Saskia Kok

Thanks for the tip!
The cistern will be partly above ground (the top anyway). The roof will be mostly 1-sided, so we can use most of its surface without to much plumbing
No big costs there luckily. Costs also are not really my main concern, but i do would like to be as off-grid, just as low-tech as possible.
As i see it, it will be 2 cisterns indeed:

- a big one: partly pre-filtered with volcano rocks and so that no leaves and any other organic material falls in.
- a small one: completely filtered with pebbles, sand and charcoal to have drinking water

We don't need any extra plumbing from the cistern to the house. We will just tap the (drinking) water right away from the cistern and fill some glass bottles.

Hi guys,

I am following this topic because I want to build a waterfilter (for drinking and gardening) myself.. But Its still a bit difficult finding one way with so many opinions regarding safety, maintenance and health.
I hope you still have some suggestions regarding my specific project:

We are going to rebuild a concrete cisterna and build our house next to it. We will collect it from the roof.
The house itself will be connected to the 'ordinary' system for grey water use. Because of the use of chlorine i want to use/create a seperate system for drinking and the garden.

For gardening the cistern can be straightforward i think. A filter to remove leafs and big dirt in the gutter and a pipe to the cistern. Cleaning once a year.
For drinkink water ofcourse it will be something else. I am not sure about RO and distilliation because it will eliminate as well good minerals? Also, i would like to keep it as simple as possible.
Like nature is meant to be just using (volcano) rocks, pebbles , sand and charcoal.
I would like to make a 2nd small cisterna attached to the big one. So the water flows like this:

From the rooftop, in a big bucket of big vulcano rocks, a big bucket of pebbles to do a 'first' filter. Then going into the cisterna.
And from there to a smaller one (as we dont need all water for drinking) to the second filter of sand, gravel and charchoal.

Also does someone knows how often these filters need to be cleaned/ renewed? And i guess the slower the speed of filtering the best using small holes from the one filtering to the other filtery layer. Its difficult to find.

Looking forward to your reactions!

Regards, Sas

Dear all,

Does someone have experience using sheep wool as insulation in a humid-moderate climate?
Temperatures here are ranging from 15-25 degrees and an humidity range from 70-85%.
Humidity and mould is an overall problem in this area and we would like to take this in account when designing our house.
We keep in account these key factors: cross- ventilation, sun orientation, overhanging roof, vapor open building, elevated wooden structure

We like to use sheepwool insulation because they can say it regulates humidity and has a natural synergy with wood. It is able to absorb a large percentage of its weight in moisture, without compromising its insulating ability
and adsorbs the moisture when humidity is lower ( only found 1 website saying it adsorbs at 65% RHL). The sheep wool fibres draw out the moisture, conditioning the wood and act as a ‘buffer’ to protect the fabric of the building.

But what if the climate is always above 65%? Is it enough when the indoor climate in winter is warmer and therefore it is possible to have more moisture in the air and in addition to ventilate?

Hope someone can help me!