Monday, October 13, 2008
Water_Distribution-Individual Household_PAW
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Site Photo (2a)-no diagram
Site Photo-no diagram
grey water recycling videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akrEncD4V50
Snow melting methods and collection
I think this is one pretty easy, reasonable and affordable method. What can be possibly derived from this method, Kelly (since you are doing water collection), is maybe a combination of solar heated barrels and drainage/collection of melted snow that will flow into the main cistern.
Also, there is a number of existing systems that are used in the cities in order to melt snow on the roads. They are based on embedding heating cables into the pavement or concrete slabs that eventually get heated and thus melt the snow. Such systems can also be powered by solar power and then a water collection system can be applied.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Solar composting toilets!
http://www.longbrancheec.org/pubs/composting_toilet.html
Commercial composting toilets:
http://weblife.org/humanure/chapter6_5.html
Check this out, too:
http://www.swsloo.com/
A great website on wastewater treatment with images and good descriptions:
http://www.vsb.cape.com/~nature/greencenter/tb/tb006.htm
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Earthship
Afterwards, check the "Earthship" further at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship#Water
And mos def, their website: http://www.earthship.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23
"The other day I noticed that one of my tires had a slow leak. I took it to a place called M&M Tires, where it was expertly repaired within a few minutes by owner Bonifacio Martinez. While he worked, we chatted, and he remarked that, had he been unable to fix it, he might have donated the worn-out tire to the Earthship community, a few miles outside of Taos. I was fascinated by what he told me and decided to visit.
The Earthship community is a collection of unusual homes that look, at first glance, like something from a strange dream. They are organic in shape, studded with bottles, and partly buried in the ground. These are Earthships — passive solar structures that do not use any conventional power or water source, thanks to a combination of ingenious design, recycling, and solar and wind power. Water comes from snow melt or rain collection, and is used four times before it is finally discharged in a conventional septic system. The houses are amazingly pretty inside, airy and not at all dark.
The walls are made of recycled tires, aluminum cans, bottles (sometimes placed so as to let light in), and adobe, which is then oiled on the inside surfaces to make it darker, the better for absorbing sun and maintaining heat. Here’s a cutaway view of a wall:
Sloped windows on the southern side collect sun and also nourish the gardens that provide food, purify water, and beautify the space. When the sun is too intense, or to retain heat after dark, the windows can be covered:
The houses are wired with conventional electric outlets and the appliances are ordinary, albeit energy-saving models. They are priced competitively: a 1,200-square-foot home in this community might cost $200,000 (this includes all labor, the most expensive part of building an Earthship). Members of the Earthship Foundation have built them all over the world, and also are available to teach others. They have also published the building plans in several books."
Rainwater harvesting - Changing water realities - California (Australia)
Courtesy of California Green Solutions (http://www.californiagreensolutions.com):
Rainwater harvesting is a feasible, and highly efficient solution for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Save stress on water infrastructures and save money!
Take a look at the posted images to read what the article says:
Rainwater harvesting made easy:
http://www.buildingdesign.co.uk/facil-group4/Environmental/rainwater-harvesting.htm
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
MAPS!!
here is the link:
useful GLOSSARY
air gap: a vertical space between a water or drain line and the
flood level of a receptacle used to prevent backflow or
siphonage from the receptacle in the event of negative
pressure or vacuum.
aquifer: an underground waterway that is replenished by
precipitation.
backflow: flow of water in a pipe or water line in a direction
opposite to normal flow.
backflow preventer: a device or system installed in a water
line to stop backflow from a nonpotable source.
blackwater: the wastewater from toilets
and kitchen sinks.
buffer: to shift pH to a specific value.
building footprint: the area of a building on the ground.
cistern: an above or below ground tank used to store water,
generally made of galvanized metal, fiberglass, ferrocement
or concrete.
disinfection: a process in which pathogenic (disease producing)
bacteria are killed by use of chlorine or physical processes.
diverter: a mechanism designed to divert the first flush
rainwater from entering the cistern.
erosion: the loss of topsoil that occurs as a result of run-off.
filtration: the process of separating particles of 2 microns or
larger in diameter from water by means of a porous substance
such as a permeable fabric or layers of inert material housed in
a media filter or removable cartridge filter.
first flush: generally the first 10 gallons of rainwater per 1,000
square feet of roof surface that is diverted due to potential for
contamination.
flow rate: the quantity of water which passes a given point in
a specified unit of time, expressed in gallons per minute.
forcebreaker: an extension of the fill pipe to a point 1” above
the bottom of the cistern, which dissipates the pressure of
incoming rainwater and thus minimizes the stirring of settled
solids.
greywater: the wastewater from residential
appliances or fixtures except toilets and kitchen sinks.
groundwater: water found below ground that has seeped
there through spaces in soil and geologic formations.
hardness: a characteristic of groundwater due to the presence
of dissolved calcium and magnesium which is responsible for
most scale formation in pipes and water heaters.
hydrologic cycle: the continual exchange of water from the
atmosphere to the land and oceans and back again.
leaf screen: a mesh installed over gutters and entry points to
downspouts to prevent leaves and other debris from clogging
the flow of rainwater.
micron: a linear measure equal to one millionth of a meter,
or .00003937 inch.
nonpotable water: water intended for non-human consumption
purposes, such as irrigation, toilet flushing, and
dishwashing.
pH: a logarithmic scale of values of 0 to 14 that measure of
hydrogen ion concentration in water which determines
whether the water is neutral (pH 7), acidic(pH 0-7) or basic
(pH 7-14).
pathogen: an organism which may cause disease.
potable water: water which is suitable and safe for human
consumption.
pressure tank: a component of a plumbing system that
provides the constant level of water pressure necessary for the
proper operation of plumbing fixtures and appliances.
rainwater harvesting: the principle of collecting and using
precipitation from a catchment surface.
roof washer: a device used to divert the first flush rainwater
from entering a cistern.
run-off farming: the agricultural application of harvested
rainwater involving a system of terraces that directs the
rainwater from higher to lower elevations.
sedimentation: the process in which solid suspended particles
settle out (sink to the bottom ) of water, frequently after
the particles have coagulated.
total dissolved solids: a measure of the mineral content of
water supplies.
xeriscape: a landscape practice which specifies regionallyadapted,
drought-resistant plants and other water-conserving
healthy house link
http://mha-net.org/msb/html/papers-n/palo01/wastewa.htm
Dean Kamen-Water Purification
You may or may not know Dean Kamen, but he is an inventor of the Segway and other things. As for this water purification invention, it supposedly works and he has created it in order to help create drinking from toxic, polluted waters in developing and third world countries. According to him, it is supposed to be a low-cost and low-energy water purifier. Take a look at the links I posted.
http://www.time.com/time/2003/inventions/invwater.html
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/16/technology/business2_futureboy0216/index.htm
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/02/dean_kamen_sequ.php