Tern Island Nuts and Bolts

There are some fairly complex mechanical systems to keep the island operating. There are 2 separate water systems. One of which uses a catchment pad(the basketball court from the Coast Guard days) and the roofs of all the larger buildings to collect water into a cistern. This water is then pumped into tanks where it can then run by gravity to the barracks and kitchen where it is filtered and pressurized. The other system uses reverse osmosis on sea water so the RO water is much more costly to produce and is used sparingly for cooking and drinking. Our power also comes from 2 sources. One consists of photovoltaic cells on the roof of the barracks to change sunlight to DC power and the other is a generator. They both charge a bank of batteries. The lights are all 24 volt DC and the DC power is also inverted to 110 volts AC for use in the washing machines and a few other appliances. All of the larger uses for 110 volt power are only used in bright sun at mid day. It all works most of the time!