Rose Nicholas

Our tanks are 1300 gallons, 100 gallons and 250 gallons.  The big one has an access port so we can get inside of it.  The others don't.  The tanks haven't been used in about 4 years, so anything could be growing in them.  We don't want to take chances.  

UV light may be an option.

Hi.  We are living off grid and now have 3 water tanks that need to be sanitized.  PROBLEM:   our daughter is severely allergic to chlorine and can't even wah her hands with chlorinated water without having breathing issues.  What are some reliable alternatives to kill bacteria and not our daughter? Any ideas would be welcome.....

You will need an architectural drawing of the plans for your home. You will need to show setbacks and sewer/septic lines and location as well as water lines and gas lines.  They may have an R-factor rating that will need to be followed and they will need you to have samples of the mix you will be using tested for strength (psi).  Then you can submit your plans to the permit office. They will tell you if there is anything else you may need.

We are hoping to have the house up by the end of February.   If you would like to come up, we will be more than appreciative of the help.  Once the structure is complete, we will also have to complete the interior cobbing and the exterior. Just let us know when you can come and we will be ready.  

Thanks
Rose

Hi Folks,

We are finally going up on the walls of our earthbag home.  We have 4 people working 2-4 days a week using superadobe bags.  It is labor intensive, but it is now going much faster and easier.  You can use gravel in the bags, which will provide you with a much higher R-factor, but you must add in some form of stabilizer.  For clay soil, use Lime powder.  For sandy soil, use portland cement.  A 10:1 ratio is the best standard for this.  We are using Lime due to the very high clay content of our soil here in the White Mountains.  

As for water source, we have a deep well that is solar powered with a 1300 gal holding tank and an 80 gal pressurized tank for the house.  A 1250 gal septic tank with dispersal field is being installed in addition to the 1000 gal system already in place.  We will also be doing rain water catchment system.  

We are rapidly reaching a point where we must put in windows.  I have some standard windows that we purchased but I am considering round windows instead.    We are looking at pvc pipe, steel pipe, and any other idea anyone may have.  What about using a wood barrel, cut in half? for each window?  Any ideas?  Need all the help we can get on this!

Thanks
Rose

Welcome to the forum!  I love my grain mill and use it for all types of flour and some coarse ground cereals. Looking forward to hearing new ideas to use it for.

While I am no expert, I did grow up in Ottawa. We spent our summers and as many weekends as possible in the park. Camping, fishing, boating and hiking. I loved going there and still dream of having a chance to return once more.

Hi, this is Rose.  We are currently building our earthbag home in Northern AZ.  After all the research and questions and more research, we decided on the 50/50 mix of our dirt/clay and volcanic cinders that are available in our area.  We are using Lime cement as a hardener.  Like you, we love the round shapes and all of our home will be domes.  A final total of 8.  We will be using cob, plaster and smaller individual sized sandbags to do most of the built ins.  The bags are so easy to mold into the correct shape and then cob over them.  It works very well and I have been experimenting with the different plasters and techniques to figure out what will work best.  I will share pictures as we start getting further along in the process.   Welcome to Permies

Hi Mary,

We have a well on the property that is deep enough to be in the aquifer.  The water is 120 ft deep and has tested clean and good to drink.  We have a pump which we are currently useing a generator for, but will be adding the 4 solar pannels in a few weeks which will more than run the pump.  We have a 1500 gal water tank and are putting in an 86 gallon pressure tank with pump for the house so we will always have enough pressure to run the washer or take a shower.  We will be adding a water catchment system to the house as well, which may prove to be quite an advantage.  We are putting in the foundation rows for the home and making small adjustments as well, to ensure that we have everything accounted for.   Hope this helps.

Rose

That sound like a plan. For the roof, we used the sandbags as taught by CalEarth. For light, i recomend a sun tube at the apex of the roof. There are a couple of lime quarries on the way up from the Valley. The one in Miami is very reasonable for a 25 lbs bag. Just an idea.

Rose