Couple of observations. 1. There's a thin spot or perhaps a hole in the tank. look at 6:21 in the upper left hand corner. 2. I didn't see a vent for the second tank. if there isn't one the air pressure will eventually find a weak point or you will not be able to use the full capacity of the tanks. 3. The last observation which is actually more of a recommendation is to add a shut off valve between the two tanks so if you need to service one or the other you can do so without having to empty both tanks. The second reason is so if you have a leak in your system you can shut off the second tank and not loose all of your water. Aside from this I have to ask if you were only hand tightening all of the joints or were you using a big pair of channel locks off camera? If these joints are only hand tight you are going to have major issues with leaks.
I was curious if there was a breather valve or something up top otherwise they might create a vacuum once they start using large amounts of water. Also filling those tanks from down that Hill is a huge strain on that pump.
You have both tanks connected together to make one tank, this is fine. You don't have both tanks vented together you only have the first tank venting through your overflow fitting. You need a vertical vent pipe with bug filter ideally for both tanks, if not you need an upper connecting pipe like your PVC connector and a filtered vent pipe for the first tank. You must have air after water or you pull a vacuum and you might collapse your tanks. Best of Luck
How would there be less pressure at the bottom? Water coming in at the top could simply be gravity filled in minutes, compared to the bottom where you would likely have to pump it
They are pumping the water up the hill when they fill it, the inlet at the top of the tank means they have to always pump the water to the top of the tank (plus hill) for it to fall back into the tank. If they were pumping into the bottom of the tank, they only have the head pressure of the current level of the water in the tank (plus hill). This is actually a very minor when you factor in the head pressure of pumping up the hill. They didn't even need to run the 2nd pipe ran up the hill for the fill line, they could just pump backwards up the 2 inch line and their cistern would have filled faster (mostly because of less pipe friction of the larger 2 inch pipe). Water towers only have one pipe that is both the input and output. I need to find a good youtube video that explains the head pressure.
honor harrington buzz Killington. If you watch they fail to succeed so anything they have issues with they sort out. Wouldn't listen to any of you cause it's not your life. Shut up
This is where I truly appreciate that you guys are sharing this journey. Up until now, everything you've done is something I've already experimented with and learned about. But I honestly have not gotten around to the water side of things, and this is basically a free education of what I need to do. God bless both of you! You're my heroes!
I can't tell from the video, but my guess is that the ditch needs to be dug out to lower those lines. Once you pumped in the outlet, you got a siphon going, so it works now. You do need an air vent in the second tank, or another line at the top between the tanks. Now, if you could find a spring and gravity feed it or ram pump it to the tanks, you would be in great shape. The place looks like it will be a little slice of heaven. Beautiful country.
Lots of people commenting on filler pipes and venting. I wont. I'll just say congrats on getting water out of the other end. Great to see it finally working. the hard work is paying off.
it's ok to have some extra water on the bottom of the tanks that doesn't reach the outlet pipe. if any sediment does build up in the tanks over time, leaving that little extra water in the bottom will help prevent pulling a bunch of dirt when the tanks empty. you might also want to look at how the fill line delivers the water into the tank. it might help to have a pipe go down to the bottom of the tank to fill it, with some large elbows to direct the water calmly upward away from the bottom, so as to not stir up any sediment.
I love that you guys share the highs and lows. You're willing to show the whole process. And no doubt cop the comments from those that "think" they know better. Keep it up guys you're sharing your true journey and it's appreciated.
This video makes me so grateful! Happy you had this experience when you did (burping the line) and were then able to help us when the same darn thing happened to us. You guys are the best.
I am not a plumber nor do I have any idea of how you should or shouldn't be doing this project. I just want to say that I have enjoyed watching you get to this point. What a challenge. Been a long trip!
yaaahoooo!!celebrate each step, good job, there will always be tweeking , and then maintenance, life is about 75% maintenance even if you live a urban on grid life, you all are amazing, enjoy your Margaritas!!!
Jesse, Congratulations on the water! Only one comment. Please cut that encasing off your hydrants or fill it with expanding foam or some sort of grout. The air gap is bad news for freezing and the wobble when I see you opening is driving me nuts as a guy who has installed and repaired many. The failure of these is rarely the stand pipe. Its typically the valving or the fittings used to connect it to the main line. The main predator of hydrants in the wild are mowers and vehicles. Putting a steel pipe post (with a hose hanger) next to your hydrants will protect them far more than some schedule 40 encasing that will be UV rotted and brittle in 2 years.
You should have asked for help in your plumbing design, the way it is would not pass inspection in any jurisdiction in the US. First of all each tank should be plumbed as stand alone units then tie them together. (The tanks will move ever so slightly and you will have a leak). Each tank has to be vented separately (I have seen steel tanks with 1/4" wall thickness collapsed like a beer can when drained with out a vent), each tank should have its on isolation valves for both supply and return. Just as soon as you leave the tank a short nipple and valve should have been installed then run into a tee then the main isolation valve to be installed. You were right when thinking of a ridged connection between the two tanks, this is probably where a leak will develop over time. Also install valve boxes at each valve so they can be accessed with a curb key. Good luck. BTW compression fittings should only be used where they are accessible.
