Water is the source of life. Its essence is love, and this is why this material has miraculous properties. It is the most useful material in the world, and also the cheapest.
The thermal system, the agriculture system, require water.
The electrical system works best with water.
Everybody in rich countries knows the magic of the water that falls from a tap when desired. Now, let's learn to reproduce this magic in an autonomous house.
1- Source
When you are into autonomous building, your first choice is the place to settle in. Avoid dry areas, because they lack water. Moreover, you should avoid industrialized areas, because they provide a water full of pesticides, heavy metals... that we prefer to avoid.
A fertile countryside is the best choice. A sunny hill top, a slope diving into a river, or the into the ocean, is a nice choice. Just take a few meters security against the floods, otherwise you will regret it in a big tear bath ;-) .
The sources of water can be a well, a river, the rain, and also the ocean.
1) Well
2) River
3) Rain
4) Ocean
1) Well
Before the industrial era, people used to use wells. They had the advantage of never freezing thanks to the underground, and to offer a bonus supply of water, to overcome the droughts.
They suited well, because the water used to be unpolluted. Logically, they are still a good way to store water, under the condition that this water is later purified. You need to remove large dirt particles, bacterias and chemicals.
2) River
Running through the landscape scenery, a river is a good source of water. It's also the best way to make electricity.
Once again, watch out with the industry. If you think that people reject bad things in the upstream river, don't hesitate and choose the most efficient method of purification. You need to remove large dirt particles, bacterias and chemicals.
3) Rain
Rain water is pure. It's so pure that it lacks vital minerals. Pure and toxic. You got it ? It means you need to mineralize this water after.
To collect rain water, you need a large surface of roof. Check that the roof and everything before storage has no heavy metal, like 1 The autonomous house, Brenda and Robert VALE, Universe books, 1975, p. 139. Then, make your calculation.
Provided there is no loss, the area of roof you need is given by the formula
A=C/R
where
- A is the needed area ;
- C is the annual mean consumption of water in the household ;
- R is the annual mean rainfall.
Always write the units. 10 m = 1,000 cm, but 10 does not equal 1,000 ! Do it, otherwise you have a high risk of false result.
You need to find the metorogical data for the sites you consider. Find out, and calculate.
For instance, the individual German water consumption in 2016 was 312 cubic meters. Other countries statistics can be seen at https://www.statista.com/statistics/263156/water-consumption-in-selected-countries/. In the city of Freiburg, the annual mean rainfall is 930 mm.
312 m^3/930 mm= 335 m².
The metric system rocks ! But as you can see, the required surface is huge, and this case was optimistic... Think about building a greenhouse to increase this surface.
You need to remove large dirt particles and bacterias.
4) Ocean
Ocean water receives all the pollution from the ground and deserves the highest purification. You need to remove large dirt particles, bacterias and chemicals.
2- Transport
One of the first success of civilization was to build irrigation systems. This kind of system can be divided in two parts : moving up and moving down.
1) Moving up
I'll tell you straight : move your fucking ass and move this water up by the strength of your arms !
But if you are smart, you notice that a water pump consumes 20 W and realize it's reasonable, so the pump becomes your best friend !
An electrical pump.
However, in case of blackout, you have no pump. If you use a water tower, you can pump once for several months of water, so you don't need to pump every time.
2) Moving down
I am of the opinion that channels digged in soil are the most efficient way to move water down. Make a plan and remain simple in geometry. There is beauty in simplicity, but also efficiency :-) .
3- Storage
1) Well
Large dirt particles, chemicals and bacterias can float on the surface of a well water. If you want to use it as your only container, you have to filter, remove chemicals and bacterias each time you use the water. As we will see after, this can be done only with a special well.
2) Water tower
The water tower allows you to store water, and also to have pressure for your taps. You need to pump a good time, then you can benefit from the tap water without the use of a pump, thanks to gravitational energy :-) .
The water doesn't freeze as long as you use it.
The bacterias should be removed before sealing by cleaning the water tower with chlorinated water. In France, a specialist told me that the tap water has 0.3 mg/L of chlorine, to kill bacterias.
The water gets mineralized if the water tower is built with rock or concrete.
It's possible to take the rock from the well to build the water tower.
The height of an industrial water tower is 20-30 m, to reach 2-3 bars. But in practice, 1 bar is used by some houses, so you don't need to make such a big building in your garden.
To know the good height, make an experiment. Use a plastic pipe. Make holes of the diameter of your tap. Block them with gum. Close one end, fill with water and put it vertically. Remove the gums. You see how it flows ? Choose what you like.
4- Purification
Why purifying water ?
Water needs to be purified for three reasons.
First, removing the large dirt particles. Typical large dirt particles : leaves, soil.
Second, removing the harmful bacterias. Typical harmful bacterias : Salmonella, responsible of salmonellosis, especially in hot countries.
Third, removing the chemicals. Typical chemicals : heavy metals, lead. Some minerals like NaCl, cooking salt, are welcome in small quantities, because they are necessary for life.
Just another thing. Chemicals include pesticides from industrial agriculture. They have a disastreous effect, even indirectly, when eating industrial food. The boys who eat pesticides keep a little penis. This is no joke. Pesticides are known to cause hormone trouble. Watch out with the pesticides !
There are several techniques to achieve purification.
1) Solar still
Solar energy is clean and renewable. The Earth receives from the light of the Sun more than 10,000 times the energy that humanity consumes 2http://www.photovoltaique.info/-Le-soleil-source-d-energie-.html.
