Cost of new catchment system

[tnd]

Glen-- this cost is a LOT more than we expected based on earlier quotes. Tell me why YOU like your tank. I love all the info, but want to be educated. Money is money--- but if you have to spend it again and again, then you have to consider to cost of your own time and worry when having to replace. SO.. with that in mind. What do you like about your tank? We are curious!

Peter-- thank you! WOWZA good info. We'll be in touch at the end of August. (See your email)

Eight-- Isn't that a lot of extra space you don't need to take up? Just wondering what the benies of two tanks would be. ??

Carol-- EXACTLY my point-- and thoughts! We know we won't be the only ones there-- even though really it should just be the two of us retiring there. We have three kids, and their spouses, and now a grandbaby on the way. Seven is cutting it slim! Only one family isn't permanently re-locating.

Loving the info. And the ideas are helping us rethink this.

THANKS!

[StillHope]

If your property is in low elevation you might consider water well.Mine cost me about 13K (130 elevation).

___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.

[mdd7000]

It would be a whole lot cheaper to buy a tank of water once a year than to put in a water system that is that much overkill. 20k gallons? OMG! We are in lower Nanavale (350' elevation, family of 4) on a 7500 gallon tank and didn't run out when it didn't rain but 1" in an 8 week period back in January/February. Toward the end of the drought, I was guessing we still had 2 weeks of water left.

[EightFingers]

tnd: we have plenty of room for the "extra" tank since we have 30 acres. We do plan to build the house over one of the tanks, tho'.
mdd7000, I've thought about that since we are at the 1000' elevation. I think we're required to have at least 10,000 for fire insurance......

[ericlp]

Based on a 10K gallon your looking at 3-6K depending on what kinda pump you want to use and how clean you want it.

There are better pumps, There are better liners and quality metal that go up easily. You'll need a cat or a backhoe to clear a 30' or 20' radius pad... And about 2-3Tons of sand...

spend some extra on the cover. You don't want a cover that just goes over the top you want one that won't sag in the water and is supported. Get a good pump, pressure tank, UV filters.... Also get a first flush system.

Basically the construction of the pad and sand should cost about 1-2K depending on how much work needs to be done. Then the tank and all the supplies should be no more then 3K.

Good Luck!

[MarkP]

Granted I haven't built anything myself yet nor do I rely on a catchment system for my daily water but I do know people who do. I think that getting a 20,000 gal tank instead of a 10,000 gal tank is a good idea. I suppose it is overkill 364 days out of the year but when you need it you won't regret it. It is not only the cost of the water but also the peace of mind and security to be considered.

[tnd]

Eight-- wowza. That's easily enough room. LOL. We have 130 here on our farm, but the downsize to "retire" will be 1-3 acres. Love the idea though. Just wonder on such little land-- would we really have the space. lol. Love your reasoning though.

OK-- HOPE-- tell us more about this well. We were told it was cost prohibitive, and risky at best to get clean well water. More info?

Everyone else- thanks for the input. Appreciate it.

[StillHope]

I'd suggest you talk more details with Daniel Dimond :

http://punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8232&SearchTerms=diamond,drilling

But I'll be happy to answer your questions too.For me it was well worth it(pun intended).
I had doubts as far as getting the water but did my research about the extreme honesty of the Diamonds and made my choice.I have a UV filter and the water is slightly brackish but I am drinking it.
I use the water on plants - but I am still researching the subject.
My seedlings are doing good,but I notice that some of the cuttings prefer the non-brackish water.
My neighbors with the well said there's no problems on plants.
Anyway,in my case it was too much of a chore to care for a catchment ,too little city lot type for a tank and only twice as much the price.

At one point I considered the concrete underground tank - 3k more than the well and it was too late to change the drafts anyway.
I don't regret my choice so far.

___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.

[Peter Epperson]

I've been building ferrocement water tanks here for almost 25 years and yet I too had a well dug on my property in Kehena a couple of years ago. I'm all for appropriate technology. When I saw how dry the area is and how often my neighbors had to buy water I decided to drill. Rod Diamond dug the well and I am very happy with the results. Like Stillhope, my water is brackish but is fine for irrigation, ponds, pools and plumbing fixtures. If I ever build there I will try to use reverse osmosis for drinking water. Right now all we're doing is using a drip irrigation system to get some trees going. Much of Puna has, like HPP, has excellent fresh water underground. It's all about your elevation. If you're more than a couple of hundred feet in elevation you will probably go catchment.

How much tank capacity? That's always the question. My wife and I have a 24,000 gallon tank. We're at 1300' elevation in Hawaiian Acres. We have lots of vegetable gardens and greenhouse and fish ponds. The tank recently got down to half full and I had to quit using my Akaka Falls sized shower head in my bathhouse for something more conservative. It's been raining again this last week though and I'm off restrictions.