Congrats guys!!! All that hard work has paid off in cool water - can't wait to see what's next. Thank you for sharing the reality of developing a raw piece of land.
I LOVE your vids!! As a FT editor, I've noticed that your editing has come a LONG way in a year, and now it almost feels like an episodic with all of your different story arcs and how you overcome problems etc! I look forward to it every week! Keep up the great work guys! And congrats on the WATER!! :)
Yay, you guys are getting so close to finished with this project. Congrats. Looking good. Having those cisterns and faucets will be such a huge game changer for you. Water is such an important part of homesteading, and getting a good infrastructure installed is a tedious and tough project. Especially during the heat of summer.
It's been said many ways... but just to say it a different way: when you pump water into the tank, the air currently in the tank has to go somewhere else, and when you want water to drain out of the tank, the empty space created by the water leaving needs to have a source of air to replace it... same applies to tank 2. But hey! It's almost done! Months of incredible effort finally getting ready to pay off! Good job!!!
I must have missed the RUclips terms of service that require you to watch an entire video before asking a question and being responded to with profanity. They have some issues, I'm confident they will get it worked out before they backfill.
Gearz Pop the short sides that are facing each other have a curve to the connection point where you install the pipe fittings, but the connection points on the long ends don't, so by putting the vents individually on the sides they gain 3-4" of effective tank usage. This can be seen in the video. What can't be seen in the video however is the second air vent.
It's impossible that your drain line was vapor locked since you had a low point open to the atmosphere. The reason filling the drain line caused water to flow out is either you put in enough water to get the tank height above the highest point of the drain line OR you completely liquid filled the drain line and started a siphon.
Definitely would put a small diameter pipe between both tanks at the top to let air flow between tanks. Otherwise water won't fill up past the inlet/oulet in the second tank (air lock). Also how does the air escape the system at the tanks when filling??
You two are very brave to post your adventure...much of the comments are positive and constructive input should always be welcome...pls,pls,pls....flex connect the tanks....they will move independently....got to love friends and neighbours with toys...We started our rural build adventure in 1990...my wife just granted me approval for our 6th 5 year plan...the adventure continues...best of luck and KBO.
Recommend installing water filters to keep contaminates out of the tanks. use one at the bottom when you pump and a second one near the tank as backup. Also put a filter on the output, but this can be in your home/RV.
On the water discharge port it should NOT be lower than the discharge pipe other wise you will loose flow of water when the water level reaches the highest point of the discharge tubing. If you get lucky it may syphon but you cannot count on it doing that. It will very easily airlock. You need to dig the level of the discharge pipe down so it all goes downhill. Also there needs to be an air vent on the second tank. Also cross flow across the tanks is preferred so the fill should be on the second tank so that water flows across both thanks to get out. Just a thought, (;-) TP
A real INSIDE job for Alyssa !! Vacuuming a little blue condo! You know it -- but don't think you mentioned that once lines are full then siphon pressure will allow using all the water from tank. In coupling tanks I think it is recommended to connect going out the side of one tank and into the side of the other tank so the elbow bends take up slack from expansion and contraction - not as important since buried, hopefully when it cools it will not shrink too much. Thankfully tank ends have some flex where coupling enters tanks. VERY GOOD JOB GUYS!! YeeeHaw!!! I still can't get over that CAVERN holding the cisterns. Makes my little irrigation project look puney!
+RelentlessHomesteading Thanks for being a regular commenter! If these tanks settle it won't be much. Remember what our "soil" is like. Rock. Rocks don't move. Under the cisterns was compacted nicely. Also remember the trench was open all winter so the soil has settled even more because of this. Both our contacts for this project agreed solid connection is fine and desirable at that depth. This project is larger than life for us. It's been much harder than we expected but then again we didn't know what to expect. Doing projects end to end is definitely not for the faint of heart. :)
What about temp changes and expansion and contraction of the tank from the water level changes. Water is 64 lbs/ cuft. Its going to constantly work that lower joining pipe until it snaps. Just cut a section out of that connector pipe and put in a horizontal "U" section about 18" long that way it has some compliance movement room. Same reasoning as on the base of your hydrants. Also need to connect the top of the tanks together or vent each tank to the air Put two 90's to make a 180 deg bend on the end of the vent stand pipe -- make it terminate above the snow line. Use the stand pipes as a vent and overflow and you are done.
Appreciate the notice -- No such projects are not for the faint-hearted. AND we have to choose our own path on deciding how to set things up -- internet and experiences rarely fully dovetail into our own situation. I just like to throw out thoughts, especially those others might want to think about - before they just follow what someone else has done. Its Really un-nerving on things that require such major work to dig up if something goes wrong, ....somethings og gnorw, ....tingshemos go norgw....
I was just thinking.. when/if you cover the big access hatches of the tanks with dirt, might be a good idea to have a layer or few of plastic across the covers, to make it easier to dig up again, and have nice clean hatches and bolts. hope that made some sense.
