It's a fairly cool summer while the rest of the country sizzles.. i just watch the hurricanes spinning in the eastern Pacific (as in Western Mexico) and that has a big influence over our low+high fronts. that's my theory and I'm stickin' with it.
It's been lessons of hard knocks over the past 30 years in keeping a water system going - reliably with minimal maintenance. i think i'm getting close with WinSol3's current system.
This year, i've got the black greenhouse (GHS) tank working (since andrew + i switched it with the lower tank) - so for the first time the GHS has it's own 2500+ gallons of rainwater. It's got double valves on it too... actually three valves. One at the outlet, one main valve inside the GHS and then the hose bib valves. So three things gotta fail before I lose all that water.
That's what freaks me out here... losing water. A couple years ago I left a valve on by the washing machine, and before I knew it I'd emptied out a holding tank of 500 gallons... totally wasted. shame... shame...
So with my engineering worse case scenario mindset, I've got multiple tanks, holding tanks and every one of 'em is double valved. I even considered someone doing target practice on the lower part of my tanks... but that wont' happen, right?
Some year, I'll get the slow sand filter going. I have the special barrel, I know how to do it.. it's just of a matter of doing it. In the meantime, maybe this summer I'll explore around a bit and discover a high mountain spring where I can fill up my drinking water bottles. That's the one area I want to change this year... stop filling those bottles with city flouride/chloride and other unknowns 'safe' chemicals.
I love this version of a slow sand filter from 'surfers without borders' they gotta be cool ...or crazy...
This will be the third year that i will be putting in another, yes: another! drip system. the last one in the GHS froze and cracked in the suprise early November blizzard. And I had put a low drain valve in there. A freeze prevention valve only works if you use it!
There's a few things I don't like about drip systems at WinSol3. Seems the critters always get into them and chew them up around August/September when there's not a spot of water within miles of here. And then in the winter time they freeze and crack... so either way, each spring there's lotsa leaks. But they sure save time and make things grow better.
I finally designed a new system to minimze leaks: I've run 3/4" PVC to each raised vegie area (there's five now... each about 4' x 10') and come up only at the planters where the drip tubes hook in... so I am exposing minimal poly tubing above ground for leaks.
The GHS is a whole other matter. I'm still working on sealing the water feature... had a lot of leaks in the deep basin... but now it's holding it. A guy's only got some much time and way too many projects. The Tangelo citrus tree survived the winter and it is flourishing in the SW corner. Grapes and rhubarb are taking off like crazy all over... I will have oodles of fresh grapes for the first time this year.
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