Household Utilities: Potable Water:
Catchment, Storage & Distribution.
The water catchment area should be large enough to enable the user
to be independent of the reticulation system. A roof will collect 1mm
of rain for every 1m2 of roof plan area. If the annual rainfall is 500
mm then 1m2 of roof will collect 500 L of water. The roof area of the
Newton House is 260m2.
To calculate the water storage capacity of a household:
1. estimate annual usage,
2. determine annual rainfall,
3. determine the ideal roof area = usage/annual rainfall,
4. determine the available roof area from the building plan, and
5. calculate the storage capacity = roof area available/annual rainfall.
If this is inadequate for the consumer's requirements, then innovative
catchment strategies and technologies need to be considered:
1. large gutters to prevent overflow in storm situations ensuring maximum
catchment,
2. leafbeater gutter guards and first catch
systems ensure gutters are not blocked by leaf litter,
3. adequate Deveney Tanks so that the overflow
can be stored in the long term for future dry seasons,
4. adequate down pipes to prevent gutter overflow,
6. catchment of ground water in swales
(trenches dug inline with the contour of the land), ponds and dams.
This will add in decreasing watering the garden.
Stored water should ideally have:
1. zero or minimal treatment,
2. low maintenance,
3. low operational cost, and
4. minimal sediment entering the system.
To maximise the quality of collected water, the down pipes discharge
into a leafbeater rainwater head where 8-10
litres of dirty water is diverted directly to the garden or a greywater
tank for future use. The remainder is piped directly into the storage
system. All roofs should have a leafbeater rainwater head and diverter
to decrease the contamination of tank water from leaf litter on the
roof.
The size of the tank, divided by the average daily usage provides information
on the maximum number of days of stored water. Historical rainfall will
assist in calculating the number of dry and rainy days.
4000 gallon BP aquaplate Deveney water tank
being manoeuvered onto a temporary platform to catch water off the work
shed during building. This will provide water for building and the garden.
It will be eventually one of 4 tanks on site.
Water Catchment for the Newton House
Water shedding from the roof will be collected in semi-circular shaped
gutters with a diameter of 150mm and a leaf beater grid mesh guard will
prevent debris entering the system.
Water will be stored in three twenty thousand-liters Deveney Tanks
situated on the utilities tank under Pod 1.
The tanks will be at different levels and interconnected, with the flow
between the tanks controlled be valves and a pump. Distribution in the
house will be pressurized by a pump capable of delivering a pressure
of at least 2 bars and will be housed in an acoustic box.
LINKS
http://www.leafbeater.com.au/
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