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any question is credible. I hope some of us ask questions or make comments just for the sake of others. I'd like to think that in some small way we are all in this together, as in, Ohana and to remember to be tolerant and not leave others behind.
Aloha!, Get it, Live It.......
Dave
Old People Rock!
Aloha HADave & Mz P
Hawaiian Acres
The best things in life are free.... or have no interest or payments for one full year.
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dave, they're usually about 2.5 or 3 or so feet deeper in the center than the sides of the ring. the liners i,ve seen(i just set one up two months ago) are plenty large enough to allow for the extra depth. also i use some base course(compacted) to prep the area, then after the ring is poured you can remove some of the base course in the middle, then you need to line the hole with sand so you have a smooth bottom for the liner to rest on, also you need to leave enough of a pile of sand inside the ring before you set up your doughby so you can pile it up around the inside edges of the doughboy so your liner is smooth as it transitions down to the middle.
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Another alternative is ferrocement tanks,
http://pacificgunite.com/index.html
I know one person who recently installed one and another in the process. I'm interested because I hope to take advantage of the design of our house and have the tank under a lanai area. Up front costs might be higher, but perhaps more cost effective in the long run. I'll post how I procede and why.
David
Ninole Resident
Ninole Resident
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Thanks Dave, interesting alternative. They claim that the tank can even support a house. I wonder if the tank can be the foundation of a small house?
Probably not cost effective...since a foundation would require a large surface area?
Ajit
Edited by - adias on 11/23/2005 09:31:06
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The tanks are pricey,but they should last forever. The lava crete is what impressed me, what a great idea. Maybe I am biased being a Process Controls Eng. at a cement plant.
I hope you don't mind but I am going to post the link under the building materials topic also.
Scott
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Hi folks, regarding building over a ferrocrete catchment, a neighbor built a lanai over her tank about 3 years ago & has had an ongoing problem with dampness on the floor. In rainy weather there is a puddle in the middle of the room. Capillary action? She even sent her son diving in the tank to cut off the overflow, lowering the water level, no differece. On the plus side however, that lanai is as cool as an airconditioned house.
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Too bad there isn't a way to move the whole thread.
Interesting about the damp/puddle/cool factors. If the puddle is when it rains, perhaps there is another issue. As for the dampness, I wonder if the placement of a vapor barrier would reduce that? My slab plans call for a 4 mil barrier, even in the garage area. As for the coolness, I suspect much is related to the stable temperature of the mass (tank of water). I can see that be a welcome effect at most any elevation.
David
Ninole Resident
Ninole Resident
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I was just wondering if there is any kind of filtration system that blocks or removes the acid from the rain? Obviously chemistry was not my thing but just what harm does drinking the rainwater (purified of course) have on the human body?
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Pam,
Since a ferrocement tank is alkaline itself, it should buffer the rain. I helped drag the hose to spray the concrete, smooth the concrete, and apply the finish coat on a 10K Pacific Gunite ferro tank for our house in HPP. I was very impressed with the tank. It is somewhat pricey, but should last "forever". The galvanized tanks rust out in a few years, need the liners replaced, and will collapse catastrophically if hit a little too hard. Without the ferro lid, it cost about $5,000 in 2000.
Allen
Baton Rouge, LA and HPP
Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP
Allen
Finally in HPP
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We rented a house in HPP with the cement tank/lanai floor plan - ours was 13k gal, & 2 neighbors also had the same set up, all built in the early 80's with no cracks or leaks. There was no problem with water on our lanai floor, and both neighbors loved their set up (one is building a HUGE house next door, and put in the same set up for his house. This cost is very high, though, he installed 10k at over $20K. Bonuses, cooler lanai, cooler water, no algae growth (tank was coated with a grey water proofer), and these systems exceeded all of the recommended protocals, so there was no problems with water quality or clarity. In fact I miss how clear it was - we did you 99.999% microbial filters for drinking, as our house is county water, and not as clear!
Aloha, Carey
