Alternative water sources in the home
This last month Trojan Plumbing has experienced a large amount of enquiries around using alternative water sources in one’s home and getting “off the grid”. Clients have also enquired about using alternative water sources for certain high water uses within the home like Washing machines, Dishwashers and toilets.
The different types of water sources
The three types of water sources that are alternative from the council is rainwater harvesting, grey water systems and bore hole water.
Types of alternative water systems
Rainwater harvesting is a good alternative solution if you want to store rain water and pump it to high water users. Trojan Plumbing has a simple solution of installing tanks of all shapes and sizes to collect water from downpipes. A stainless steel, good quality pump that will pump water to the hose taps, toilets, washing machine and dishwasher. Our solution has a back-up that won’t let the tanks run dry and filters the water of sediment.
Grey water is a good alternative solution for watering the garden and if filtered properly can be pumped to toilets. The only negative thing about storing greywater is the smell, which in turn attracts vermin over long periods of time. This solution works the same as the rain water harvest but the tanks are smaller and filters are more regularly cleaned.
Borehole water has been the most popular with a lot of our clients asking is it as simple as just connecting the bore hole pump to a water pipe in the house and turning off the council meter. Unfortunately it is not that easy and it is very important to consider certain criteria around bore hole water. For example how much metal is in the water, how acidic is the water, how much bacteria is in the water and can it even been drunk. In some cases Trojan plumbing has had clients with drinkable water that is too high in acidity for the plumbing system which means a PH dosing system is required to bring the water closer to an alkaline. Too much calcium in the water can block up water pipes and cause other effects. These are just some of the things that can go wrong and it is important to start with the correct process in getting your home fully off the grid.
The process of using bore hole in the home
At Trojan Plumbing we will come and collect a sample of your bore hole water, access your bore hole and take the sample to a professional lab to test the water. Once we have the results from the lab after 10 – 15 days, one of our lead plumbing professionals will take you through the results and advise you on what needs to be done to make sure the water is safe for you and your home. From the results we then build a water treatment system tailor made for the type of water your bore hole is producing. A water treatment plant that removes harmful metals, gets the PH levels right and removes all harmful bacteria.
If any of these alternative water solutions create some interest and you have questions please give us a call on 0873573461.
