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| Preliminary thoughts on a hydroponics vegetable growing system and other water usage |
Dear Pastor Joel and church staff,
in fact, I welcome response from anyone who has knowledge,
God has placed this project in my thinking and will not let it rest. You remember that I brought to you some sheets of paper when I last visited you concerning growing food by hydroponics. I do not have much knowledge on this subject, but my education has begun. Please also refer to those papers that I left with you to get an overall view of what hydroponics is.
First I would like to list the goals for the project that I think would be desirable. They are not necessarily listed in order of importance, but rather in what I see in order of usage. They enumerate the several benefits from the single system. As I mentioned when was with you, if we are going to have to pay for water and its delivery, then we should try to use that water several times before lastly using it for waste in the toilets.
1. Using the water first for drinking and cooking, and for bathing and cleaning.
God has placed this project in my thinking and will not let it rest. You remember that I brought to you some sheets of paper when I last visited you concerning growing food by hydroponics. I do not have much knowledge on this subject, but my education has begun. Please also refer to those papers that I left with you to get an overall view of what hydroponics is.
First I would like to list the goals for the project that I think would be desirable. They are not necessarily listed in order of importance, but rather in what I see in order of usage. They enumerate the several benefits from the single system. As I mentioned when was with you, if we are going to have to pay for water and its delivery, then we should try to use that water several times before lastly using it for waste in the toilets.
1. Using the water first for drinking and cooking, and for bathing and cleaning.
2. Food production for the orphanage using hydroponics
3. Lastly, using the water for the flush toilets and watering plants growing in the ground.
In setting up the system, I think that it is beneficial
that the orphanage is slightly downhill from the road. Because of that difference, perhaps we can figure out a system where we can produce the water flow necessary for all of the purposes by gravity and water-flow valves, without the need for pumps.
In order to do this without the use of pumps, the bathing and the water used for cleansing purposes must be taken above the level of the kitchen and orphanage, and before it runs through the gardens. Thus, it will require the building of a separate bath house at a higher level.
Once the water has been used for the bathing, we will need a separate tank to retain the water after usage.
The water will then flow down the hill, through the hydroponic gardens, and lastly to a third tank that will contain the waste water used for flushing toilets. The nutrients for the plants must be injected into the water somewhere after where the water is taken off for clean water usage.
This is a HUGE undertaking, and one that will require a lot of money to set up. However, perhaps we will able to do this in steps.
For instance, the first step would be to skip the bath house and second tank in the first phase, and only set up the initial tank and the piping for the gardens which would lead to the third tank used for flushing. Some of the water from the initial tank could be diverted to go directly to the orphanage in the first phase, for bathing in the orphanage and for the kitchen.
For the gardens themselves, I am thinking that an inexpensive way would be to use the discarded plastic water bottles found in the trash everywhere in Kisii town. With modification, these could be used for growing pots for the plants, placed in holes large enough to receive them in the series of pipes that contain the water with the nutrients for growing.
These are my first thoughts.
For a beginning, I would like you to tell me the cost of two water tanks, perhaps the 4000 litre for the primary tank, and a 2000 or even a 1000 litre tank for the waste water tank for flushing the toilets.
Also, kindly check on the cost of plastic piping, various diameters. The ones that will hold the water bottles will have to be ridged plastic, large enough to make holes to hold the water bottles.
All of these thoughts have many missing parts, but it is a beginning.
Again I also will ask anyone who has more experience in this (even some experience), please help us with your input.
Send it to:
3. Lastly, using the water for the flush toilets and watering plants growing in the ground.
In setting up the system, I think that it is beneficial
that the orphanage is slightly downhill from the road. Because of that difference, perhaps we can figure out a system where we can produce the water flow necessary for all of the purposes by gravity and water-flow valves, without the need for pumps.
In order to do this without the use of pumps, the bathing and the water used for cleansing purposes must be taken above the level of the kitchen and orphanage, and before it runs through the gardens. Thus, it will require the building of a separate bath house at a higher level.
Once the water has been used for the bathing, we will need a separate tank to retain the water after usage.
The water will then flow down the hill, through the hydroponic gardens, and lastly to a third tank that will contain the waste water used for flushing toilets. The nutrients for the plants must be injected into the water somewhere after where the water is taken off for clean water usage.
This is a HUGE undertaking, and one that will require a lot of money to set up. However, perhaps we will able to do this in steps.
For instance, the first step would be to skip the bath house and second tank in the first phase, and only set up the initial tank and the piping for the gardens which would lead to the third tank used for flushing. Some of the water from the initial tank could be diverted to go directly to the orphanage in the first phase, for bathing in the orphanage and for the kitchen.
For the gardens themselves, I am thinking that an inexpensive way would be to use the discarded plastic water bottles found in the trash everywhere in Kisii town. With modification, these could be used for growing pots for the plants, placed in holes large enough to receive them in the series of pipes that contain the water with the nutrients for growing.
These are my first thoughts.
For a beginning, I would like you to tell me the cost of two water tanks, perhaps the 4000 litre for the primary tank, and a 2000 or even a 1000 litre tank for the waste water tank for flushing the toilets.
Also, kindly check on the cost of plastic piping, various diameters. The ones that will hold the water bottles will have to be ridged plastic, large enough to make holes to hold the water bottles.
All of these thoughts have many missing parts, but it is a beginning.
Again I also will ask anyone who has more experience in this (even some experience), please help us with your input.
********************************************
If you would like to help the children of the Log Church Orphanage of Kisii, Kenya, you may make your check out to "The Log Church" and write "Orphans" on the memo line.
Send it to:
The Log Church
PO Box 68
Tripoli, Wisconsin 54564
Every nickel given in this way will be used for only aid for the orphans. It will be used for purchasing food, clothing, schooling, and other necessities of living. Nothing is held back or diverted for any other purpose
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