"vapor locked" I never would have thought of that term.. I had some fun playing with that problem today. it's kinda neat how it can happen worse than you think. I put a solar water heater on my sand mound, pumping water slowly to it from a pool below with a small solar powered pump. it works great once I got the air pockets out of the return line and leveled it better. my first day trying it, I saw 71F going in and hit 100F coming out at one point. if I'm not to lazy I'll connect some temperature probes to it and monitor from my computer.
If you guys put an riser inside the tank you have all the flexibility you want for positioning your flange for inlet, outlet or any other connection... its the way its done in the industry if you have this sort of limitation. So if you want to maximize the tank capacity, just add and L-pipe inside to the level you want.
Mentioned many times in the comments I'm sure but you really need to have the inlet in the furthest tank from your outlet to system point. This helps a through flow of water to prevent stagnation in the tanks.
Jesse: Have you considered building a rough box (cribbing) around the fittings at the tank about 2' high. After back filling this will make it easier in the future if you have to go back in. The shallower the depth of excavation the narrower the hole. Besides it would give you an excuse to mill some 2x boards from the slabs when cutting your timber frame size cants. Bert
Agree on fill pipe to the 2nd tank and the air vent. Work on building municipal water plants & they always require you to disinfect the pipe easy to do before you have too much water put in bleach and run it threw the pipes & flush them out. Not sure of a bleach mixture to water but make sure you smell it when it comes out the pipe at the bottom use it to wet the road until the smell is gone. Just a suggestion I have a well & I flush my house out a couple of times a year. Great job enjoy your videos!
If you put an elbow on the inside on the 2" bulkhead fitting facing down it will siphon the water lower. I just built a gravity water system and in adding the elbow it empties the tank completely!
So yeah, i guess i just plussed all the comments that i wanted to make ... great you got this far, hope you still have breath to finish it, i'm guessing about a weeks more work ... connect the cisterns at the top (so they keep the same pressure, have a way for air to come in and go out (either in one or both), put the inlet WAY at the back of the second cistern so water actually circulates and can't go stale, obviously plug the previous inlet location (or it can become the air-vent?) ... then make sure the pipes are all grading downwards, fill the whole thing up to test for actual 'pressure leaks' ... then backfill the ditch ... Btw. if it's that hot there, maybe grow grapes on the hill and start making wine? (it's not a margarita, but it can be a sangria ;) .. hang in there !
I admire your victories and the (learning) steps. tanks have to breathe. remember the old finger over the end of a straw when you take it out of your drink. same thing only bigger and I'm sure more frustrating. you two are doing a great job and thank you for sharing.
You can determine just how high your tank is by measuring the pressure at the bottom. Or, calculate the pressure you expect if you know the elevation of your tank. 1 ftH2O elevation = 0.4335 psi
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! You should be so proud of yourselves. So great seeing this project marked off your checklist. I hope you take the time to really celebrate what you have completed so far. I know it's hard to appreciate what you have done when all you can see is how much more there is to do. I was excited when I sent a cup down my well, i can only wait to see how great it feels to have water flowing out of it. I really want to say thank you for all you are posting. I am just a few steps behind you in your homestead build and am learning so much realtime info that's helping me:) Also must say I enjoy your real reality videos. ps permaculture :) i've got some for you
I just wanted to let you know that it doesn't matter where you put the pipe to connect the cisterns. My pipe to connect mine and the inlet from the well are all on the bottom. The pressure fills them. I have a float valve that shuts the well pump on and off.
The think the tank should have been sloped slightly and the fill line should have been in the second tank. Also you may need another line between the tanks higher up for air flow between tanks.
For any future work like this, ya'll should invest in a pipe reamer for cleaning the edges. they are super cheap in fact buying polly you can probably get them given to you.
It might be a bit "belt and suspenders", but perhaps every penetration into both tanks and all connecting fittings could be covered with a silicone kitchen sealant before you bury it?
great effort! Considering the amount of work and resources, if is not that late (cistern tanks covered), replace the rigid connecction between the tanks with a flexible one. Such replacement will accomodate movementes between the equipment reducing the danger of pircing the tanks (both of them).... Soil settlement, seismic activity, thermal expansion, etc... For those 5 ft ht tanks at the 2" no more than 2.2 psi... also consider a vortex eliminator (a plate that kills the siphon effect at the output)... Good luck and thanks for sharing your experience! and your wife is a real team player!
I'm really impressed with the work you guys have put into this system...I really hope you guys think long and hard about the venting and adding a top tank connection pipe that other commenters and myself have mentioned.....Something that I think needs to be looked at very seriously is what are you going to do with the open end of your overflow pipe or any other open pipes to the atmosphere? If a mouse crawled thru the overflow into the tank and died you water would be contaminated and you'd never know it until it was to late.
if you like margaritas then you are the best, its like having a goal to shoot for at the end of a long hard hot day. we are fighting a flood and I still look forward to a frozen margarita and lime.
not sure if anyone else mentioned it, but that pressure pvc pipe that you use between the tanks is actually dwv (drain, waste, vent) and is not rated for heavy pressures
The OVERFLOW - I'm thinking an upturned elbow on the inside will raise the water level in the tank. It could be extended into the vicinity of the access hole. I don't know if a p-trap would be of any use, or even functional. The good thing about videos is that you have many minds working on your project. The bad thing is that there are many ideas to weed through.
