Water woes

Sometimes people have asked us: “How do you get water in your house in Ukarumpa?” It's a little different than any house we've lived in in America. Here are some pictures to explain the system.

Most “permanent” houses in Papua New Guinea (as opposed to most village houses that are constructed with bush materials) use corrugated metal panels for roofing. The roof is the first step in the water collection process. Living in a tropical rainforest, we can count on a lot of regular rainfall (except in unusual years when our weather might, for example, be affected by El Nino). The rain comes down, rolls off the metal roof, and into gutters.

A bit of our roof

The gutters empty into large water collection tanks. We have two tanks, for a total capacity of 4000 gallons. The metal tank was here when we bought the house. But to increase our water capacity, we later added the green, synthetic-material tank. The green tanks are called by their brand name, Tuffa; they last for many years and are really popular for water systems here (though more expensive than the metal tanks).

Inside the house a well pump, connected to the water tanks by underground pipes, pulls water into the indoor plumbing system when we need it. If the power goes out, we're in trouble. But though the power goes out quite often, it's rarely for very long at a time, thanks to the town's backup generators. 

Brand-new water pump

Huzzah!

That's how the system is supposed to work. One reason I'm mentioning this right now is that we've been struggling to keep the system working since returning from the US in June. When we returned, we found that the water pressure in the house was extremely low. We then found out that the water pump, which was probably installed when the house was built (in 1980) was on its last legs. So we replaced the pump, which cost about $700.

Then a couple of months later, we weren't getting water in the house at all, though the pump seemed to be working. We discovered that both of our tanks were completely empty. We solved that mystery when we found that one of the pipe joints underground had come apart, and we'd unknowingly lost all of our water. At the same time, while the whole system was down anyway, we replaced a rusted-through gutter on the back of the house. All of those repairs cost over $200.

Brand-new gutter

We were getting along fine with our water, and then this week the washing machine stopped working. We're not exactly sure what's wrong with it. It may be the electronic control board, and there may be other problems as well. Repairs and replacement parts in PNG are difficult, and usually expensive. So we're trying to figure out if we should pursue repairs, or just look at getting a different machine (which would cost several times what it would in America). Even my guy-response of just buying new clothes when the ones we're wearing are dirty isn't a good option here, so far removed from any Target or Wal-mart.

Washing machine on strike

So we're feeling a little down about the house repairs. As usual when unexpected expenses begin to pile up, Joyce is feeling more positive about it than I am (though even I admit that life is pretty good, despite the water difficulties). But this has been quite a lot of unplanned expense to keep things running. We'd really appreciate your prayers and support through this.