Catchment costs?

[terracore]

I see. Our tank draws from the bottom because we don't have a floating suction intake. I guess its a good idea, but our water is excellent so I'm not going to pay to upgrade, however it would be something to consider if I was designing a new system. Though anything with moving parts is prone to having issues....

[mmbvd7]

I am not "marketing" any type of product, but after some research, I purchased a whole house system from Aquasana. There is the pre-filter, then the caltrate filter to remove the acidity from the rain, the main tank, a 0.35 micron post-filter, and a 40 watt UV sterilizer. They were able to deliver to the post office, and they sent me extra filters. The pre-filter is replaced every six months, the caltrate every three years, the main tank ten years, the post-filter yearly, and the UV bulb will need to be replaced yearly as well. From what I gather, this exceeds the recommendations of the State. A reverse osmosis system is also available, but it wastes water along with the cleaning process. You can get a small solar system and have a 12v pump to save on electric and/or have a way of pumping the water if electrical service is interrupted.

Best wishes

[rogerluli]

Given the costs and the issues with catchment systems it would seem that a property on municipal water would be worth $10K+ more.

Rodarupian

[VancouverIslander]

Once you have your catchment installed, for the most part all you do is change filters, add chlorine and baking soda once a month. For a 3-5k initial investment for a 10k gallon tank, it's not bad at all. Is municipal water free, or are there monthly costs associated with it?

[rogerluli]

There is no free lunch either way...Municipal water comes with a monthly fee...Hopefully the fee is covering assuring the safety of the water...But as these sources are quite small that may not be true either...

Rodarupian

[microage97]

How much bleach and baking soda are you using?

[terracore]

I don't use any, but we have a UV sterilization unit.

[gwiz]

quote:

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Originally posted by microage97

4K for the 10K kit at water works + 1500 - 2K for sand and labor.

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So, about $6K?

But is this assuming you already have a suitable roof for rain catchment - and what roofs are suitable or optimal?

[kalakoa]

Metal roof, not shake or asphalt.

http://punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19014

Get a copy of the CTAHR catchment handbook.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf

[gwiz]

^ Thanks! So, basically it would cost around $6K + the cost of a metal roof?

So...about how much would a metal roof cost - on say a ~1500 sqft house, lol?