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 plus wells, gray water systems, and more. Max Burns has written a great b ook that guides the reader through the shock of not having city-supplied water available at the turn of a tap.... He writes in a clear and illustrative manner ... The reader will appreciate the way Burns is so thorough in his explanations... A good how-to book provides answers to problems you haven't even thought of, and [Cottage Water Systems does] exactly that. (Linda Turk Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay) 2008-08-17) This is a user-friendly manual, easy to read, carefully broken into thirteen chapters...what research! (Carlos Amantea RALPH: The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, 2006-06-22) 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. One ancient method of locating that elusive aquifer is witching, also known as dowsing, divining, or a bunch of hooey- balooey. There's no basis in science for this practice, but since the same could be said for a lot of things humanity embraces as fact, it's worth considering. The witch (dowse or divining rod) is a Y-shaped implement about 30 cm (12 in.) long at the bottom of the Y, the two upper branches each being about 40 cm (16 in.) long, although the measurements aren't set in stone. Neither is the rest of the hocus-pocus. The rod can be anything from a willow branch to rusty coat hangers (I'm not sure if the rust is essential), and there are as many methods of holding it as there are crooked politicians. When I was considering a new well, I called on neighbour Jurgen because he claimed to have once witched and found water. Jurgen's also a traditionalist. He insists the rod be cut from a suitable tree growing in the area to be witched, and is particular about the manner in which the witch is held: With forearms bent at the elbows and held out in front, hands palm- side up, you clasp the forks of the Y, the end of the Y pointing outward and slightly upward in front of you. Then you walk around the yard with this backwards slingshot in your hand, hoping no one who hasn't read the above paragraphs will stop and ask what the heck it is you're doing. Jurgen and I headed off in different directions, not wanting the findings of one witcher to influence the other. About a half hour into our choreographed tramp about the yard, the end of the puny Y-shaped stick I was holding suddenly pulled at my arms, pointing to the ground with alarming force. The intensity of this hyperactive stick was such that I strained muscles trying to hold onto it. I was dumbfounded, unable to do anything but laugh as some of the red in my neck found a more appropriate home in my face. Jurgen came over and, without knowing the location of my find, confirmed the results with his witch. So we fired up Waldo, the backhoe, and went digging. Voila, water. The only thing missing was the scientific proof, not to mention a cottage within easy reach of this new-found source of water. But I can't fault the witching for that. Custom has it that not all of us are capable of witching. Certainly, during the witching spree at our cottage, neither my wife nor son noticed any unusual behaviour exhibited by their carefully chosen sticks. As Chief Dan George said in the movie Little Big Man, "Sometimes the magic works; sometimes it doesn't." --- [Water] is the consummate capricious companion, a flirtatious molecule that has intimate relations with just about eve