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When we got ours installed, Drain Pipe didn't sell these systems but they did install them. We bought ours from Island Catchment in HPP and Drain Pipe installed it. We got ours installed when they were doing the upgrade to solar hot water so they were already here working on the plumbing system and whatever they charged us for the install was negligible. I think total cost for the UV unit, install, plus electrician (there wasn't enough outlets for the catchment pump, solar pump, and UV system, and a power strip wouldn't have been to code, so they added a separate outlet for the catchment pump) was around $700 in 2012. I probably could have paid less by buying the sterilization system online, but Island Catchment's prices are pretty fair. Plus they always give me free expert advice on whatever problems I have so I can't recommend them enough.
Our UV system requires to be past a 5 micron filter, so you'll want to consider that in your layout. It goes AFTER your filters, not before.
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We had a problem with the water pressure in the shower so we had another Sawyer filter installed along side the first one and now the water pressure is great in the shower.
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The rain water here is pretty clean as is but sitting in a tank it grows algae, bacteria and other unwanted things. We use a 3 stage filter with 50um, 10um and a 5um carbon filter followed by a UV light. Works great but we have to change the filters every three months and the UV bulb once a year. Small price to pay for clean water.
No matter how thin you slice it, its still balony.
No matter how thin you slice it, its still balony.
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Pacific-ly water. Located in HPP Best prices on any size UV system, water filters or replacement bulbs/cartridges. can repair any make or model. 808-987-3816
Daniel R Diamond
Daniel R Diamond
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When our house was being built, we had the Viqua SV5Q-PA whole-house system installed. It required an additional bldg. permit ($700). The unit is placed after the 20 micron and 5 micron filters. As mentioned before, bulbs expire after 365 days but there is a countdown timer...which is handy.
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MarkP, question about your gravity fed setup:
Is your filtered water tote vented to allow water to enter without pressure buildup? If so, is the vent elevated above the level of water in the catchment tank, to prevent overflow?
I'm considering a similar setup. Probably with some basic filtration in front of the Sawyer. And any issues with using chlorine? Still need to kill the viruses...
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Yes the tote is vented. I had already built a small platform for it but still had to extend the vent up as high as the overflow in the main tank. I am considering getting a 300 gallon Chemtainer plastic tank that is 7' high all by itself.
My floating pick-up in the main tank is a regular 4" dia pleated 30 micron filter. I made a sort of crab claw out of PVC with a 1" tee in the middle and 3/4" claws that reach out and plug into each end of the pleated filter. Actually a tuning fork is probably a better image, with the filter between the ends of the 3/4" tines of the fork and the water leaving through the 1" handle. Or maybe a wishbone. Pull the ends of the wishbone apart enough to fit the filter in then let them spring back. The 1" stub leaving the tee jams snugly into blue corrugated pool hose. Same on the other end when you transition back to rigid PVC to go through the side or top of the tank. Get the cheaper pool hose that's like an accordion, not the spiral stuff as it is easier to seal the rings that make full circumferential contact. The spiral stuff leaves a tiny but pesky spiral channel that doesn't seal. Suspend the filter/crab claw/tuning fork/wishbone assembly below a 2' x 2' piece of pink foam. Other floats will work of course but the foam was affordable at Home Depot. If you ever have a huge drought you will eventually be sucking from the bottom of the tank but til then you will be drawing from the cleanest part, 6" below the surface, protected from sun and floating debris. I guyed the floating pickup from either side of the tank with fishing line with weights in the middle of each mooring line. They have to have sufficient slack to go down the side of the tank then over to the center when the tank is low. The weights keep the float near the middle when the tank is full. I left a similar amount of slack in the corrugated pool hose and a similar weight which also helps to keep the hose submerged with no trapped air.
Sometimes I think that I should have gotten another Sawyer filter instead of the clean water tank system but I had the tote already and $750 is $750 so... I really has worked like a charm for a long time now. The clean water tank gives you a little extra capacity and if the big tank fails well you have 300 gallons to tide you over.
I got fancy and bought a hose end garden sprayer to distribute clorox over the surface of the big tank. Takes about 10 minutes. Yeah, I got tired of that. Now I just heave a cup or two over the side.
I have drunk the kool-aid as far as viruses not being a problem in our situation. I would definitely worry about water drawn from a river but off the roof, I'm not worried. I throw clorox in when I remember to.
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Idea for Puna Web, post a files section with reference materials like R12 publication on catchement and lava zone details, Fkood maps etc.
