Monday, August 22, 2011

Designing Tap Stands

Why is it Needed
Tap stands are where community members will collect water, using the water directly for washing and bathing or filling buckets for later use. Tap stands are the component of the aqueduct that will see the most use. It is important to have a sturdy design that will withstand daily usage. Tap stands can range from a shared stand to individual stands for each house to faucets at multiple points in the home.

Design
Different tap stands are shown in the construction section.  If you have easy access to sand and gravel and are building communal stands, a more concrete-intensive design is preferable.  The design can be modified for areas where mixing concrete is more difficult. In addition, the main slab is thick and can be reduced if there is a shortage of cement, keeping in mind the tap stand needs to be sturdy enough for constant use. 

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The tap stand consists of a 4’ x 4’ reinforced concrete slab with a 3’ reinforced post. The tube comes up from the ground, is attached to the outside of the post, and passes through the post so that the faucet is over the slab. The post can be square (wood forms) or circular (PVC form).

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There are also photos in the construction section of taps installed directly in the home.  In this case, the PVC tube is buried up to the home and then tied/affixed to the home structural elements up to the washing area.  In this case, each home will have a different routing and design.

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