Water

return to Systems

We will provide five gallons of clean drinkable water for a typical weekend stay.  And we can provide more for longer stays.  Just let us know and we'll have our housekeeper bring more.  Also we recommend that you bring a supply of drinking water to put in the fridge and to have available for hiking and etc.

Below are instructions on Cistern Water, Clean Water, and Bathing.

Cistern Water

Rainwater is collected from the cabin roof.  The collection area is big enough so that a good hard rain will fill up the 200 gallon cistern.  The cistern is up on a concrete pedestal so that the bottom of it, where the water flows out, is higher than the location inside the cabin where the water is used.  From there is flows slightly downhill through a hose to the manifold in bathroom.  Please note that Cistern water is not drinkable unless it has been thoroughly sterilized. 

The cistern water is used mostly for flushing the toilet.  To fill the tank up after a flush simply push over the lever marked with a white arrow.  Fill the tank up to the fill line marked inside the tank, and then keep holding the lever for a few seconds so that fresh water will flow down through the bowl.  A tank fill up takes about 10 or 20 seconds.  If you only have #1 to flush, you can save time and water usage by not "flushing" but instead just holding the lever down for a few seconds to just send some fresh water through the system.  All of the wastewater goes to a code compliant septic system.

If the level in the cistern gets below the level of the tank valve in the bathroom then no more water will flow into the tank.  Not a problem.  There's a lot of water still left in the cistern.  All you have to do is fill the gray bucket up to about a third full and then pour that straight into the toilet bowl.  It will flush down, just like magic.

The photo below shows the "witness tube".  The line of water in the tube shows the level of water that is in the cistern.

Clean Water

Clean water for the sinks is provided in two-gallon buckets with a faucet.  Note that you need to be as sparing as possible with this water usage.  It goes away fast if poured like pressurized city water.  The water in the buckets is NOT cistern water, and you should never put cistern water in the sink buckets.  Instead, this water is City Water brought onsite in five gallon containers.

This photo shows an easy way to refill the buckets.  Put the bucket on the first step down from the front porch and then you can just tip over the container rather than try to pick it up.

Bathing:

Sponges: Since there is no pressurized running water and especially no hot running water, bathing is not done the way it's done in civilization.  For that we provide an ample supply of Rinse-Free Bath Sponges.  You just put a few drops of clean water on the Sponge and mix it around a bit.  Then you scrub as needed and throw the sponge in the trash - not the toilet.  Finally you dry off with a towel and you're clean enough for camping.

Feet washing: In the tub is a shallow rubber pan just the right size for foot washing, and a chair to sit on.    Since you are likely using bug repellent on your legs below your knees and on your feet, you need to wash that off every evening.  Un-sterilized Cistern water and regular soap are fine for that.

A tub bath: To take a bath in the tub, fill the tub with cistern water and then add 2 Tablespoons of common household bleach.  Mix it in and let it stand for about a half hour.  On the high shelf in the bathroom is bleach and a measuring cup that is marked for the right amount of bleach for a full tub.

Note that the cistern only holds about 200 gallons of water.  So that works out to only about four tub fulls of water before the cistern is empty.  So it is recommended that you wait until you get back to the luxuriant cocoon of the grid and then take a hot bath or shower.