Living ‘Off the Water Grid’ at Dunmora Downs is easy and can result in huge savings in the home while conserving valuable water resources in the process.
Living off-grid, independent of local utilities, in a rural residential setting is possible.
Farmers have been tapping into surface water sources like rivers, dams and creeks or boring into underground water aquifers for centuries.
In sunny Australia, it is easy to go off-grid with solar, harnessing the sun’s energy to provide us with power and hot water for free, but given that we live in a semi-arid country, how do we go off-grid with water?
In order to go off-grid with water, you will need to have a source of water such as a stream or dam on the property, or groundwater or rainwater to tap into. Not everyone has access to existing surface or underground sources, but rainwater can be collected wherever rain falls from the sky.
Any home that has a roof surface can collect, harvest and divert rainwater, storing it for future use. This water can be used for any purpose, including household use, garden irrigation, watering livestock or pets or washing vehicles. Rainwater harvesting systems can vary in size and design but consist of the following basic components:
Catchment surface – usually a roof
Conveyance or diversion system that channels the water to the storage system
Storage system – rainwater tanks or cistern that safely stores water for future use
Distribution system that delivers water to the home, garden, etc.
Treatment system where water is filtered or treated.
When choosing a rainwater storage system it is essential that you find a solution that is safe. The storage tank should be securely sealed to prevent children or pets from accidentally falling into it, and it should be made from food grade quality materials that will not leach harmful chemicals into your water supply.
Knowing how much water you consume is obviously important to adequately plan for how much water you will need to collect. Use this handy Water Usage Calculator to calculate your likely home use.
Living on your own water supply can result in huge savings in the home while conserving valuable water resources in the process. Water storage tanks are an important part of being sustainable with your own water.
View our featured House & Land Packages that include water storage and waste treatment systems to make it easy for you to live off the water grid at Dunmora Downs Rural Estate.
