Building in Bacoor: Water, so many choices, nothing is ever simple...

Just before the house construction was to begin we hired a well driller to establish us a well. In conversation with the locals we had heard to well water was quite mineral rich and consequently tended to cause a buildup of scale in all the plumbing fixtures. With this in mind and not wanting to invest in a water filtration system we decided to go as deep as possible with our well to allow for as much natural filtration as possible in the hope of mitigating the hard water problem. When drilling was complete we had gone to within 6 meters of the commercial depth! We had good flow and decided this was the best we could do and that it would also aid in the water requirements needed for the construction. We installed a hand pump for now and began researching pumps for a future installation when the house was near completion. Of note, the community well not far from our well has run dry on a few occasions since my family has been living there and ours has continued to maintain water throughout these dry periods which has given us comfort that we made good decisions regarding the depth and we continue to be quite satisfied that we have at least somewhat reduced the adverse effects of the hard water, since our fixtures seems to be lasting far longer than our neighbors, though without a dedicated filtration system eventually they will require replacement due to the scale buildup. I had many conversations with my brother-in-law regarding the water plan. We had various options for supplying water and the pro’s and con’s of each were discussed at length. Ultimately we agreed that placing the water tank on the roof was probably not in our best interest. Problems with roof leakage can occur if not well planned, as well as exposing the tank to the full force of typhoon winds didn’t sound to comforting either, and lastly access for maintenance and repairs would be further complicated if the tank were to be placed on the roof. Alternately mounting the tank lower (say at the second floor level) mandated we use a pressure pump and tank to supply the second floor CR’s vastly complicating the supply system from a simple gravity feed system originally conceived. Thinking long term and trying to accommodate our own ability to effect repairs ourselves in the future we felt mounting the tank on the roof would not be in our best interest. Since we did not desire to mount a water tank on the roof we opted for what is perhaps a more complicated water system but one that allows us to install the tank at the second floor level rather than on the roof. We will utilize the head pressure from the main tank to supply the first floor, and have purchased a second pressure tank and pump to draw from the main tank and provide boosted pressure for the second floor CRs. We have situated this tank on the first floor in the back just beyond the kitchen wall. It would have been easier to install it adjacent to the main tank but that would have placed it outside of one of the back bedrooms and we thought it might be a nuisance for the evenings when we’re trying to sleep since it is an automatic pressure regulated pump and it is quite loud. With this arrangement we have plenty of pressure upstairs and adequate flow downstairs and best of all no requirement to work or access the roof for maintenance and repairs in the future for the water tank, all of which is very easily reached from the second floor. Since the house was completed and the housing development which we are in has been turned over to the municipality they have run city water. We have since hooked into it to provide for the CRs and kitchen but have kept the well water for the laundry and hose bibs for car washing, watering plants etc… We think this is a good compromise in that the city water in less mineral rich, further preserving our fixtures. We also continue to use our well and always have that as a viable backup should we experience any city water interruptions or low pressure issues. I am happy to say that thus far city water has been consistent and reliable but having that back up is always a comfort.