Category Archives: Materials, Systems

Cottage Water Systems: An Out-of-the-City Guide to Pumps, Plumbing, Water Purification, and Privies

Cottage Water Systems: An Out-of-the-City Guide to Pumps, Plumbing, Water Purification, and Privies

Cottage Water Systems: An Out-of-the-City Guide to Pumps, Plumbing, Water Purification, and PriviesAuthor(s): Max Burns

Publisher: Cottage Life Books; Revised edition (January 1, 1999)

Paperback: 152 pages

ISBN: 096969220X

ISBN-13: 978-0969692201

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If you have a pump, a well, a septic system, or an outhouse …

If you winterize your water system or use it year round …
Or if you simply care about the quality of the water your drink,
Cottage Water Systems will save you time, money, and headaches

Cottage Water Systems is written specifically with cottages — and cottage problems — in mind. It explains in a clear, easy-to-understand style how each component of the water system works, with dozens of tips on installation and repair, as well as troubleshooting guides to help you diagnose what’s wrong with your system. Each chapter is accompanied by explanatory diagrams and illustrations.

Cottage Water Systems includes:

  • how to choose the pump that’s right for your property
  • a guide to water quality and types of water purifiers
  • foolproof methods for priming your pump
  • the ins and outs of composting toilets and other alternatives
  • how to extend the life of your septic system
  • step-by-step instructions for closing a seasonal water system in the fall and opening it in the spring
  • how to build a first-class outhouse
  • ways to get water in winter
  • how to keep the cottage’s environmental impact low
  • North American sources for water-system components

About the Author

Max Burns is a regular contributor to Cottage Life magazine, and how won several National Magazine Awards for his work. He specializes in how-to journalism, and the subjects he writes about are as varied as his interests — everything from docks to butter tarts. He is currently building a passive solar home within shouting distance of his cottage in northern-Ontario. Cottage Water Systems is his second book.

The Home Water Supply: How to Find, Filter, Store, and Conserve It

The Home Water Supply: How to find, filter, store and conserve it

The Home Water Supply: How to Find, Filter, Store, and Conserve ItAuthor(s): Stu Campbell

Publisher: Practical Action (December 1986)

Paperback: 240 pages

ISBN-10: 0946688222

ISBN-13: 978-0946688227

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If you live in the country or suburbs, you’ve had, are having, or will have water problems.

What’s yours? Not enough water? Too much? Tastes terrible? The pump quits? The water’s contaminated?

No matter what it is, author Stu Campbell addresses it in this book, and offers down-to-earth solutions in language understandable to all of us who aren’t plumbers.

Campbell had coped with water problems in both the East and the West, from the many-state shortages of the West to a cantankerous pump in Vermont. And he’s probed the minds of experts — dowsers, well diggers, plumbers, electricians, and those who know about the flow of water deep underground.

In a friendly, knowledgeable manner, Campbell discusses your difficulties. He provides concrete and money-saving answers to questions that range from locating water to digging a pond to hooking up the plumbing in your home. You’ll know when to try something yourself, when to call a plumber or other expert.

You’ll learn

— How to find water.

— How to move it.

— How to purify it.

— And how to store and distribute it in your home.

Bob Vogel’s illustrations take much of the mystery out of things as the underground flow of water and how pumps and other water-linked equipment operate.

About the Author

Stu Campbell is an accomplished gardener and the author of The Home Water Supply, The Mulch Book, Let It Rot!, Mulch It!, and Improving Your Soil.

The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water

The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water

The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving WaterAuthor(s): Lim Van Der Ryn, Sim Van Der Ryn

Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co

ISBN: 0964471809

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A classic is back in print! One of the favorite books of 1970s back-to-the-landers, The Toilet Papers is an informative, inspiring, and irreverent look at how people have dealt with their wastes through the centuries. In a historical survey, Van der Ryn provides the basic facts concerning human wastes, and describes safe designs for toilets that reduce water consumption and avert the necessity for expensive and unreliable treatment systems. The Toilet Papers provides do-it-yourself plans for a basic compost privy and a variety of graywater systems.

