BajaNomad

Baja Water

schwlind - 9-19-2008 at 12:08 PM

We have a house on the Pacific out from Colonet (between San Vicente and San Quintin).

We have water trucked out to our house, but the water has a very high salt content, which is wreaking havoc on our pipes and plumbing fixtures, not to mention our water pump.
The water comes from a well north of Colonet.

I spoke with a US company representative that said brackish water is a bear to treat as you must first remove all the minerals before you can even think about desalineation. The water must be tested constantly as the composition of minerals and their levels can change. They recommended a beach well, but I'm not certain that is doable (to get any water would probably have to be in or near the federal high water mark).

Do any of you also share this type of problem and have you discovered a way to effectively (as simply as possible) deal with this?

Thanks for any input.


Linda

woody with a view - 9-19-2008 at 12:23 PM

i may be wrong, but isn't the proximity of the ocean to blame for much of the salinity in ANY wells in the area? much less a "beach well?" i know the farmers around that area have the same problems with high levels if salt in their water.

DENNIS - 9-19-2008 at 12:26 PM

Is that your only water source? There must be some decent water down there somewhere with all the big plans they have for the area. Maybe find a different Pipa driver.
Our water here is pretty dirty as well but, not too salty. That might change when the water table drops and it's dropping all the time.
Another thing you should do is drain your water heater now and again. Open it from the bottom and let loose about five gallons of water with all the sediment that gathers in the bottom. It will add life to the boiler.

Cajones - 9-19-2008 at 01:47 PM

You can get an expensive reverse osmosis system, but I have to tell you it will waste about 3 gallons of water for every gallon of fresh water it creates, and uses a lot of power. The only realistic solution is to find a better source of water.

Udo - 9-19-2008 at 05:14 PM

Here is where I started:
http://www.generalecology.com/residential.htm
&
http://www.waterfixercompany.com/index.html

bajaguy - 9-19-2008 at 08:36 PM

I have a Waterfixer unit for my place in Ensenada that I have not had the time to install yet. A friend in Ensenada has had a waterfixer unit for several years and swears by it. Don't know if it will remove the "salt", but I would call their 800 number. The guy is very friendly and has plenty of info on the product.

Cajones - 9-19-2008 at 09:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
I have a Waterfixer unit for my place in Ensenada that I have not had the time to install yet. A friend in Ensenada has had a waterfixer unit for several years and swears by it. Don't know if it will remove the "salt", but I would call their 800 number. The guy is very friendly and has plenty of info on the product.


Waterfixers won't remove salt. You'll need a RO system for that.

BAJABAILADOR - 9-20-2008 at 08:02 AM

try a guy named Fermin {sp?}. I'm in san antonio del mar and he is who I use. Are
you at corona"s camp?

bajabound2005 - 9-20-2008 at 08:03 AM

and your electric bill will quickly skyrocket!

bajaguy - 9-20-2008 at 08:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabound2005
and your electric bill will quickly skyrocket!




because of the sand??????

rob - 9-20-2008 at 08:41 AM

Re beach well. . .

You will need a permit from CONAGUA to drill a beach well, AFTER you have received salt water rights (yes- you need to obtain water rights even for sea water).

At 40,000+ parts per million of salt, sea water (as any boat person will tell you) requires LOTS of energy for RO. If you are not on the power grid, I would forget it for large volumes, and for small, invest in a solar panel/s and a yacht RO system.

According to PUR, the RO manufacturer, count on 1 gallon of fresh for every 23 of sea water . . . .

Bob and Susan - 9-20-2008 at 08:44 AM

to take salt water there is NO permit needed...

Bob and Susan - 9-20-2008 at 08:45 AM

i remember the ro "sparklets water" salesman telling me you lose 9 gallons for 1 good gallon

BajaGringo - 9-20-2008 at 10:05 AM

Your best answer from an economic standpoint would be to do as Dennis suggested - find another source. Even if you have to pay more, it will be cheaper (and easier) in the long run than trying to desalinate the water. You might consider buying an inexpensive TDS/salinity test kit to use on the water you get trucked in to make sure they aren't selling you salt water at fresh water prices.

Even Dennis who wasn't paying attention in chemistry class could use it!

:spingrin::spingrin::spingrin:

rob - 9-20-2008 at 11:42 AM

To drill a salt water well (in fact, any well), you need a permit, and the (salt water) rights are granted along with the permit.