How does a solar still work ?. Under the sunlight, the water evaporates, then condenses in another place. This technology removes all the chemicals, but not bacterias.
A solar still. The system is underground to prevent temperature extremes, especially freezing. The water from the outer recipient evaporates and condenses on the plastic, the dew moves downwards and fall into the inner recipient, now free from chemicals. Watch out with the plastic, for the drops may fall on a bad place.
The surface needed depends on the annual mean solar insulation of the location. The more sunshine, the less surface needed. Remember that clouds decrease the insulation by 80-90 \%, and that the angle of the Sun, that is not facing the surface, is a major source of decrease in power.
Don't worry about intermittence. Your water is in the underground, stored in safety.
When you need your solar purified water, pump. Look at the figure again. You see the U-tube ? It helps you pumping.
2) Filter candle
Ceramic was widely used in Ancient history. Today, you can remove bacterias thanks to filter candles, that are made of ceramic. Cheap, you just need to fix them to your tap. The inside must be changed every two years 2The autonomous house, Brenda and Robert VALE, Universe books, 1975, p. 153.
A filter candle.
Actually, you don't need to purify all the water. In the UK in 1975, only 3 \% of house water was used for drinking and cooking 3The autonomous house, Brenda and Robert VALE, Universe books, 1975, p. 137}. So, a single filter candle in the kitchen may be enough.
However, children can drink the water from the bathroom. Think about it.
3) Boiling
So, you want to kill bacterias ? There is another method, more radical.
Boiling the water during 5 minutes kills the bacterias 4The autonomous house, Brenda and Robert VALE, Universe books, 1975, p. 152. In poor countries, people use this method to purify water, then shake the water to oxygenize it, otherwise the water is not good. 5Xavier PY, lessons of thermal storage, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 2016
Boiling the water is traditionally made with wood, but this method causes forest destruction. In sunny countries, it's being replaced by concentrated solar power.
The compound parobolic collector focuses the light of the Sun onto a transparent pipe. It can boil running water. This system needs no tracker. It only works with direct sunshine, without clouds.
4) Chlorine
Ah, chlorine. My dear industrial friend. You fuck my nose every time I go to the swimming pool, this is why I prefer to go with my naked friends in the Nature ! No, the vision of nudity has nothing sexual ! :-D
OK, then. 0.3 mg of chlorine per liter. No more. 4 drops of bleach per liter 5https://www.wikihow.com/Purify-Water. It kills bacterias.
5) Waste stabilization pond
Let's talk about downstream. Altruism towards people downstream leads you to use a waste stabilization pond.
Without, the water gets eutrophized, lacks oxygen, and water lenses will kill every other forms of life. No fish, no frog, nothing, but water lenses.
Water lenses invasion.
This phenomenom of eutrophization comes from an excess of nitrates NO3- and phosphates PO43-. They are the materials required for fertilizers.
So, if you make a pond before your neighbors downstream, you can make this process happen before and save the ecosystem. Bacterial degradation of those chemicals happens in the pond. You need to remove the large dirt particles at the surface.
A waste stabilization pond.
There is an aesthetical, French variation of this system : la phytoépuration (vegetal epuration).
Some plants, like Phragmites australis reed, can absorb and accumulate lead. This is bioaccumulation.
The use of vegetals enhances bacterial degradation of nitrates and phosphates. Many plants can take part in vegetal epuration, but Phragmites australis, an invading plant, is the most efficient for this purpose.
Phragmites australis loves the water.
Remember that vegetal epuration is mainly aesthetical. People who advocate for it ask you to bring your chemical waste to the waste La Maison écologique (French magazine), February-March 2018}, proving that this system is not efficient enough for the people downstream. Nevertheless, it's an expression of a quest of harmony.
6) Filtering
Soil, leaves, making the water dirt. Ugh. It's better using a filter before.
Don't forget to clean the filter sometimes. Every part of an autonomous house needs maintenance.
5- How to save water ?
Let's come to a big question : how to save water ?
Take a look at the following data.
UK and USA water consumption.
31 % of the water consumption in the UK is for the toilets. You can save this water by using dry toilets.
28 % of the water consumption in the UK is for the personal hygiene. You can save a part of this water with several methods. First, taking baths less often. Second, using an atomizer for the washbasin. Third, make the dishes by filling a bowl with a little warm water, add dish liquid and use it with your sponge, then cleanse in a basin of cold water.
9 % of the water consumption in the UK is for the laundry. Maybe you can save a part of this water using an ultrasound washing machine 6The autonomous house, Brenda and Robert VALE, Universe books, 1975, p. 159.
6 % of the water consumption in the UK is for the garden and the car. But an autonomous house needs far more water for the garden, because you need to grow your own food.
3 \% of the water consumption in the UK is for drinking and cooking. I suggest you drink a lot of water, and avoid junk food. This water is vital, you should make no sacrifice with it.
A word about toilets. Modern Japanese toilets use a flush of water to cleanse the asshole. You feel like being fucked by an Asian, but it lets your ass all clean ! The feeling of cleanness is incredible. You cannot know if you have not experienced.\\
For your wellness, I suggest you use a bidet with an atomizer, and dry with a little towel.
Water is your first material need. I have not written about air, because I assumed an autonomous house would be far from the air nightmares like the city of Tokyo. Ventilation will be dealt in the following part : the thermal system.
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