How-To Editor’s Recommended Book, 02/01/97:
With a forward by Wendell Berry, this classic book from the 1970s is back in print! The history of how humans have dealt with their own waste is handled with intelligence (and wit), and the book provides up-to-date plans for the do-it-yourselfer on water-saving systems, composting privies, and practical greywater systems.

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable LandscapeAuthor(s): Craig Campbell and Michael Ogden

Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 22, 1999)

Paperback: 288 pages

ISBN: 0471107204

ISBN-13: 978-0471107200

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Constructed wetlands are gaining worldwide acceptance as effective, low-cost and low-impact alternatives to unsightly, high-impact wastewater treatment facilities. The creative involvement of today’s planners, landscape architects, developers, environmental engineers and public officials is helping to maximize the potential of these wetland habitats — from their aesthetics to their multiple uses as water treatment plants, wildlife refuges and recreational or educational facilities. Yet, to date, the literature has paid no attention to these aspects, focusing instead on the technical side of wetlands construction and function.

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape is the first book to integrate aesthetic design and planning issues with the technical aspects of wetlands engineering. Renowned landscape architect Craig S. Campbell and engineer Michael H. Ogden clearly demonstrate how the successful development and management of multifunctional, sustainable wetland habitats depend on harnessing the knowledge and working principles of a number of disciplines. Richly illustrated with real-world case studies, the book:

 

  • Covers the concept of sustainable development and the nature of wetland processes.
  • Discusses designs for new and existing municipal and small community wastewater treatment facilities.
  • Offers calculations for designing surface and subsurface flow wetlands.
  • Provides guidance for construction and operation.
  • Contains examples of on-site planning for, and management of, stormwater renovation, single-family residential systems and multiple-use systems.
  • Examines landscape engineering and planning for ponds, urban wildlife, and ecological art.

Clearly written and accessible to nonengineers and nonscientists, Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape is a crucial guide for landscape architects, environmental engineers, planners, developers and government officials.

Review

“This book is a valuable resource to be consulted in the early planning stages of a wetland construction project, particularly where aesthetics and social acceptance are important factors.” (Theodore J. Hogan: Environmental Practice 3(1), March, 2001)”This book addresses a broad audience: water and environmental engineers, planners, landscape architects, developers and public officials responsible for planning and environment protection. Written in a clear way, it is accessible to a wider audience than engineers and scientists, and can be a useful compliment in studying. Indeed, anyone interested in sewage treatment, water protection, landscape planning and ecology may find this book useful. Specialists may benefit from a new, broader perspective on their professional problems.” (Hydrological Sciences Journal, Feb. 2002)

Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance, Second Edition

Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance, Second Edition

Residential Windows: A Guide to New Technologies and Energy Performance, Second EditionAuthor(s): John Carmody, Stephen Selkowitz, Lisa Heschong

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 2 edition (October 9, 2000)

Paperback: 224 pages

ISBN: 0393730530

ISBN-13: 978-0393730531

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This guide to style and energy efficiency in windows covers design, technology, placement and other issues. It looks at window selection, considering factors such as glare, ventilation and sound control, as well as procedures for calculating the energy performance of windows.

The publisher, www.wwnorton.com (akatler@wwnorton.com):
Everyone knows that windows give us views, fresh air, and light , and recognizes the important role windoews play in how buildings look What is less obvious is that windows have undergone a remarkable technological transformation over the last fifteen years. Based on the latest research, Residential Windows offers a fascinating look at the state of the art today as well as the windows of the future, and the information necessary to evaluate windows and make intelligent choices. Emphasizing energy performance, residential Windows covers every aspect of window design and technology: the basic mechanisms of heat transfer; new products and rating systems; the effects of the window frame material and installation; and how to make the best decisions when specifying or purchasing windows for a new house or renovation.