{"title":"Water Systems Guides","description":"\u003cp\u003eWater comes first. Catch it off the roof, lift it from a well, store it and make it safe to drink, sized for a small home and costed part by part. Each numbered guide takes one off-grid system and shows you how it works, sizes it with real numbers, prices three builds part by part and walks you through building and running it, with every fact sourced and checked. Listed in series order, followed by a few standalone field guides made the same way.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"systems-rainwater-catchment","title":"Roof rainwater catchment: Gutters, first flush and cisterns · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA roof is a free water collector. Gutters gather what falls on it, a first-flush diverter throws away the dirtiest first gallons, and a covered tank stores the rest for dry weeks. A clean system gives you garden, washing and livestock water with no pump at all. With filtration and disinfection it can be your drinking water. The real design work is sizing the tank for your dry season, and keeping the water clean from the roof to the tap.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you work out how much rain your roof can give you and how much tank you need for the dry season, then build a clean catchment from gutter to tap: leaf screens, a first-flush diverter, a calmed inlet, a guarded overflow and a floating outlet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 25 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 12 numbered figures drawn for this guide, including a fit map of every US county. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 12 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $780–$1,440\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $2,040–$2,650\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $4,810–$5,980\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 17 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Safe drinking water; Off-grid solar; Water storage and off-grid plumbing; Wells and hand pumps; The off-grid vegetable garden. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361168437419,"sku":"AO26-SYS-02","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-02.jpg?v=1792839813"},{"product_id":"systems-wells-hand-pumps","title":"Wells and hand pumps: Hand pumps and solar well pumps · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA well taps groundwater: water held in the pores and cracks of soil and rock below the water table. A pump lifts it to you. Off-grid, the pump is the hard part, because an ordinary well pump wants 240 V and a big surge to start. This guide covers the three off-grid answers: a pitcher pump on a shallow well, a deep-well hand pump that needs no power at all, and a solar submersible that fills a tank while the sun shines. Most homesteads end up with two of them in the same well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you read a well log, choose between a pitcher pump, a deep-well hand pump and a solar submersible, size the pump and the tank with real numbers, and keep your well water safe to drink, with or without power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 8 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 10 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $620–$2,090\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $6,340–$11,650\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $11,640–$23,040\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 24 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Roof rainwater catchment; Safe drinking water; Water storage and off-grid plumbing; Off-grid solar; Generators, propane and fuel; Septic and its alternatives; Finding off-grid land. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361169649835,"sku":"AO26-SYS-06","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-06.jpg?v=1792839816"},{"product_id":"systems-drinking-water","title":"Safe drinking water: Filters, treatment and testing · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eOff-grid, nobody treats or tests your water but you. The good news is that the methods are simple and cheap: a lab test tells you what is in the water, a filter catches what is big enough to catch, and a disinfectant or a UV lamp kills what slips through. The art is matching the treatment to the test, choosing gear that is certified to do what it claims, and keeping it maintained. This guide covers all three, from a bucket and a bottle of bleach to a pumped system with a UV lamp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you test your rain, well, spring or creek water, choose the filters and disinfection that match what the test finds, size them for your household and your power budget, and keep them working through the year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 19 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Set it up, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 7 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 10 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $153–$207\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $393–$674\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $1,677–$1,863\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 30 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Roof rainwater catchment; Wells and hand pumps; Water storage and off-grid plumbing; Off-grid solar; Portable power stations; Canning and food preservation; Finding off-grid land. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361171517611,"sku":"AO26-SYS-10","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-10.jpg?v=1792839820"},{"product_id":"systems-water-plumbing","title":"Water storage and off-grid plumbing: Tanks, pumps, pressure and freeze-proofing · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvery off-grid water source, whether a roof, a well, a spring or a water truck, ends in the same place: a tank. From the tank, water has to reach a kitchen tap and a shower at a pressure you can live with, and it has to survive the winter. This guide is that middle part. A food-grade tank stores the water, a pump and a small pressure tank give it push, plastic pipe carries it to the house, and a plan for freezing keeps the whole thing from splitting on the first cold night. None of it is hard, but the order matters and the mistakes are expensive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you size a storage tank for your household and your refill rhythm, choose a 12 V or 120 V pump and the right pressure tank, run pipe from the tank to the taps, and keep every inch of it from freezing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 20 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 8 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 11 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $490–$1,110\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $2,500–$3,010\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $6,550–$7,390\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 26 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Roof rainwater catchment; Wells and hand pumps; Safe drinking water; Off-grid solar; Septic and its alternatives; Tiny homes, RVs and skoolies. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48361942941867,"sku":"AO26-SYS-19","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-19.jpg?v=1792812385"},{"product_id":"systems-solar-hot-water","title":"Solar hot water: Showers heated by the sun · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA solar water heater is a dark tank or collector behind glass that soaks up sunlight and turns it into hot water, stored for when you need it. The simplest is a black bag on a hook. The most capable is a freeze-proof loop of antifreeze, a small pump and an insulated tank. Sunlight is free and the parts are plumbing, not electronics. What goes wrong is nearly always one of three things: freezing, scalding hot water, and too little sun in winter. This guide shows how to deal with all three.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you pick the right kind of solar water heater for your climate, size it for the hot water you really use, build a batch heater or fit a freeze-proof kit, and run it safely: no frozen pipes, no scalds, and a backup for cloudy weeks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 20 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 7 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 10 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 27 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Roof rainwater catchment; Water storage and off-grid plumbing; Generators, propane and fuel; Wood stoves; Off-grid solar. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48362554556587,"sku":"AO26-SYS-24","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-24.jpg?v=1792815687"},{"product_id":"systems-ram-pump","title":"The Ram Pump Field Guide: Lift water uphill, day and night, with no power and two moving parts · Alt Ordo Systems Guide","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hydraulic ram takes a big flow of water falling a few feet and turns it into a small flow climbing many times higher. Water runs down a rigid drive pipe and out of an open waste valve until it is moving fast enough to slam the valve shut. The sudden stop makes a pressure spike, water hammer, that pushes a slug of water past a one-way valve into an air chamber and up the hill. Then the valve drops open and it starts again, roughly once a second, for years. It has two moving parts and needs no electricity, fuel or panels. The trade is that most of the water flows back to the creek, and a ram can only run where water falls to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis guide helps you measure your creek's fall and flow, work out how much water a ram will lift to your tank, then build, install and tune a 1¼ in ram from hardware-store fittings that pumps day and night with no power at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside.\u003c\/strong\u003e 27 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 12 numbered figures drawn for this guide, including a fit map of every US county. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 15 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree builds, costed line by line\u003c\/strong\u003e (typical US prices, October 2026):\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBare-bones: $860–$1,175\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStandard: $2,233–$2,669\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComfortable: $3,088–$4,101\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSourced and fact-checked.\u003c\/strong\u003e Facts and figures are cited to the 20 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairs with\u003c\/strong\u003e other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Safe drinking water; Water storage and off-grid plumbing; Roof rainwater catchment; Wells and hand pumps; The off-grid vegetable garden. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant PDF download.\u003c\/strong\u003e After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alt Ordo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48373638889643,"sku":"AO26-SYS-48","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/files\/AO26-SYS-48.jpg?v=1792843518"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/4718\/4299\/collections\/AO26-SYS-COL-WATER.jpg?v=1792843072","url":"https:\/\/shop.altordo.com\/collections\/systems-guides-water.oembed","provider":"Alt Ordo: Build Freedom","version":"1.0","type":"link"}