Im excited to see it get completely done, more than expected. Cant imagine how excited you guys are just to be done. :D Keep going we'll keep cheering you two on!! (three plus the cat)
Once you get enough water in the reservoir, there will be enough head pressure to force any air out of the system down to the hydrant etc. Gonna take allot of totes of water to get that full! hope you can rig up something to fill using the fire hydrant. Will work good that it has a shut off right there for it to. Also fire hydrant being half open probably was letting water out the weep hole.
A job almost well done with all the forethought that went into the project I was wondering why you never put a shutoff valve in between the tanks did that slip by or was it just left out of the video I wish you much luck and good breezes Have a good day and a better tomorrow
Hi, My wife and I received another comment from you , that could not have been meant for us it was about cysterns, we said nothing of them, only sent congrats on finishing your water system.
You have probably already gotten comments on this already, but do you plan to run both your tanks at atmospheric pressure or at a positive air pressure. The higher elevation of your tanks probably gives you all the head pressure you need. So atmosphere seems appropriate. This means you will need a standing vent pipe for both tanks. Be sure to use a steel wool kind of filter on top of each vent pipe to prevent critters from entering your tanks.
I don't know if this was mentioned previously but do you have a vent on the cisterns? I only ask because you mentioned vapor locking. I could only imagine sucking water through a straw that's plugged on the far end.
@ 1:25 That's not "bird Shart" that is Pollen and Dew, you're under the trees in the AM and dew forms on the leaves/needles and as the dew collects it contains pollen the dew captures some from drift in the air as the temp decreases over night. when it gets too heavy to be held by the leaves or needles it falls, at times in SW Florida the pollen count is so high that early morning commuters often find the yellow spots all over the vehicle(i used to call it "Bee Poop" when I was younger but now I know what it is.) .
looks like you need a vent connecting the 2 tops together . you had plenty of 2in poly pipe. the rigid 2in may break during a hard winter. I would have used the poly between the 2 tanks. also you will need some kind of vacuum break at the top of tank for filling and draining. around hear I would have made the tanks deeper. we had frost line 51 in . and code is 48 in hear.
you should have put isolation valves between the tanks , so if anything ever moves or goes wrong you wont loose all your water, also put flexible pipe between them to allow for any ground or tank moment
Couple of observations.
1. There's a thin spot or perhaps a hole in the tank. look at 6:21 in the upper left hand corner.
2. I didn't see a vent for the second tank. if there isn't one the air pressure will eventually find a weak point or you will not be able to use the full capacity of the tanks.
3. The last observation which is actually more of a recommendation is to add a shut off valve between the two tanks so if you need to service one or the other you can do so without having to empty both tanks. The second reason is so if you have a leak in your system you can shut off the second tank and not loose all of your water.
Aside from this I have to ask if you were only hand tightening all of the joints or were you using a big pair of channel locks off camera? If these joints are only hand tight you are going to have major issues with leaks.
O.Hartigan, Great eye. There is definitely a hole showing at 6:21.
Jessie and Alyssa - CHECK THIS OUT. CHECK THIS OUT.
I wondered the same thing, but if you watch at about 7:07 you will see him prepping the channel locks to tighten things down.
O. Hartigan I was thinking about the pressure release in the second tank. A very easy way to fix this is have a pipe running from cap, to cap.
second tank definitely needs a vent, either tank to tank or just vented by it's self
I was curious if there was a breather valve or something up top otherwise they might create a vacuum once they start using large amounts of water.
Also filling those tanks from down that Hill is a huge strain on that pump.
You have both tanks connected together to make one tank, this is fine. You don't have both tanks vented together you only have the first tank venting through your overflow fitting. You need a vertical vent pipe with bug filter ideally for both tanks, if not you need an upper connecting pipe like your PVC connector and a filtered vent pipe for the first tank. You must have air after water or you pull a vacuum and you might collapse your tanks. Best of Luck
Inlet at the bottom of the tank would of actually had less head pressure against it than using the one at the top of the tank.
How would there be less pressure at the bottom? Water coming in at the top could simply be gravity filled in minutes, compared to the bottom where you would likely have to pump it
They are pumping the water up the hill when they fill it, the inlet at the top of the tank means they have to always pump the water to the top of the tank (plus hill) for it to fall back into the tank. If they were pumping into the bottom of the tank, they only have the head pressure of the current level of the water in the tank (plus hill). This is actually a very minor when you factor in the head pressure of pumping up the hill. They didn't even need to run the 2nd pipe ran up the hill for the fill line, they could just pump backwards up the 2 inch line and their cistern would have filled faster (mostly because of less pipe friction of the larger 2 inch pipe). Water towers only have one pipe that is both the input and output. I need to find a good youtube video that explains the head pressure.
