his recommendation was to first see the level of contamination from the gutters. The easiest method to test and filter was to take the PVC pipe from the gutters and have it enter a 5-gallon pail at the top. Take a ladies stocking and zip tie it over that pipe, placing a rock in the stocking so it won’t get sucked into the outlet pipe at the bottom. That’s it. If after a rain it’s a heaping mass of garbage, consider a bit more hefty filter system. Otherwise, that may be all that’s needed. Just remember to clean the stocking periodically.
He said that physics dictates that you want surface area versus depth of filtration. That’s why shoving stockings in the downspout will quickly clog and overflow. The next simplest is the same 5-gallon pail with the stocking, but with one of those electrostatic foam air filter wrapped around the outtake pipe. You can expand upon that if needed to add rocks, sand, or those straw type pads used in swamp coolers. Those plastic totes with lids you buy for storage works well. Even a 30-gallon garbage can with a sheet draped inside and secured to the sides is a great filter.
So, maybe next visit I’ll be seeing one of you with a pickup truck full of plastic pails, garbage cans and folded sheets, buying pantyhose by the case at Costco, while handing out business cards for “Puna’s Prefilter Inc”.
Now, if I can only figure out what this "Conservation" thing on part of the property means...
I had a quick after work drink with one of the county water dept people I interface with and he said the filter I saw being made was a bit elaborate because county health codes require pre filtering to a certain micron level on domestic water storage tanks.
So I explained what I was thinking for HI and his recommendation was to first see the level of contamination from the gutters. The easiest method to test and filter was to take the PVC pipe from the gutters and have it enter a 5-gallon pail at the top. Take a ladies stocking and zip tie it over that pipe, placing a rock in the stocking so it won’t get sucked into the outlet pipe at the bottom. That’s it. If after a rain it’s a heaping mass of garbage, consider a bit more hefty filter system. Otherwise, that may be all that’s needed. Just remember to clean the stocking periodically.
He said that physics dictates that you want surface area versus depth of filtration. That’s why shoving stockings in the downspout will quickly clog and overflow. The next simplest is the same 5-gallon pail with the stocking, but with one of those electrostatic foam air filter wrapped around the outtake pipe. You can expand upon that if needed to add rocks, sand, or those straw type pads used in swamp coolers. Those plastic totes with lids you buy for storage works well. Even a 30-gallon garbage can with a sheet draped inside and secured to the sides is a great filter.
So, maybe next visit I’ll be seeing one of you with a pickup truck full of plastic pails, garbage cans and folded sheets, buying pantyhose by the case at Costco, while handing out business cards for “Puna’s Prefilter Inc”.
Now, if I can only figure out what this "Conservation" thing on part of the property means...