Domestic Water

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Revision as of 18:28, 24 June 2009 by Tom Brennan (Talk | contribs) (Conceptual Design)

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What is It?


This is fundamentally about our stewardship of the water in the natural water system, which is vital to our sustainability. Today, by code, So the elements of this are:

  • Toilet (4)
  • Sinks (3)
  • Shower (1)
  • Dishwasher (?)


  • A brief description of what it is.
  • If it is part of a system-level pattern put a link to it in here.
  • Also known as:

Why is it Important?


Describe how it:

  • strengthen our understanding and relationship with water
  • helps restore the planet's natural water system and quality of water for future generations
  • reduces the usage and associated costs of water from the public water system
  • creates One Earth patterns for water that others can use

When to Use It?


  • List the important considerations when to use this pattern.
  • When would it be sustainable?
  • When would it not be sustainable?

Green Garage Use of Domestic Water System


Sustainability Goals

  • Return 100% of the rainfall to the ground table for up to a 10 year storm
  • Clean the rain water before it re-enters the water table
  • Harvest rain water adequate to meet the watering needs of plants and trees on the Green Garage site.
  • Develop connections between people and the natural water cycle.
  • Use zero city supplied water for outside purposes


  • The specific goals we're trying to achieve. This should be the performance outcomes.
  • It doesn't describe how...just the outcomes.

Strategy

  • Minimize the Demand for Water
    • Reduce the flow or usage of water
  • Harvested Water Strategy
    • Harvest water for the plants in reused barrels and storage tanks
    • Store the harvested water close to where it will be used
    • Begin with a moderate amount of water stored and increase as the need arises
  • Peculation Field
    • Create a peculation field in the parking lot and front of the building where the demand for water is highest due to the sun and plants.
    • Convert the truckwell to a retention underground retention pond.???
  • Building drainage
    • Move as much to the front as possible...this is where the sun is
    • Leave the storm drainage as a backup capacity, especially that in the truck well.

Conceptual Design

Usage Volume/Day Source Outflow
Toilets / Urinals
  • Quantity: 3 - Toilets; 1 - Urinal
  • 90 gal/day (25p x 3 flushes x 1.2g/f)
  • Dual Flush (0.9g / 1.6g)
  • Waterless urinal

Rainwater Storage Well

City Sewer

Shower
  • Quantity: 1 - Shower
  • 50 gal/day (5p x 10 g/s)
  • Low flow (2.5 gal / min)
  • Japanese shower style seat
  • Heated in floor?

City water system

City sewer system (gray water?)

Sinks
  • Quantity: 3 - Sinks
  • 75 gal/day (25 p x 3g)
  • Flow controlled - auto shut off
  • Can be solar powered?

City Water System

City Sewer System (gray water?)

Dishwasher
  • Quantity: 1? - Dishwasher
  • 8 gal/day (2 times x 4 gal/run)
  • high efficiency
  • Can be solar powered?

City Water System

City Sewer System (gray water?)

Emergency Watering
  • Quantity: ??
  • gal/day

City Water System

Ground

TOTAL
  • 223 gal/day

133 gal/day City Water System 90 gal/day Rain water

233 gal/day City Sewer System


Source of water for these:

  • Toilets - rainwater
  • Sinks - public city water
  • Shower - public city water
  • Dishwasher (?)- public city water


  • Storage
    • 500 gallon tank on the side of the building near the truck well at 12 feet high. It will act at the water for the front of the building. The pressure will be approximately 20 psi (normal city water supply is in the 40 - 60psi range)
    • 2,500 gallon tank underground in the backyard near the alley (SE corner.) The this would be a community rain water well. It would also be used to water the alley plants.
    • 10 - 55 gallon rain water barrels. Most on the roof where the water would be needed most. Some in back near the compost bin for cleaning and watering plants.


  • Describe how we plan to achieve these goals
  • Explain why we chose this specific strategy and design (our rationale)
  • Include pictures, drawings or videos(flickr)
Supporting science:
  • Google Water Analysis spreadsheets
  • http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_MS4_Chap_91716_7._03_Drainage_Manual.pdf
  • One Green Generation says: In 2006, Waterwise studied the amount of water used in hand washing versus machine washing. According to their website, “Waterwise is a UK NGO focused on decreasing water consumption in the UK by 2010 and building the evidence base for large scale water efficiency. We are the leading authority on water efficiency in the UK.”


I could not find the study online, but according to several places it was quoted, the study found the average dishwasher uses between 12 and 16 litres (3-4.25 gallons) of water, while washing dishes by hand uses as much as 63 litres (16.5 gallons).

Proposed Materials / Suppliers

  • Identify (via links and short description) the materials and suppliers we propose to use.

Development Story

The Natural Water System - Drainage and Harvesting - Development Story page contains many images and videos documenting the process used at the Green Garage to design, build and operate our ?? system.

Related Internal Links

  • Help people find other related Green Garage pages that may help them. Keep it tight.

Resources


  • Provide valuable links to help make it easier for others to pursue this pattern.

To Do's