Gambier Acres

Shared property / Water guide

Field Records

Maintenance records, source material, and improvements to discuss. The current system details are on the Cabin Water and Fire Water pages.

Treatment and maintenance log

The sheet photographed in the fire shed. These are posted historical notes, not a verified treatment or service procedure.

Treatment log and posted routinesHandwritten notes include “FILTER DIRTY!” and “Pump Tried”.IMG_6748.jpeg

Tank treatment

Chlorine tablets are added weekly to each tank for algae control. Jeff · Sep 2026

The posted sheet gives 1.5 tablets for tank 1 and 1 tablet for each other tank, including the fire tanks. Each tank’s tablets are crushed with a mallet in a labelled baggie, added to that tank, and the baggies returned.

Unconfirmed The product, tablet strength and dose haven’t been checked against the tank volumes.

Filter flush

The note describes removing the neoprene sleeve, twisting the bottom in the direction of the arrow to let water out, and replacing the sleeve. It says not to take the filter apart.

Unconfirmed Whether this is filter G at the manifold or the filter under the cabin.

The log

Columns for name, date, tanks, filter and notes. Some of the handwriting is hard to read.

The pump-start card and shed equipment are on the fire-water page.

Sources and walkthroughs

What each video covers, with timestamps. Source links across the guide open the matching entry.

Written reference · September 2026. Jeff’s feedback, relayed by Graham on 18 September, supplies the tank capacities and approximate heights, inlet-filter model, overflow destination, weekly algae-control practice, cabin-treatment water use, and pressure-monitoring history. These details are incorporated into the Cabin Water guide.

