Are you looking at buying a house without mains water in Portugal.
Have you checked that your chosen property has water connected?
Mains water or as it is often called here “Camara water” (council provided mains) is the usual way to have your water supplied or is it supplied by other means such as a bore hole, river, stream, lake, pond, spring, well, posso or collected and stored rain water.
Buying a house without mains water. There are still some properties in remote villages where the occupiers have to collect and carry all their water needs from the village tap. A you get older this way of life loses its charm fast.
Although the council supplied water may be on occasion a little chlorine tasting it is generally safe in Portugal. It is also the cheapest and most reliable supply.
If you have a bore hole or are thinking of buying a property that will need one remember that you need a license to have a borehole (generally last 7 years) Best check that you can have a borehole in your chosen location before making an offer on a property.
Also the quality of the water that you have in a borehole is not guaranteed. It could be very cloudy with lime or soil particles and leave stains on your bathroom fittings and clothes when they are washed.
To make this type of water drinkable/safe you have to buy sophisticated home filtration systems which need regular maintenance. Then of course if there is a power cut you have no water supply.
If you have a “posso” artesian well or water mine
They are not guaranteed to have water all year. Yes the vendor of the property may say that they have never seen it dry but they will have got used to supplementing their water needs from rain storage tanks and will in any case not use anywhere near the quantity of water that a modern family does.
Rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. Basically with this type of supply you are drinking rain.
No rain, no water. The rain falls on the land and runs into rivers, lakes, ponds and streams taking with it nutrients, pesticides and pollutants from dead animals, cesspits and the like. If you put this water into a barrel for a couple of days you will see how fast it goes green. This is a clear indication of how important it is to make this type of water drinkable and safe. To achieve this you will have to buy sophisticated home filtration and treatment systems.
The cost of installing mains water to a property can be reduced if you organize the digging of the trench yourself. Talk to the water department in the local council offices.
If you have questions about water or electricity supply’s to a property that you own or are thinking of buying contact Castelo Construction info@casteloconstruction.com
