tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post6188818116297822784..comments2023-07-23T06:19:34.894-04:00Comments on Adapting in Place: We have a cistern!Robyn M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08885081377174592304noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-48161182561339579892022-03-10T01:21:40.407-05:002022-03-10T01:21:40.407-05:00I enjoyed reading your posttI enjoyed reading your posttCory Sheltonhttps://www.coryshelton.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-78767584822282743502022-03-02T09:25:15.392-05:002022-03-02T09:25:15.392-05:00Thanks for writinggThanks for writinggCory Sheltonhttps://www.coryshelton.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-75997292963225939312013-06-26T06:09:12.617-04:002013-06-26T06:09:12.617-04:00Solar Water Heating systems are also very environm...Solar Water Heating systems are also very environment friendly and use energy generated from the Sun's light in order to heat up the water. With efficient storage facilities being a part of the complete system, water remains hot throughout the day and night, providing you with a source of hot water at all times.<br /><a href="http://www.solarmaxx.co.in" rel="nofollow">Solar Energy Heater</a>bloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14184903283839566769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-48535511330357249952010-01-16T13:14:36.332-05:002010-01-16T13:14:36.332-05:00I have a 25 foot deep cistern in my house that has...I have a 25 foot deep cistern in my house that has rock all the way down about 2-3 feet wide....always has at leaste 10-20 feet of water in it (depends on how much rain we get) I know my house is old but not sure how old, I went to the courthouse and they cant tell me......does anyone know when they might of dug this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-76007251435043137282009-08-25T14:58:25.067-04:002009-08-25T14:58:25.067-04:00I'm reminded that when we bought this place, a...I'm reminded that when we bought this place, a year later my son was walking some visitors to the driveway and he fell through the walkway into an abandoned septic tank that had rusted away underneath. Wasn't hurt -- but what they hey! that one, we FILLED IN.<br /><br />We talk about putting up rain barrels but they haven't made it to the front of the list. A hand pump for the spare well, however, yes, we did. Would LOVE to have a cistern.<br /><br />Wendy, we used a 5 gallon bucket with a shower head at the bottom for years, they work fine.Doyu Shoninhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00148504542232844586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-78183600115146512612009-08-17T15:11:22.701-04:002009-08-17T15:11:22.701-04:00So...is it a cistern? That would be so cool!So...is it a cistern? That would be so cool!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15188974116261043295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-7949189843181355392009-06-18T23:29:02.026-04:002009-06-18T23:29:02.026-04:00My house isn't that old. In fact, my neighbor...My house isn't that old. In fact, my neighbor helped build it in the 1970s using several cabins ... long story. Anyway, when it was initially constructed the water was supplied from my neighbor's well. It has, since, been hooked up to the municipal water supply, but I'd like to convince my husband to dig a well and install a hand-pump. It's not the ideal solution, but it's better than carrying buckets of water from the brook that, then, have to be boiled and filtered ;).<br /><br />As for hot water, we have a woodstove and have talked about installing a water heater to it. Of course, during power outages my "farm girl" way to bathe is to heat up a kettle of water on the woodstove and then pour it into a wash tub that I've put into the stand-up shower stall. Between the nearly boiling water from the kettle and cold water from the tap, I can have a bath with nearly 16 gal of water - not a lot, but enough to fill a camp shower, and then some :). As likely as not, though, if we lose power for an extended period, what we'd probably do is punch a hole in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket, attach a shower head that can be turned off and on, and filled with hot water heated on the woodstove or on the rocket stove my husband is constructing outside. Then, hang it from the ceiling in our stand-up shower enclosure. Of course, the power would have to be out for a long time before I could convince my husband to rig up a shower like that ;).<br /><br />RE: electricity. I've come to the realization - after many years of trying to convince myself (and my husband) otherwise, that solar isn't the best option for us. What would work best in my situation is a biomass generator (one that generates electricity and heat by burning wood).Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-11573447758856126242009-06-18T16:03:51.505-04:002009-06-18T16:03:51.505-04:00Emily,
Well, we have a sump crock in the other ro...Emily,<br /><br />Well, we have a sump crock in the other room of the basement, so I'm pretty sure it's not that (but not positive). Really, I need to go down there and triple-check things with a flashlight, but I'm pretty sure this is a cistern. Now watch and I'm wrong... grrr. =)Robyn M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08885081377174592304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-49819087936045247332009-06-18T15:49:52.918-04:002009-06-18T15:49:52.918-04:00Wow! What a find! Now, you're sure it's a ...Wow! What a find! Now, you're sure it's a cistern (for gather and holding potentially potable water) and not just a sump crock (essentially a 20 gallon bucket in the floor for draining flooding)? Huh. Water gathering right inside the house...that's an interesting idea!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-91726882566005998282009-06-18T14:55:13.301-04:002009-06-18T14:55:13.301-04:00Wendy,
Hmm... Is your house an old house? If so,...Wendy,<br /><br />Hmm... Is your house an old house? If so, do yourself a favor and look around on the ground outside of your house for a cover--you might be surprised. The real reason we figured out we had a cistern was that our neighbor found hers, and our houses were the same plan, built at the same time, in 1902. But yeah, water barrels not great in the winter.<br /><br />Another couple of options for hot water: (1) if you get a wood cookstove (which we are also perpetually contemplating), you can get a water tank to put on back and have hot water that way during the winter (you can even have it channeled into your hot water heater). Second, and I'm looking into this soon, is a solar hot water heater. They're apparently not terribly expensive, and quite efficient. Don't know much more than that, other than they were one of the solar solutions highly recommended by some green architects for our new grocery co-op. Regular solar is prohibitively expensive, and would pretty much only allow us to power some lightbulbs--it wouldn't even touch the fridge & freezer cases! But water--that's a different story I guess.Robyn M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08885081377174592304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930142685890514338.post-15315835070928046442009-06-18T14:47:48.735-04:002009-06-18T14:47:48.735-04:00I'm jealous! I've done some research on d...I'm jealous! I've done some research on different water options. The only two that are really good for my climate (extreme northeast) year-round are a cistern (alas, no basement ;) and a well. We have water barrels, too - good for summer animal water and such, but during the winter, they'd freeze.<br /><br />I hear you on the waterheater. I've been contemplating alternatives, because I really like a hot shower, and I'm *this close* to getting a solar camp shower, but it's one of those things I'm afraid my husband would balk at.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com