Your sparkletts salesman was probably referring to brack water - I was talking about SEA water.

Bob and Susan - 9-20-2008 at 12:28 PM

again i must have read the post WRONG...sorry

no permit needed to pull water from the sea

permit is needed for a well

i would call salty water from a well "brackish water"

BajaGringo - 9-20-2008 at 01:14 PM

I ran across a guy who has a place further down south on the water. They pump seawater up to a separate tank on his roof that he has plumbed to the toilets. He lives with his wife and four daughters and told me that he figured he was using 2-300 gallons a day in fresh water in the toilets before he made the switch. Not sure if he was doing any kind of treatment prior. He did have it all plumbed into a very large septic system, along with his fresh water drains...

DENNIS - 9-20-2008 at 01:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaGringo
He lives with his wife and four daughters and told me that he figured he was using 2-300 gallons a day in fresh water in the toilets before he made the switch.


That seems hard to imagine.

BajaGringo - 9-20-2008 at 01:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
That seems hard to imagine.


I said the very same thing.

He told me that he thought his pila had a major leak. Even had it drained and a liner put in. Then he started paying attention to where his water was going. Told me that the five women in the house must have kidney infections because they each go pee a dozen times a day plus they have the habit of flushing anything they find disagreeable down the toilet. He tried behavior modification but after awhile he accepted that he was outnumbered and that was when he instituted the plumbing change.

Told me that he figured it paid for itself in less than a year.

YMMV

[Edited on 9-20-2008 by BajaGringo]

vgabndo - 9-20-2008 at 02:04 PM

How much drinking water do you need? How in tune are you with NOT using a lot of electricity? Are you willing to put a little energy into an almost completely passive system?

A common third world solar still of 15 sq. ft. will produce about 2 gallons a sunny day. Better yet if the air temp is cooler, and if there is a cool breeze over the collectors. A clear glass tempered sliding shower door makes a great cover and you can buy them through any stateside glazing company for about $50.00 a piece.

The plans are all over the internet. http://www.solaqua.com/solaquakit2.html

You could continue to use the brackish water for bathing and dish and clothes washing, and convert enough distilled water for your potable needs.

A battery operated clock/timer valve will flush your system during the night after your best output period (just after sundown).

60 square feet should provide plenty of pure water.

Bob and Susan - 9-20-2008 at 02:17 PM

let's do the "flushing" math...

300 gallons
1.6 gallons per flush
thats 187 flushes per day

these guys were REALLY sick:light:

the residents of catalina island ca use salt water
for the toilets but the disposal system for the salt water
is different from the fresh water systems

i thought salt water would make
the decomposition in the septic tank fail

BajaGringo - 9-20-2008 at 02:23 PM

I did the math too which was why I didn't believe him but he swore it was true. And his wife and daughters standing behind him didn't offer up anything to the contrary which made me think it was probably true. The way he put it to me was that "they used their toilet the way most people use trash cans". Ridiculous I thought, but when he said it they just gave me this look like, "whatever".

I also asked him about the salt killing the bacteria in his septic. He said that he had run it that way for three years and it was still going strong.

The microbes probably mutated...

Cypress - 9-20-2008 at 03:34 PM

Drinking water comes in clear plastic bottles. Water out of the tap is good for everything else, bathing etc. Sand in your water? Weird? Are you near the end of the water trucks delivery route? Maybe you're getting the dregs out of the bottom of the tank?:(

Bob and Susan - 9-20-2008 at 03:39 PM

sand comes out of the pump here in mulege

all water has dirt and sand here

i clean the trailer tank every couple of months with a vacuum

schwlind - 9-21-2008 at 10:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BAJABAILADOR
try a guy named Fermin {sp?}. I'm in san antonio del mar and he is who I use. Are
you at corona"s camp?


I am also located in San Antonio Del Mar. Fernando, the water guy we've been using for a long time, now obtains his water from a well near the Sonora Hotel. The water in the past has always been a little salty, but since the prior well virtually dried up, Fernando has been obtaining the water he delivers from the one near the Sonora Hotel.

Do you have any idea how I may find (get in touch) with Fermin (sp?).

Also, to all of you who have taken the time to respond, I thank you.

The water in question is not used for drinking, only for bathing, washing clothes, toilets, dishes, etc. We buy purified 5 gallon containers for all water used for drinking, etc.

BAJABAILADOR - 9-22-2008 at 09:43 PM

Ask Roy the next time you see him down there feeding that rottey.