LIVING OFF GRID IN HAWAII
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Water Catchment
“Under no circumstances, will you be skimping on your water resource; it’s going to be your most valuable resource for being independent of the grid.”
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If you intend to go off grid, THE MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL RESOURCE will be your water supply. You CAN survive without electricity, you CAN’T survive without water. That water must be an efficient and clean water source for you and your family.
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You’re going to need a large water supply, one that is well filtered and clean. You can have several systems set up around your home's roof, with many drain pipes to different locations around your property.
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One system will be for YOUR HOME and family’s needs, the other for your GARDEN, FARM ANIMALS and AQUAPONIC needs.
Water catchment is a gravity-fed system of collecting Hawaii’s rain water from the roof of your home, into rain gutters down to the drain pipes underground, and over to the water catchment tanks.
You’ll have your PUMP HOUSE, which will house your home's water pressure tank(s) and pump. That will bring the water into your filtration system before entering your home. Your roof is going to play a huge role in your water catchment system so you need to have a roof that is either coated metal, slate, concrete tiles or Tesla’s Solar Roof Tiles.
When it comes to choosing your water tanks, you'll need to know how many and which sizes. That will have to be up to you, as well as any professionals installing your system. It will depend on the size of your home and the many purposes you will be using the water for.
You will also have to estimate the rainfall in your location. If you intend to live in Hilo on Hawaii island instead of Kailua-Kona, you will be getting more rainfall in Hilo.
Depending on rainfall, you MUST plan accordingly on the number of drain pipes that will be going off your roof, the diameter and the size of your gutters.
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The last thing you want is to have an improper catchment system installed, which would cause you to lose and waste water because your system is at capacity and can’t handle the flow.
It’s also important to install your gutter mesh on your gutters. If you do live in a thick jungle surrounding like Hilo, Hawaii, it’s best to have a great mess system so debris doesn’t clog up your ability to catch water. Finally, it’s your choice to install a first flush diverter. Let’s say it hasn’t rained for a week, your roof will more than likely collect dust, dirt, debris, and bird droppings, etc.
You want to quickly FLUSH the initial water coming off the roof right into the flush diverter. Once filled, the water will shift itself into the main pipe and start filling the catchment systems. You can flush the diverter pipe at a later time or when you can. This is essential when creating an efficient catchment system...
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