Water Conservation Systems
Water Conservation Systems
This is one of the water conservation systems at Mezzacello. There are three of these 1000L (350 Gallon) Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC) tanks that I collect rainwater in. They are incredibly useful for this as they are designed to hold water and have a built in steel structure and nozzle.
Yes, I know this IBC nozzle pictured below is broken. It is for reference only. I wrote a blog post about when these things start to fall apart...
Optimize Water Collection, but Without Pressure
It is very useful to be able to collect water this way. The one drawback to using IBCs is that they have no pressure. Even if you put it on a platform half a meter high there is not enough pressure.
You will need to raise an IBC if you want to take water from it. Otherwise a watering can won’t fit beneath the bottom mount not nozzle that comes with an IVC. I also highly recommend a fitting that will allow you to secure a hose bib to the IBC .
When the IBC is full of water there is more pressure than when it is not full of water. This is good and it is bad. If you have the IBC close to your house you will want to be able to drain water off.
Foundation Issues
As the water fills the IBC it can overflow through the top and right into your foundation. That is why it is important to add an overflow valve just below the top of the IBC. this will ensure that the top of the IBC never overflows into your foundation.
in this configuration I also have a solar powered water pump capable of pumping water up 20 feet. I use this for limited watering and also to refill the water tower that is 3 m high on my bioreactor. I cannot fill the bioreactor tower with just rainwater.
Bioreactor Rainwater IBC
I have talked about the Bioreactor on this blog before so you’re welcome to look up that if you’d like. The bioreactor is the only IBC that allows for the pressurization of water as it is 3 m up in the air.
The rest of the IBCs are simply on 4 x 4 platforms made from pallets. It’s a bit challenging to use these IBCs to refill the bioreactor IBC. As one Has to run a 20 m hose from one to the other.
I just keep a hose ready at all times and roll it up. It hangs on the side of the IBC and you don’t really notice it until you need it. In my next blog post I’ll show that process.
I just keep a hose ready at all times and roll it up. It hangs on the side of the IBC and you don’t really notice it until you need it. In my next blog post I’ll show that process.