I suspect that they wish to have a gravity fed supply in case of wild land fire. Fire dept can hook up ti their supply.
honor harrington buzz Killington. If you watch they fail to succeed so anything they have issues with they sort out. Wouldn't listen to any of you cause it's not your life. Shut up
This is where I truly appreciate that you guys are sharing this journey. Up until now, everything you've done is something I've already experimented with and learned about. But I honestly have not gotten around to the water side of things, and this is basically a free education of what I need to do.
God bless both of you! You're my heroes!
same here!
You both should check out engineer775, his old, good, videos on building water systems.
I can't tell from the video, but my guess is that the ditch needs to be dug out to lower those lines. Once you pumped in the outlet, you got a siphon going, so it works now. You do need an air vent in the second tank, or another line at the top between the tanks.
Now, if you could find a spring and gravity feed it or ram pump it to the tanks, you would be in great shape.
The place looks like it will be a little slice of heaven. Beautiful country.
Lots of people commenting on filler pipes and venting. I wont. I'll just say congrats on getting water out of the other end. Great to see it finally working. the hard work is paying off.
I was so excited to get the notification for this!!! Can't wait for the finale of the cisterns!
Never before have I been so happy that someone ELSE got a project done lol. I usually reserve such joy for my own stuff...
Wooohooooo!!!! Water! Can't live without the stuff. Perseverance pays off every time. Love your videos 😊
it's ok to have some extra water on the bottom of the tanks that doesn't reach the outlet pipe. if any sediment does build up in the tanks over time, leaving that little extra water in the bottom will help prevent pulling a bunch of dirt when the tanks empty. you might also want to look at how the fill line delivers the water into the tank. it might help to have a pipe go down to the bottom of the tank to fill it, with some large elbows to direct the water calmly upward away from the bottom, so as to not stir up any sediment.
I love that you guys share the highs and lows. You're willing to show the whole process. And no doubt cop the comments from those that "think" they know better. Keep it up guys you're sharing your true journey and it's appreciated.
This video makes me so grateful! Happy you had this experience when you did (burping the line) and were then able to help us when the same darn thing happened to us. You guys are the best.
Your perseverance is an inspiration. Thank you for being honest with us, and showing us while its not always easy its worth it.
I am not a plumber nor do I have any idea of how you should or shouldn't be doing this project. I just want to say that I have enjoyed watching you get to this point. What a challenge. Been a long trip!
yaaahoooo!!celebrate each step, good job, there will always be tweeking , and then maintenance, life is about 75% maintenance even if you live a urban on grid life, you all are amazing, enjoy your Margaritas!!!
Jesse, Congratulations on the water! Only one comment. Please cut that encasing off your hydrants or fill it with expanding foam or some sort of grout. The air gap is bad news for freezing and the wobble when I see you opening is driving me nuts as a guy who has installed and repaired many. The failure of these is rarely the stand pipe. Its typically the valving or the fittings used to connect it to the main line. The main predator of hydrants in the wild are mowers and vehicles. Putting a steel pipe post (with a hose hanger) next to your hydrants will protect them far more than some schedule 40 encasing that will be UV rotted and brittle in 2 years.
You should have asked for help in your plumbing design, the way it is would not pass inspection in any jurisdiction in the US. First of all each tank should be plumbed as stand alone units then tie them together. (The tanks will move ever so slightly and you will have a leak). Each tank has to be vented separately (I have seen steel tanks with 1/4" wall thickness collapsed like a beer can when drained with out a vent), each tank should have its on isolation valves for both supply and return. Just as soon as you leave the tank a short nipple and valve should have been installed then run into a tee then the main isolation valve to be installed. You were right when thinking of a ridged connection between the two tanks, this is probably where a leak will develop over time. Also install valve boxes at each valve so they can be accessed with a curb key. Good luck. BTW compression fittings should only be used where they are accessible.
Congrats guys!!! All that hard work has paid off in cool water - can't wait to see what's next. Thank you for sharing the reality of developing a raw piece of land.
I LOVE your vids!! As a FT editor, I've noticed that your editing has come a LONG way in a year, and now it almost feels like an episodic with all of your different story arcs and how you overcome problems etc! I look forward to it every week! Keep up the great work guys!
And congrats on the WATER!! :)
Interesting setup. I'm excited to see it working!
Yay, you guys are getting so close to finished with this project. Congrats. Looking good. Having those cisterns and faucets will be such a huge game changer for you. Water is such an important part of homesteading, and getting a good infrastructure installed is a tedious and tough project. Especially during the heat of summer.
CONNECTING 2 TANKS WITH RIGID PRESSURE PIPE MAY BE A BIG MISTAKE.... USUALLY WILL CRACK
It's been said many ways... but just to say it a different way: when you pump water into the tank, the air currently in the tank has to go somewhere else, and when you want water to drain out of the tank, the empty space created by the water leaving needs to have a source of air to replace it... same applies to tank 2.
