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Bemidjiboy
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# Posted: 26 May 2015 12:29 - Edited by: Bemidjiboy
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Hey gang, I paid close attention to discussions on off-grid water systems for cabins and I got mine going last Summer and again this Spring and am really delighted with it. I'll describe it for you: I have a sand point in the ground about 20 feet. Don't know if it hit the spring nearby or if it's just in the water table. From there, I use a generator and a jet pump to fill my holding tank/cistern on the deck. Once you have water in your cistern, getting it to your faucets or showers is surprisingly easy. I could just as easily do runoff from my roof or suck it from the lake. Before my tank, I run the well water through two in-line filters, a large particle one, then a carbon one. From my tank, it goes to the Flojet 50 gpm, then branches at an Ecotemp L10. Hot line comes out of the ecotemp to the shower on the deck and the kitchen sink. Cold line bypasses the Ecotemp to both of those as well. The Flojet runs off of a 12v battery which I bring home and recharge during long absences. I have a little solar panel trickle-charging it as well and could just as easily charge it while running the generator every day or two to fill the tank. The Flojet senses a faucet open and turns on. The 12V battery has worked for 2 weeks without having to be recharged (other than the trickle panel). That's it! The lines are flexible PEX tubing and Shark Bite connectors which are as easy to hook up as tinker toys. I wanted to share this with you all so that you see how simple a system can be. I am not super handy like some men (and women), but my son and I got this job done and it feels like we invented the wheel. I am SUPER happy with the ecotemp and flojet together. The on-demand heater has 2 D batteries which ignite the propane heater when water flows through (a hot faucet is turned on). I have a faucet filter at the sink for drinking water. Voila! Good luck with your projects and let me know if you have questions. I can post a picture or two if needed.
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pizzadude
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# Posted: 26 May 2015 13:11
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Very nice.
Question though. Did you have to find a means to keep the water flowing during the winter months? Or is your deck heated?
Hey does Paul and Babe ever stop by the cabin for a visit over there in Lumberjack land?
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Bemidjiboy
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# Posted: 26 May 2015 14:27
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Haha - Yes Paul and Babe live near my home, but not at the cabin which is in northern Ontario, an hour and a half West of Thunder Bay. I fed him once, but had to take out a loan for the meal. So, for winter - I don't use the cabin. At least not the water system. Too much trouble. How's that for an answer? Winter systems are a whole other ball of wax I think.
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OliveSheep
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# Posted: 26 May 2015 16:49
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You use those Shark Bit "push fit" fitting, so you can take the system apart during the winter then? I'd like to see some photos when you have some time to share.
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Bemidjiboy
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# Posted: 26 May 2015 19:13 - Edited by: Bemidjiboy
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Well the shark bites are the thing to use with the PEX tubes either way. They just work. In some spots, I disconnect them for the winter. Last fall, I ran the system dry which you can do with the flojet and disconnected spots where I felt it was a good idea. Here's a picture of the deck. Green hose comes from jet pump and into the green tank. I use two filters on the way to the tank, just because. On the way out, it's PVC hose into and out of the flojet because that's what worked with the fitting. I'd like to change that to PEX. Same with the inlet for the ecotemp. Here's the deck and a few closeups.
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