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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Winter water system ready
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Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 10 Oct 2019 12:39
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Placed a 50 gallon rototex potable water tank in the loft to fill when we are here in the winter. It is valved on the outlet then adapted to hose thread. A washing machine hose then connects to 1/2" PVC that places a faucet over the kitchen sink. (This will be cooking and washing water, we will keep drinking water in separate containers. )

We did a shake down run this morning to ensure there were no leaks and to make sure we could pump from our 7 gallon water containers up to the tank. We are using a Chugger pump (used primarily for moving wort around in beer brewing processes and a bit finicky sometimes) to move the water up to the tank. A 7 gallon water container with a faucet screwed into the lid where the spigot normally is, connects to the pump via another washing machine hose and then a 20' hose (that's what I had) connects to the pump discharge and then used to fill the tank. The Chugger pumps need head to work properly so the 7 gallon water container is set up on the counter.

Worked like a charm! Draining the hoses without making a mess was a bit of a challenge but accomplished. We will haul 4 - 7 gallon water containers from the spring (a mile from the cabin - the rest of the year we use a 550 gallon cistern filled about every 3 weeks using a 125 gallon tank on a trailer to haul with) with a sled towed by our snowmobile. Two to three trips and we should be set for a week or so.... we will use this water for toilet flushing as well unless I can find a cheap outdoor propane burner to melt snow with.

Hope the pics are upright... I resized them but that hasn't always worked for me.

Hunkered down today as our first winter storm is moving in, maybe a little snow but the temps are supposed to drop from 40F right now to between 10-15F this evening/night.... and wind, lots of wind! The wind chill right now is around 20F. Nice and warm in the cabin!

Cheers!
Tank
Tank
Winter faucet
Winter faucet


qbodsyt
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2019 08:10
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This is a very cool setup, whereabouts is your cabin located? We are about to shut down our plumbing at my grandfather's cottage in Northern Ontario but we aren't seeing any temps lower than 40f at night so far.

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2019 08:29
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Qbodsyt.... thanks, pretty basic but I think functional when the temps dip into the negative numbers. We are just east of the continental divide in southern Colorado.... at 9,500'. Has been in the 20's F every night since last Thursday when it hit 14*F, this morning though just 32*F.... it's a heat wave!

sparky30_06
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2019 11:39
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Nice and simple, You may want to support that valve a little more, the plastic doesn't like being stressed sideways when your turning it on and off

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 14 Oct 2019 15:02
Reply 


Sparky.... yep have been giving that some thought. I noticed right away that could be a problem. Thinking maybe an ell bracket screwed to the window frame then either duct tape or snap tie it to the PVC.

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