The Water Organising Module (WOM), in my opinion, has always been a less than optimal part of current Earthship design. For one, when purchased from Taos it is expensive, especially given that the parts are generally available locally in most countries. The other is that it is incredibly noisy and most Earthships go to excessive lengths to (somewhat unsuccessfully) muffle the electric pump installed inside (the perfect amplifier that is) the WOM cupboard. But much respect where its due, as the functional capability of the WOM to provide potable rainwater to an Earthship is a brilliant cornerstone of Earthship design.
Therefore I was somewhat excited, when attending a Eco-Home Expo (yes more green-washing I know) to come across the Hynds Aquashield Max.
This self-contained Rain Water treatment system is a fantastic evolution of the WOM and here’s why:
Therefore I was somewhat excited, when attending a Eco-Home Expo (yes more green-washing I know) to come across the Hynds Aquashield Max.
This self-contained Rain Water treatment system is a fantastic evolution of the WOM and here’s why:
- The unit is in a waterproof (IP56) casing meaning it can be sited outside of the Earthship to provide maximum sound installation. Personally I think a small hutch cut into the bank at the back of the Earthship near the rainwater cisterns would be the ideal location.
- It has a 3 stage filtration system [20 Micron (polyester) +1 Micron (polypropylene) + UV filter & quartz sleeve]
- It is accredited to Potable water standards, so you don’t have to convince the world of its credability
- It has built in self-monitoring to ensure that the filter system remains operational and notifies you if its performance degrades
- It cost around NZD$4,500 (USD$3,380) as a unit ready to go and replacement filters and lamps are readily available
It’s shown above in its cutaway form, but the unit comes in its own weather proof case and is very tidy and self-contained. Hynds are a well-known New Zealand company that have been active in this field (and septic tanks) in the rural community for many years. I am sure there are, no doubt, similar units from other manufacturers and I will happily list them here as well.
You can’t beat …cool …clear …water!
Thank you so much for putting your time into this valuable blog resource! I am looking to build an earthship and have already identified two super useful articles from your blog. The evolving wom and the wood stove articles. I had no idea about the noise problem with the WOM and it would of cost me thousands to find out that I had bought the wrong system (I hate ugly noise), likewise I had no idea that people still hand crafted old style range wood stoves. Please keep up the good work its well appriceated by me and countless other people around the globe who have read your blog and benifit from your efforts.
Thanks alot, Patrick.
Patrick – I’m feeling the love – thanks very much. Hynds got in touch and thanked me for the article, confirming the price and saying that there is a cheaper priced model about to hit the market, that would suit this kind of application. I can definitely confirm the gripes about pump noise. I think there are also some interesting alternatives for water cisterms and for waste water treatment. I think there is room for discussing other materials for internal wall construction too. I also have a view on a modified rammed earth construction process (still using tyres!!) that would provide better seismic survivability – having seen some issues first hand from the earthquake(s) in Christchurch NZ. I’ll try and knock out a few words on these different topics soon. Sending Earthship Love, Rob.
Rob
There are a number of suppliers of similar systems to the Hinds one and it is well worth doing some investigating. Certainly importing something as simple as this from Taos is crazy and against the principle of sustainable local design. But what i really wanted to say is that treatment (ie the cartridge filters and UV) is not always required from a practical point of view. Rainwater off a well maintained roof is safe to drink for your average healthy person and this has been done for years in NZ (just ask any of your farming friends). In particiular the use of floating intakes and two tank operating in series can provide treatment just from clarification (sinking of solid particles including protozoa such as gardia and cryptosporidium). Additional traetment such as boiling the water would then be provided for any “at risk” residents or visitors such as the elderly, very young or people with immune dificiencys.
I can not comment on the regulatory situation as i am only familar with the requirements for larger centres, however Massey university in wellington was doing some research into this about 3-4 years ago that may provide more details.
Dave
Further to my previous post, it looks like there has been further research since i last looked into rainwater harvesting. See the “Roof Water Research Centre” at Massey University Wellington (link below) for details. You can’t get much more NZ specific than that.
http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/research/centres-research/roof-water-research-centre/rwrc_home.cfm
Dave
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