Cob: Metal Roofing

[Chrys Mollett]

This discussion re: water cachement interests me a lot.

For one, because my well water is literally full of iron & manganese and is
dreadful for everything but landscape & garden use.  In 14 years on this
property I love, I have tried 2 systems which were what I felt was natural
and might work to filter the wellwater.

a. I bought a 2500 gallon tank, which is not elevated much from the level of
the home area (where the cob structure will be) and i've a booster pump to
repressurize the water after the big tank. I tried zapping it with ozone
(which disperses quickly & did not appear to be toxic). But the filter
equipment had to be hauled out of the manhole in the top & rinsed off
several times weekly, & was challenging at best. The iron in my water
destroyed the fairly expensive filter apparatus all too quickly.

b.  I had some water pro goodguys install a berm type filter which self
flushes several times per week. This was working pretty well - until the
guys folded their business - moved to the city & got a city water
job...leaving me no references or clues as to who to get to help me maintain
this second system.  This has been several years now.

Mostly I practice acceptance. But I know there is an answer out there
somewhere - and I believe water cachement to be part of this answer.

Two:  I do have an enameled metal roof on the big room area I built with all
local timber.  It drains off into a 55 gallon drum at the corner, and I
certainly do use that rainwater when it's fresh.

I wish I could pump the good rainwater into my 2500 gallon tank, uphill?
There's always more rained down than I can capture with what I've got to
catch it.

I've started a pond a little ways off, which could sure use the rainwater
off the metal roof too. This would be the simplest usage of the cachement,
but yes, I need to find a way to capture more of it - perhaps a fitting on
such a 55 gallon drum that feeds down into the pond, or with a pump to haul
it up into my 2500 gallon tank for home use.

Although "Showering around" is not exactly my idea of simple homeliving; I
do bathe (with Dr. Bronners or such biodegradable shampoos) in the creek.
Amazing & wonderful to be enjoying my local creek (few do!) which is just
yards from the state highway, but screened by alders that shade it in the
summertime. And then, eventually, there are the blackberries !

Chrys M.
motherlode sierra foothills.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike" <mswink77 at mindspring.com>
To: "jen walker" <jwalker at magma.ca>; "Shannon C. Dealy" <dealy at deatech.com>;
<coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2003 7:35 PM
Subject: Re: Cob: Metal Roofing


> SOme have used sand and rock filter. Not sure if I ever saw it on the web.
> Another filter is called big berky about 1/2cent per gallon cost. will
> filter nile river water. enough said on that one. If near mid western
states
> you might want to get sample taken to county ext service.
>
> Thomas jefferson used his rain water and put brick ditch aound house with
a
> good roof over hang. that then let water to go to cistern. maybe there
could
> be a way to filter water with sand rock at bottom.
>
>
>


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