But hey! It's almost done! Months of incredible effort finally getting ready to pay off! Good job!!!
Maybe I missed it.. but shouldn't there be a small line connecting the tops of the two cisterns?
I know that.... which is why my question asked if there was a pipe at the top connecting them also....
I must have missed the RUclips terms of service that require you to watch an entire video before asking a question and being responded to with profanity. They have some issues, I'm confident they will get it worked out before they backfill.
Agreed ...You should have a connecting pipe at the bottom and at the top to prevent stagnation and to allow for even filling of both tanks.
The flat surfaces on the top of the tanks are not the highest point, so they are putting vents on the sides of the tanks instead, individually.
Gearz Pop the short sides that are facing each other have a curve to the connection point where you install the pipe fittings, but the connection points on the long ends don't, so by putting the vents individually on the sides they gain 3-4" of effective tank usage. This can be seen in the video. What can't be seen in the video however is the second air vent.
It's impossible that your drain line was vapor locked since you had a low point open to the atmosphere. The reason filling the drain line caused water to flow out is either you put in enough water to get the tank height above the highest point of the drain line OR you completely liquid filled the drain line and started a siphon.
Definitely would put a small diameter pipe between both tanks at the top to let air flow between tanks. Otherwise water won't fill up past the inlet/oulet in the second tank (air lock). Also how does the air escape the system at the tanks when filling??
I've never been so excited to see water.... loving your work
Best reality show around.
You two are very brave to post your adventure...much of the comments are positive and constructive input should always be welcome...pls,pls,pls....flex connect the tanks....they will move independently....got to love friends and neighbours with toys...We started our rural build adventure in 1990...my wife just granted me approval for our 6th 5 year plan...the adventure continues...best of luck and KBO.
Recommend installing water filters to keep contaminates out of the tanks. use one at the bottom when you pump and a second one near the tank as backup. Also put a filter on the output, but this can be in your home/RV.
You need a overflow on the second tank. If not, you will not be able to fill the second tank much.
Congrats you two! That was a lot of hard work and now to see the positive results is fantastic.
On the water discharge port it should NOT be lower than the discharge pipe other wise you will loose flow of water when the water level reaches the highest point of the discharge tubing. If you get lucky it may syphon but you cannot count on it doing that. It will very easily airlock. You need to dig the level of the discharge pipe down so it all goes downhill. Also there needs to be an air vent on the second tank. Also cross flow across the tanks is preferred so the fill should be on the second tank so that water flows across both thanks to get out.
Just a thought, (;-) TP
Congratulations with your water system. Thank you for sharing your amazing video
Congratulations guys, that's why I'm moving off the grid on a boat.
A real INSIDE job for Alyssa !! Vacuuming a little blue condo!
You know it -- but don't think you mentioned that once lines are full then siphon pressure will allow using all the water from tank.
In coupling tanks I think it is recommended to connect going out the side of one tank and into the side of the other tank so the elbow bends take up slack from expansion and contraction - not as important since buried, hopefully when it cools it will not shrink too much. Thankfully tank ends have some flex where coupling enters tanks.
VERY GOOD JOB GUYS!! YeeeHaw!!!
I still can't get over that CAVERN holding the cisterns. Makes my little irrigation project look puney!
+RelentlessHomesteading Thanks for being a regular commenter! If these tanks settle it won't be much. Remember what our "soil" is like. Rock. Rocks don't move. Under the cisterns was compacted nicely. Also remember the trench was open all winter so the soil has settled even more because of this. Both our contacts for this project agreed solid connection is fine and desirable at that depth. This project is larger than life for us. It's been much harder than we expected but then again we didn't know what to expect. Doing projects end to end is definitely not for the faint of heart. :)
What about temp changes and expansion and contraction of the tank from the water level changes. Water is 64 lbs/ cuft. Its going to constantly work that lower joining pipe until it snaps. Just cut a section out of that connector pipe and put in a horizontal "U" section about 18" long that way it has some compliance movement room. Same reasoning as on the base of your hydrants. Also need to connect the top of the tanks together or vent each tank to the air Put two 90's to make a 180 deg bend on the end of the vent stand pipe -- make it terminate above the snow line. Use the stand pipes as a vent and overflow and you are done.
Appreciate the notice -- No such projects are not for the faint-hearted. AND we have to choose our own path on deciding how to set things up -- internet and experiences rarely fully dovetail into our own situation. I just like to throw out thoughts, especially those others might want to think about - before they just follow what someone else has done. Its Really un-nerving on things that require such major work to dig up if something goes wrong, ....somethings og gnorw, ....tingshemos go norgw....
So happy for y'all! Been a long time coming!!! Whoooo Whooo!
Congrats on getting this far in your amazing water system.
I was just thinking.. when/if you cover the big access hatches of the tanks with dirt, might be a good idea to have a layer or few of plastic across the covers, to make it easier to dig up again, and have nice clean hatches and bolts. hope that made some sense.
Congratulations I,m very proud on you two , you make a good job
greating Wilco from the Netherlands,
CONGRATS!! You did it!!
