Water tank for a cabin.

[CurlyDave]

A demand-type pump would work well. The tank can be any size you want, or can afford, with that kind of system.

Where is the water going to come from without a well?

The more you make this water system like a home system, the more water you are going to use. Trucking it in can be a PITA.

During the construction of our house in OR, we are staying on our land in an RV . We have parked it pretty permanently, and truck fresh water in, and black water out. We only get up there every other weekend, and a few weeks over the summer.

I would make a home-made septic system, instead of trucking it out, if it were not for the fact that our permant septic system is going to be installed in a month or two. The permanent septic system will have to be inspected, and if the inspector finds a homemade setup, the state will fine me unmercifully.

Anyway, I bought two 65-gal white plastic tanks, which fit side-by-side in my pickup. One for fresh water, one for black. One of those ratcheting straps holds them in place nicely.

I also got two 12-volt water pumps from Harbor Freight marketed as bilge pumps This allows me to empty the black water into a dump station and to pump frest water into the RV's holding tank.

65 gallons is enough for two of us to go about a week, if we practice water conservation, and drink store-bought bottled water.

Total cost was about $350, tanks, pumps, everything. You would also need a permanent, stationary tank for you cabin, but this kind of setup might work for you. If you only want to truck in fresh water, you would only need half of it.

I add about 6 oz of bleach every time I fill the 65 gallon tank to chlorinate the water and prevent bacteria and algae.

We have a well in and I have just bought a generator to run it. As soon as we get the septic in, life will be a lot easier.

 

[CurlyDave]

A demand-type pump would work well. The tank can be any size you want, or can afford, with that kind of system.

Where is the water going to come from without a well?

The more you make this water system like a home system, the more water you are going to use. Trucking it in can be a PITA.

During the construction of our house in OR, we are staying on our land in an RV . We have parked it pretty permanently, and truck fresh water in, and black water out. We only get up there every other weekend, and a few weeks over the summer.

I would make a home-made septic system, instead of trucking it out, if it were not for the fact that our permant septic system is going to be installed in a month or two. The permanent septic system will have to be inspected, and if the inspector finds a homemade setup, the state will fine me unmercifully.

Anyway, I bought two 65-gal white plastic tanks, which fit side-by-side in my pickup. One for fresh water, one for black. One of those ratcheting straps holds them in place nicely.

I also got two 12-volt water pumps from Harbor Freight marketed as bilge pumps This allows me to empty the black water into a dump station and to pump frest water into the RV's holding tank.

65 gallons is enough for two of us to go about a week, if we practice water conservation, and drink store-bought bottled water.

Total cost was about $350, tanks, pumps, everything. You would also need a permanent, stationary tank for you cabin, but this kind of setup might work for you. If you only want to truck in fresh water, you would only need half of it.

I add about 6 oz of bleach every time I fill the 65 gallon tank to chlorinate the water and prevent bacteria and algae.

We have a well in and I have just bought a generator to run it. As soon as we get the septic in, life will be a lot easier.

 

[Humbleto]

The black or green tanks are preferable as the do not have the algae problems of white.

 

[Humbleto]

The black or green tanks are preferable as the do not have the algae problems of white.

 

[RobertN]

Our well supplies two houses, ours, and the granny flat my mother in law lives in. The well head and pressure tank is near out house, pretty level with it. Her house is about 50' higher.

Between head pressure loss to her house, and use using water, sometimes her taps just trickle. She's a little over 50' higher than us again; so she loses 25psi right off the bat. Then we use water, and her pressure drops more.

We had a 500gal storage tank put in at her place. It has a on demand pump. She has a good 40psi any time she uses water. 500gal is a lot of storage for her(one person). She has never run it low. And, even at low pressure, the tank fills off the well as needed.

In your washer/dryer/shower head thread, someone said to figue 60gal/person per day?

60psi is on the high side. Most houses are regulated down lower than that. Any higher than 40 or so and you'll start bulging the hoses to the washing machine, dish washer ect.

Specifically, using gravity, you will have 0.434psi/ft. If you simply put the tank 10' in the air(on blocks, a frame ect) you would have4.34psi at your faucet located at ground level. If you placed your tank on a hillside, 100 verticle feet above your house, you'd have 43.4psi of water pressure at the house(ignoring pressure loss through the pipe).

As another example, you pull up on your fire engine at a apartment complex fire. The fire is on the 10th floor. Each floor is about 10' tall. You crew has to make an attack on the fire, with a minimum pressure of 100psi for the nozzle to make a proper pattern/stream. You set your pump at 100psi, but then you have to add anoth 43psi since the engine crew will be 100' above the pump. You actaully have to add more psi, to overcome friction loss through the standpipe and lengths of hose too...

 

[RobertN]

Our well supplies two houses, ours, and the granny flat my mother in law lives in. The well head and pressure tank is near out house, pretty level with it. Her house is about 50' higher.

Between head pressure loss to her house, and use using water, sometimes her taps just trickle. She's a little over 50' higher than us again; so she loses 25psi right off the bat. Then we use water, and her pressure drops more.

We had a 500gal storage tank put in at her place. It has a on demand pump. She has a good 40psi any time she uses water. 500gal is a lot of storage for her(one person). She has never run it low. And, even at low pressure, the tank fills off the well as needed.

In your washer/dryer/shower head thread, someone said to figue 60gal/person per day?

60psi is on the high side. Most houses are regulated down lower than that. Any higher than 40 or so and you'll start bulging the hoses to the washing machine, dish washer ect.

Specifically, using gravity, you will have 0.434psi/ft. If you simply put the tank 10' in the air(on blocks, a frame ect) you would have4.34psi at your faucet located at ground level. If you placed your tank on a hillside, 100 verticle feet above your house, you'd have 43.4psi of water pressure at the house(ignoring pressure loss through the pipe).

As another example, you pull up on your fire engine at a apartment complex fire. The fire is on the 10th floor. Each floor is about 10' tall. You crew has to make an attack on the fire, with a minimum pressure of 100psi for the nozzle to make a proper pattern/stream. You set your pump at 100psi, but then you have to add anoth 43psi since the engine crew will be 100' above the pump. You actaully have to add more psi, to overcome friction loss through the standpipe and lengths of hose too...

 

[CurlyDave]

They collected rain water from the roof to two 500 gallon metal tanks on 2' concrete platforms on the side of their house.

They had a faucet from the tank through the wall and would fill buckets for drinking, washing dishes, and bathing.

Unless your cabin is in a location with no dust, no insects, no rodents, and you haven't seen a bird in a decade, I would not drink rainwater collected from the roof.

I know people used to do it, but between the bird poop, the squirrel poop, and the dead bugs, it sounds pretty unsanitary to me. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[CurlyDave]

They collected rain water from the roof to two 500 gallon metal tanks on 2' concrete platforms on the side of their house.

They had a faucet from the tank through the wall and would fill buckets for drinking, washing dishes, and bathing.

Unless your cabin is in a location with no dust, no insects, no rodents, and you haven't seen a bird in a decade, I would not drink rainwater collected from the roof.

I know people used to do it, but between the bird poop, the squirrel poop, and the dead bugs, it sounds pretty unsanitary to me. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> it sounds pretty unsanitary to me </font>

You shouldn't drink ANY water... fish poop in it! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> it sounds pretty unsanitary to me </font>

You shouldn't drink ANY water... fish poop in it! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif