# Advice needed, water supply for rural home



## dawnclaremaddox (Jan 7, 2011)

Hubby and I have been looking at rural properties. We live in a rural property here in UK, we receive only water from mains, I need to know about water supplies, receiving, collecting etc. Also, we have a septic tank, we know how they work, but are they dealt with the same way as here in the UK?.

We are going to be living in the Taranaki District and I would like to be self sufficient as much as possible and would like to grow most of my own produce. I don't want to make money, (just not spend it if I can help it!) and swop for things like eggs etc. Is this the done thing over there? 

Any advice appreciated thanks,
Dawn


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## kiwigser (Mar 1, 2011)

dawnclaremaddox said:


> Hubby and I have been looking at rural properties. We live in a rural property here in UK, we receive only water from mains, I need to know about water supplies, receiving, collecting etc. Also, we have a septic tank, we know how they work, but are they dealt with the same way as here in the UK?.
> 
> We are going to be living in the Taranaki District and I would like to be self sufficient as much as possible and would like to grow most of my own produce. I don't want to make money, (just not spend it if I can help it!) and swop for things like eggs etc. Is this the done thing over there?
> 
> ...


Collecting rain water into tanks is very common here. The water is collected on the roof and stored in a tank / tanks, filtered (make sure the filter is there and in good nick), then pressurised with a pump to give around normal mains pressure. We have had a few droughts recently (last 4 summers) and sometimes the tanks can empty were by you have to get a tanker delivery, which negates all your savings from not paying water rates. It is wetter in Taranaki being on the west coast and so droughts may not be a problem.

Lifestyle blocks where people have a few animals and fruit trees, are again very common. There must be ways of bartering, but as I live in Auckland have no experience, but farmers markets are all over were you can sell produce. There is a NZ mag called Lifestyle Block for ideas.

Go to this website Lifestyle Block - New Zealand's most popular small farming website!. There is an article on water tanks on the home page.

Hope this helps.


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## dawnclaremaddox (Jan 7, 2011)

kiwigser said:


> Collecting rain water into tanks is very common here. The water is collected on the roof and stored in a tank / tanks, filtered (make sure the filter is there and in good nick), then pressurised with a pump to give around normal mains pressure. We have had a few droughts recently (last 4 summers) and sometimes the tanks can empty were by you have to get a tanker delivery, which negates all your savings from not paying water rates. It is wetter in Taranaki being on the west coast and so droughts may not be a problem.
> 
> Lifestyle blocks where people have a few animals and fruit trees, are again very common. There must be ways of bartering, but as I live in Auckland have no experience, but farmers markets are all over were you can sell produce. There is a NZ mag called Lifestyle Block for ideas.
> 
> ...


Thanks very much Kiwigser, could you also tell me, do we have to buy in drinking water or can we drink the water as long as it goes throught the filter.
Much appreciated.
Dawn


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

dawnclaremaddox said:


> Thanks very much Kiwigser, could you also tell me, do we have to buy in drinking water or can we drink the water as long as it goes throught the filter.
> Much appreciated.
> Dawn


No you don't, any more than Aucklanders have to buy bottled water - its a style thing. We have friends who live with tanked water, and were drinking it for months before they realised that the filter was missing! This not recommended.....


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## dawnclaremaddox (Jan 7, 2011)

topcat83 said:


> No, no more than Aucklanders have to buy bottled water, its a style thing. We have friends who live with tanked water and were drinking it for months before they realised that the filter was missing, but this not recommended.


Thanks Topcat


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## Darla.R (Mar 27, 2011)

It needs a lot more than a filter though, you can get UV systems to clean the water and kill the organisms that pass through the filter. Budget for replacement UV tubes. You should also have a way of diverting the first flush of water off the roof when it rains so you don't end up with muck and dead animals in your tank.

You also have to decide between plastic or cast concrete. Both have their merits and faults, make sure you get a really good quality pump for the tank and get a generator to power it during power cuts.

Septic tanks take different forms but the move these days is to have the types which digest the waste and pass out filtered water to a drainage area.

Both will need a power supply from the house. 

During dry summers you will need to get the tank topped up so be sure to locate it near the entrance, or on a track, so the tanker can access it.


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## kiwigser (Mar 1, 2011)

dawnclaremaddox said:


> Thanks very much Kiwigser, could you also tell me, do we have to buy in drinking water or can we drink the water as long as it goes throught the filter.
> Much appreciated.
> Dawn


Just to give you a bit more info, the website of a NZ filter company, yes you can use UV, its expensive and troublesome. I used it for final killing of bacteria in water for dialysis, but this way above your requirements. I also used one unsuccessfully to kill legionella in water towers in the UK and had to resort to biocides, again much more stringent.

Water Filters | Water Treatment | Water Purifiers | Spa Filters | Water Cooler - Aqua Dynamics

You will probably be using tanked water before me, so I interested in how you get on. Best thing is ask the locals when you get there, if they have survived they know what works.

If you have teenagers ration their length of shower in summer, also collect water from garden shed roofs for irrigation


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## energise (Mar 11, 2014)

*Water from Dams or Streams*

Depending on the property, you could also source clean dam water from or from streams. You can of course, do this yourself but you should really get a consent from council. You'll need a pump of some type and also take care how you set up your intake hose. Leaves and debris can block it and damage your pump. If you're using it for cattle, you might also want to use a chlorine tablet to reduce algae build up in the pipes and trough. Beware of this if it's for irrigation of plants. I've used a farm water filter from Dam Weed Guard that works really well.


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## kiwigser (Mar 1, 2011)

*Tanked water*

I have now been on tanked water from the roof for 2.5 years, so here is some useful info. 

Living with Tanked Water [Art and Tels diary of New Zealand (NZ)]


One more useful tip, a 0.5 micron 10 inch filter is $60 to $80 here (if anybody knows a cheaper source please let me know). You can buy then from Amazon UK or com for much less, still about half the price after postage with "youshop"


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