"vapor locked" I never would have thought of that term.. I had some fun playing with that problem today. it's kinda neat how it can happen worse than you think. I put a solar water heater on my sand mound, pumping water slowly to it from a pool below with a small solar powered pump. it works great once I got the air pockets out of the return line and leveled it better. my first day trying it, I saw 71F going in and hit 100F coming out at one point. if I'm not to lazy I'll connect some temperature probes to it and monitor from my computer.
If you guys put an riser inside the tank you have all the flexibility you want for positioning your flange for inlet, outlet or any other connection... its the way its done in the industry if you have this sort of limitation.
So if you want to maximize the tank capacity, just add and L-pipe inside to the level you want.
Mentioned many times in the comments I'm sure but you really need to have the inlet in the furthest tank from your outlet to system point. This helps a through flow of water to prevent stagnation in the tanks.
"This is the reality" LoL This is definitely hard work...
Just an idea but anytime I do plumbing work I use sandpaper to take off the burrs. Keep up the great work and good luck.
Jesse: Have you considered building a rough box (cribbing) around the fittings at the tank about 2' high. After back filling this will make it easier in the future if you have to go back in. The shallower the depth of excavation the narrower the hole. Besides it would give you an excuse to mill some 2x boards from the slabs when cutting your timber frame size cants. Bert
Agree on fill pipe to the 2nd tank and the air vent. Work on building municipal water plants & they always require you to disinfect the pipe easy to do before you have too much water put in bleach and run it threw the pipes & flush them out. Not sure of a bleach mixture to water but make sure you smell it when it comes out the pipe at the bottom use it to wet the road until the smell is gone. Just a suggestion I have a well & I flush my house out a couple of times a year. Great job enjoy your videos!
If you put an elbow on the inside on the 2" bulkhead fitting facing down it will siphon the water lower. I just built a gravity water system and in adding the elbow it empties the tank completely!
Glad you have Finally water. so time for another project. good luck
So yeah, i guess i just plussed all the comments that i wanted to make ... great you got this far, hope you still have breath to finish it, i'm guessing about a weeks more work ... connect the cisterns at the top (so they keep the same pressure, have a way for air to come in and go out (either in one or both), put the inlet WAY at the back of the second cistern so water actually circulates and can't go stale, obviously plug the previous inlet location (or it can become the air-vent?) ... then make sure the pipes are all grading downwards, fill the whole thing up to test for actual 'pressure leaks' ... then backfill the ditch ... Btw. if it's that hot there, maybe grow grapes on the hill and start making wine? (it's not a margarita, but it can be a sangria ;) .. hang in there !
I admire your victories and the (learning) steps. tanks have to breathe. remember the old finger over the end of a straw when you take it out of your drink. same thing only bigger and I'm sure more frustrating. you two are doing a great job and thank you for sharing.
I would have used a flex line between the tanks. What brand of pump are you using?
Being rude wasn't necessary
Well done you guys it's pretty impressive for you to do all of that by yourself
You can determine just how high your tank is by measuring the pressure at the bottom. Or, calculate the pressure you expect if you know the elevation of your tank. 1 ftH2O elevation = 0.4335 psi
good for you guys! building the house should be a piece of cake. Look forward to more videos.
YES!!! Take you victory lap and enjoy take on the tweaking of the system as time allows. cngrats
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! You should be so proud of yourselves. So great seeing this project marked off your checklist. I hope you take the time to really celebrate what you have completed so far. I know it's hard to appreciate what you have done when all you can see is how much more there is to do. I was excited when I sent a cup down my well, i can only wait to see how great it feels to have water flowing out of it.
I really want to say thank you for all you are posting. I am just a few steps behind you in your homestead build and am learning so much realtime info that's helping me:) Also must say I enjoy your real reality videos.
ps permaculture :) i've got some for you
So much hard work to this point well done you guys !
I just wanted to let you know that it doesn't matter where you put the pipe to connect the cisterns. My pipe to connect mine and the inlet from the well are all on the bottom. The pressure fills them. I have a float valve that shuts the well pump on and off.
I'm so glad you posted this, I was looking forward to it!
The think the tank should have been sloped slightly and the fill line should have been in the second tank. Also you may need another line between the tanks higher up for air flow between tanks.
This is so exciting, I'm so excited for you guys
For any future work like this, ya'll should invest in a pipe reamer for cleaning the edges. they are super cheap in fact buying polly you can probably get them given to you.
It does not matter what height you drill the overflow. It is the height of the overflow pipe that dictates the overflow level.
It might be a bit "belt and suspenders", but perhaps every penetration into both tanks and all connecting fittings could be covered with a silicone kitchen sealant before you bury it?
I am so impressed!!! And happy for you!!!! well done!
great effort!
Considering the amount of work and resources, if is not that late (cistern tanks covered), replace the rigid connecction between the tanks with a flexible one. Such replacement will accomodate movementes between the equipment reducing the danger of pircing the tanks (both of them).... Soil settlement, seismic activity, thermal expansion, etc...