01 · Spring, inlet and filter — IMG_6735.MOV · 3:52
  • 00:11–00:58 · A natural spring fills the well. The upper outlet is the overflow; a lower outlet feeds the tanks by gravity. Four tanks are mentioned.
  • 01:06–01:31 · An older drain along the supply pipe, said to be left open in winter. A newer way of draining is mentioned.
  • 01:31–02:09 · Clearing the grass keeps valves, joints and leaks visible.
  • 02:22–02:37 · The incoming line is followed to the large hose at the spring inlet.
  • 02:37–03:12 · G holds the filter and F goes around it. Both routes feed the fill header.
  • 03:17–03:35 · D is tank 1, C tank 2, B tank 3 and A tank 4. Tank 1 is filling and the other fill valves are closed.
  • 03:35–03:50 · The supply header passes behind F without connecting to it.
02 · Tank bypass, cabin outlet and level reading — IMG_6737.MOV · 1:53
  • 00:10–00:20 · E1 is pointed out as the link that bypasses all four tanks.
  • 00:20–00:27 · The route is followed along the supply header and down to the cabins.
  • 00:28–00:47 · The electronics measure water pressure and turn it into a tank height. The person who built the monitor knows the exact conversion.
  • 00:47–01:21 · The reading covers one tank at a time: tank 4, the one supplying. Switching to tank 3 would switch the reading.
  • 01:21–01:52 · The speakers discuss the level falling and whether water use has gone up.
03 · Tank sizes — IMG_6738.MOV · 0:34
  • 00:04–00:13 · Tank 1 is the biggest and tallest.
  • 00:13–00:31 · Tanks 3 and 4 look similar. Tank 2’s size and height are compared only roughly.
04 · Growth in the tanks and the final overflow — IMG_6739.MOV · 1:13
  • 00:00–00:47 · Deposits and growth are discussed; sunlight is suspected of causing more in the light-coloured tanks.
  • 00:47–00:54 · Shading or painting the tanks is suggested.
  • 00:54–01:12 · A suggested tank 4 → tank 3 overflow is corrected: tank 4’s upper overflow goes to drain.
05 · The overflow chain — IMG_6740.MOV · 2:04
  • 00:22–00:51 · Filling tank 1 and drawing from tank 4 keeps water turning over and holds the other tanks in reserve.
  • 00:53–01:43 · Tank 1 overflows to tank 2; tank 2’s overflow runs around its back to the bottom of tank 3.
  • 01:43–01:58 · Tank 3 overflows to the bottom of tank 4. Tank 4’s top overflow drains; its lower connection also supplies the manifold.
06 · Changing supply from tank 4 to tank 3 — IMG_6741.MOV · 1:02
  • 00:11–00:32 · The rear supply valve B1 is told apart from the front fill valve B2.
  • 00:33–00:59 · Close tank 4’s outlet A1, then open tank 3’s outlet B1. Filling tank 1 can stay as it is.
07 · Distribution, drainage and ideas — IMG_6742.MOV · 7:22
  • 00:01–00:56 · A buffer tank at the cabins and more shared storage are discussed.
  • 01:23–03:33 · Cabin meters and interval logging are suggested. The main is described as branching, including a branch feeding two cabins.
  • 03:33–04:16 · Memories of an earlier level drop differ; the cause isn’t settled.
  • 04:16–06:17 · Who maintains what, keeping things simple, leak alerts, and demand during busy visits.
  • 06:17–07:12 · Seasonal drainage: the newer ground-level tank drains, a well-drain route, and the separate pipe to a ditch downhill.
08 · Leaks, upkeep and fire readiness — IMG_6743.MOV · 4:34
  • 00:00–01:28 · The pump-shack hoses were found disconnected; a separate fire-system walkthrough is discussed.
  • 01:29–03:39 · Rust and hardware quality are discussed.
  • 03:39–04:07 · The lower connections are compression fittings, which moving or twisting the pipe can loosen.
  • 04:07–04:28 · Clear around the fittings and the path to them twice a year so leaks stay visible.
09 · Drain, pier line and selector — IMG_6744.MOV · 1:15
  • 00:00–00:16 · The drain carries overflow and seasonal drainage downhill to a ditch, away from the tanks.
  • 00:16–00:39 · A separate line brings seawater up from the pier for the fire system.
  • 00:40–01:12 · The blue three-way selector and nearby red-handled pipework are discussed. Its settings aren’t shown.
10 · Fire tanks 5–6 and the seawater backup — IMG_6745.MOV · 1:45
  • 00:00–00:13 · Painted numbers 5 and 6; tank 6 is taller. Weekly chlorination is mentioned.
  • 00:15–00:27 · The fire tanks normally fill with fresh water by gravity.
  • 00:28–00:53 · A pump at the pier can send seawater uphill to top up the fire tanks while they’re being drawn down.
  • 00:53–01:22 · The fresh-water fill line is identified; it was closed at the visit.
  • 01:23–01:44 · The other backup option sends seawater straight to the shed pump, skipping the tanks.
11 · Cabin route and air in the line — IMG_6750.MOV · 3:41
  • 00:03–00:28 · The pipes are followed along the rocky bluff; better valves are suggested.
  • 00:30–01:09 · The line dips and rises on its way to the cabin. A tank running dry lets air in, and changing tanks hasn’t always brought the flow back straight away.
  • 01:09–02:05 · Past recoveries took hours of trial and error with tank changes, fixtures, suction and a downhill hose. No reliable fix came out of it.
  • 02:06–03:40 · Orange markers and capped tees, where bleed valves have been suggested.
12 · Correcting the two-pipe identification — IMG_6751.MOV · 0:37
  • 00:01–00:29 · A first guess that the two pipes feed different cabins is corrected: one is cabin water, the other the fire line.
13 · White stripe, shared shutoff and cabin filter — IMG_6752.MOV · 1:18
  • 00:01–00:09 · On this stretch the white-striped pipe is cabin water and the other is fire water.
  • 00:12–00:20 · The shutoff shown serves two cabins.
  • 00:20–00:38 · Winter draining is mentioned, but what should be left open isn’t clear.
  • 00:38–01:15 · The striped branch is followed to the cabin and a cartridge filter underneath it.
14 · Smaller cabin inlet and suggested upgrades — IMG_6753.MOV · 0:53
  • 00:00–00:17 · The supply pipe reduces to a smaller cabin inlet; larger pipe is suggested.
  • 00:20–00:40 · Pressure versus flow is discussed. No pipe sizes or measurements are given.
  • 00:40–00:49 · A local tank and pump at the cabin are suggested.

Improvements

Proposed upgrades to discuss and plan, including who will maintain them.

Still to establish

Open questions

Details still needed to complete the guide.

  1. Winter shutdown and restart. The order to drain valves in, the low points, and what to check when restarting in spring.
  2. Air in the cabin line. A working vent and a repeatable way to clear the air after a tank runs dry.
  3. The fire setup. Which pump the start card is for, the hose hookups, isolating the fresh-water supply, the selector setting for each option, and a successful start.
  4. Filters. Installed screen rating and service steps for filter G; model, rating and service steps for the separate cabin filter; which filter the posted flush note is for; and completion of the O-ring replacement.
  5. Tanks and water quality. Confirm tank 2’s capacity, the gallon convention and tank heights. Record water-quality tests, a cleaning routine, and the treatment product, tablet strength and dose. Identify cabin treatment equipment and verify its performance and water-use ratios.
  6. Cabin branches. Which branch and shutoff serves which cabin, and the rest of the seven-cabin network.
  7. Manifold loose ends. The end fitting at the left of the supply header, the small side fitting above G, and the level monitor: where its reading is shown, how its battery is charged, and how it is calibrated.

Source photograph