We must be very clean people

The Bermuda landscape is dotted with the white roofs of houses. When I first arrived, I wondered why nobody decided to do something different and have a red roof. The reason is that this is how fresh water is collected. The island has no source of fresh water except rainfall. So it all has to be collected from the roof. They are designed so that the water is directed down the pipe that leads to a water tank under the house.

Technically, as long as you aren't wasteful, there should be enough rain to give you enough water. However, that seems to be easier said than done. When we moved into this apartment last May, we asked about the size of the tank, and whether both units were drawing from the same one. We were told that our tank was so large that "we'd have to be very clean in order to run out". It is apparently 20 feet deep, and runs all the way to the back of the house (it's a long house).

The day after our Thanksgiving party I started doing the dishes and put a load of laundry in. Then I heard something turn on. It sounded like the fridge, but louder. I expected it to turn off, but an hour later, it was still going. Actually, it continued all day. I suspected it had something to do with our water supply because we kept losing pressure. I asked our plumber friend, turns out it was our water pump. When it doesn't turn itself off, you know you're out of water.

Luckily, the good news is that when you run out, there are companies that come and fill your tank. The bad news is that it isn't cheap. We ordered 3 truck loads that time. In about a month we were out again. So far we seem to run out every 6 weeks. Technically we should cough up and get as many loads as it takes to fill it up. It's a $ thing I guess.

You try to do what you can to not be wasteful – like not leave the tap running when you're brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, making sure you only do full loads of laundry and dishes. But you've still got to do these things. Another possibility that people have suggested is whether we have a crack in our tank. I'd say this is unlikely though, because it's a brand new house.