For those 5 ft ht tanks at the 2" no more than 2.2 psi... also consider a vortex eliminator (a plate that kills the siphon effect at the output)...
Good luck and thanks for sharing your experience! and your wife is a real team player!
You really did make a lot of shards. Good you cleaned those out.
I'm really impressed with the work you guys have put into this system...I really hope you guys think long and hard about the venting and adding a top tank connection pipe that other commenters and myself have mentioned.....Something that I think needs to be looked at very seriously is what are you going to do with the open end of your overflow pipe or any other open pipes to the atmosphere? If a mouse crawled thru the overflow into the tank and died you water would be contaminated and you'd never know it until it was to late.
if you like margaritas then you are the best, its like having a goal to shoot for at the end of a long hard hot day. we are fighting a flood and I still look forward to a frozen margarita and lime.
not sure if anyone else mentioned it, but that pressure pvc pipe that you use between the tanks is actually dwv (drain, waste, vent) and is not rated for heavy pressures
The OVERFLOW - I'm thinking an upturned elbow on the inside will raise the water level in the tank. It could be extended into the vicinity of the access hole. I don't know if a p-trap would be of any use, or even functional.
The good thing about videos is that you have many minds working on your project. The bad thing is that there are many ideas to weed through.
Im excited to see it get completely done, more than expected. Cant imagine how excited you guys are just to be done. :D Keep going we'll keep cheering you two on!! (three plus the cat)
Once you get enough water in the reservoir, there will be enough head pressure to force any air out of the system down to the hydrant etc. Gonna take allot of totes of water to get that full! hope you can rig up something to fill using the fire hydrant. Will work good that it has a shut off right there for it to. Also fire hydrant being half open probably was letting water out the weep hole.
filling through fire hydrant would also let you have a water hauler come and hook up and get it done in probably 1 load!
A job almost well done with all the forethought that went into the project I was wondering why you never put a shutoff valve in between the tanks did that slip by or was it just left out of the video I wish you much luck and good breezes
Have a good day and a better tomorrow
drawvenmusket two valves and another feed line so they could use one OR the other
A Honda water pump on your water trailer visiting rushing creeks would be a bonus.
Hi, My wife and I received another comment from you , that could not have been meant for us it was about cysterns, we said nothing of them, only sent congrats on finishing your water system.
Well done guys!
good luck guys, a lot of useful comments here !
You have probably already gotten comments on this already, but do you plan to run both your tanks at atmospheric pressure or at a positive air pressure. The higher elevation of your tanks probably gives you all the head pressure you need. So atmosphere seems appropriate. This means you will need a standing vent pipe for both tanks. Be sure to use a steel wool kind of filter on top of each vent pipe to prevent critters from entering your tanks.
+Thomas Telford Both tanks will be vented.
Pure Living for Life, Maybe you should pin this post to the top, because all your technical advisers don't read comments this far down lol
I don't know if this was mentioned previously but do you have a vent on the cisterns? I only ask because you mentioned vapor locking. I could only imagine sucking water through a straw that's plugged on the far end.
Enjoy your marqueritas! You earned a celebration!
Awesome guys...... Just ah few short years away from this kind of fun..... 🖒🖒
@ 1:25 That's not "bird Shart" that is Pollen and Dew, you're under the trees in the AM and dew forms on the leaves/needles and as the dew collects it contains pollen the dew captures some from drift in the air as the temp decreases over night. when it gets too heavy to be held by the leaves or needles it falls, at times in SW Florida the pollen count is so high that early morning commuters often find the yellow spots all over the vehicle(i used to call it "Bee Poop" when I was younger but now I know what it is.) .
looks like you need a vent connecting the 2 tops together . you had plenty of 2in poly pipe. the rigid 2in may break during a hard winter. I would have used the poly between the 2 tanks. also you will need some kind of vacuum break at the top of tank for filling and draining. around hear I would have made the tanks deeper. we had frost line 51 in . and code is 48 in hear.
Bug-a-boo sent me a text. He said, "build my house now human slaves!"
a Makita cordless grinder would do you guys so many favors when it comes to dressing pipe edges.
love the super team work good job both of y all ...
I love that generator starting up
with both tanks hocked up the water going to be spread out so it take more water to fill the tank
to have out flow
You should have a delta of 2" or more from inlet to outlet... good practice. 1" air gap is IBC.
i adore your beautiful cat, and he/she is so welcome, hopefully well see much more of him/her!
8:05 love the pvc pipe music. Nice touch!
YAY! Wait... yay!
You guys rock!
Congratulations guys Job well done
Wooooooo congratulations y'all!!!!! Btw I'm loving the boost In vids just don't burn out trying to put more content out there
i love watching you guys! congrats on your success!
you should have put isolation valves between the tanks , so if anything ever moves or goes wrong you wont loose all your water, also put flexible pipe between them to allow for any ground or tank moment
Why didn't you put in an isolation valve between the 2 tanks? With a tube to surface level. That way you can work on the tanks without draining both.
Good job. The theory of it pulling a suction will occur when it has more volume of water In the tanks.