Water Saving Devices

[Punaperson]

Sorry to be so vague about the exact years ( farm records from the time are boxed and not easily accessible this soon after lunch ! ), but there have been much longer droughts than 6-8 weeks here in Puna.

One year in the early 2000's there was a major storm at the beginning of November that dumped 27" at the Hilo airport, 31" at my house ( OLE, 750' elevation, usually about 150"/year ), and 36" at Wood Valley.  Then it was like someone turned off the spigot - not a single drop of rain until the end of April, for a total time of just under 6 months.  It was the only time I ever had to buy a truck of water, just to keep the plants in my nursery alive.  That's when I got into the habit of conserving every drop if it hasn't rained for a few days.

2 quick side notes:

This was when I found out that the Hilo Airport rain gauge was a yard stick taped to the inside of a 5 gallon bucket.

By about January we drove into Hilo every other day to shower at the Kawamoto Pool.  We often saw other Puna people there doing the same.

[Durian Fiend]

Sorry to be so vague about the exact years ( farm records from the time are boxed and not easily accessible this soon after lunch ! ), but there have been much longer droughts than 6-8 weeks here in Puna.

One year in the early 2000's there was a major storm at the beginning of November that dumped 27" at the Hilo airport, 31" at my house ( OLE, 750' elevation, usually about 150"/year ), and 36" at Wood Valley.  Then it was like someone turned off the spigot - not a single drop of rain until the end of April, for a total time of just under 6 months.  It was the only time I ever had to buy a truck of water, just to keep the plants in my nursery alive.  That's when I got into the habit of conserving every drop if it hasn't rained for a few days.

2 quick side notes:

This was when I found out that the Hilo Airport rain gauge was a yard stick taped to the inside of a 5 gallon bucket.

By about January we drove into Hilo every other day to shower at the Kawamoto Pool.  We often saw other Puna people there doing the same.

I don't remember that.  1997-1998 winter was a very dry one, during an El Nino.  There was only one good rain in a period of over 3 months.

[terracore]

I never understood that either.  We have the standard 10,000 gallon tank..

One primary explanation is right there in your second sentence.   Many people have tanks no where near that big.

A family of 6 near me has a tank no larger than 2,000 gallons.  Actually I think it's less.  And yet, they never get water delivered.  They are very thrifty for starters, and if need be they haul water in one of those ubiquitous 250 gallon tanks in the back of a pickup.

Most insurers require a minimum 10,000 gallon tank, and mortgage companies require insurance, so 10,000 became the de facto standard.  Of course not everybody has insurance, or a mortgage, so many people don't need a tank that large.  It's also possible to shop around for insurance and find the agent that doesn't ask the question.

Frankly I've never understood it.  They require a 10,000 gallon tank.  They don't require any water to be inside of it.  Even stranger, if it was a 10,000 gallon POOL, they might require a fence around it, and the insurance rates would be higher.

[kalianna]

iʻll just stick with my decades old absolutely free water saving device: If itʻs yellow, let it mellow. If itʻs brown, flush it down.

[ChunksterK]

I did some quick research, and the driest years of the past 50 in East Hawaii were 2010, 2025, and 1983 in that order at Pahoa. At Hilo it was 2025, 2010, and 1983.

[Durian Fiend]

I never understood that either.  We have the standard 10,000 gallon tank..

One primary explanation is right there in your second sentence.   Many people have tanks no where near that big.

A family of 6 near me has a tank no larger than 2,000 gallons.  Actually I think it's less.  And yet, they never get water delivered.  They are very thrifty for starters, and if need be they haul water in one of those ubiquitous 250 gallon tanks in the back of a pickup.

Most insurers require a minimum 10,000 gallon tank, and mortgage companies require insurance, so 10,000 became the de facto standard.  Of course not everybody has insurance, or a mortgage, so many people don't need a tank that large.  It's also possible to shop around for insurance and find the agent that doesn't ask the question.

Frankly I've never understood it.  They require a 10,000 gallon tank.  They don't require any water to be inside of it.  Even stranger, if it was a 10,000 gallon POOL, they might require a fence around it, and the insurance rates would be higher.

I believe a friend on N. Ala has a 10K gallon tank, just replaced  last year.   If I remember correctly, he told me that the previous tank was bought around 15 years ago for $3,000.   The new tank cost $8,000!

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

wouldn't the use of the bidet cancel out the nifty toilet sink?  Like on average?  

Unless Toto has a version I’m not familiar with, like the 5 Alarm Fire Hoses In Ginza model, generally speaking they use ounces of water not quarts or gallons.

[leilanidude]

Most insurers require a minimum 10,000 gallon tank, and mortgage companies require insurance, so 10,000 became the de facto standard. Of course not everybody has insurance, or a mortgage, so many people don't need a tank that large.
------------
That standard of 10,000 gallon tank used to state that you had to have the fire department hookup on the tank. However, the fire department won't use your catchment tank water if there is a fire...

[Durian Fiend]

I did some quick research, and the driest years of the past 50 in East Hawaii were 2010, 2025, and 1983 in that order at Pahoa.  At Hilo it was 2025, 2010, and 1983.

Two of those were El Nino years, while last year was not.   But just because they were the driest doesn't necessarily mean the worst for long dry spells.   If the El Nino forecast to develop is as strong as expected then we will likely have a stretch of extended drought this coming winter.

[randomq]

Yeah but bathing in the bidet has allowed me to only shower once a week!