rainwater harvesting

[ElyDave]

I currently have two water butt's, connected by a top overflow to balance from one to the other. The problem is that this is no longer working and I only have one butt filling properly. I can faff around with that to raise one tank a bit, but given that they are 20 years old, I'm thinking about replacing them with a single larger tank

I have a space about 1400 x 700, has anyone tried this? Any recommendations on tank suppliers? I may just talk to one or two local agricultural suppliers as well

[T42]

Cycling chum has a 5000-litre tank buried in his garden, and a bloke up the road had one done recently. From seeing the latter's tank above ground I'd guess it was about a metre in diameter.  Not cheap.

FWIW a Swiss chum of several years past did the same, and the water authorities billed him for the water he was collecting.

[Wobbly John]

IBC containers are 800 x 1200, and are readily available for about £30. They need shading or the water grows algae. Somebody onour allotments has just got some with black fabric covers, which look neat.

[ElyDave]

IBC containers are 800 x 1200, and are readily available for about £30. They need shading or the water grows algae. Somebody onour allotments has just got some with black fabric covers, which look neat.

I might not be able to fit that, I've thought of it before. Can have a measure up, but i did find a place up the top end of Black Bank that makes tanks of various sizes. May have a pootle up there

[chrisbainbridge]

when we had our house done I got them to dig a massive hole in the garden, install a tag and connect up most of the house roof drainage.  Built in passover filter to keep it clean, submersible pump.  Then in the middle of winter I had to put together the piping to go round the garden before the garden was done.  Manipulating that sort of pipe in the snow and frost was just miserable.  On the bright side I had several thousands of litres for irrigation through the summer

[Woofage]

connected by a top overflow to balance from one to the other.

Linking at the bottom is better as that way they fill evenly together. You'll need butts with two tap holes (they have std BS plumbing threads) or else some pipework trickery to achieve this.

[ElyDave]

connected by a top overflow to balance from one to the other.

Linking at the bottom is better as that way they fill evenly together. You'll need butts with two tap holes (they have std BS plumbing threads) or else some pipework trickery to achieve this.

That was my other thought, though would need to wait until they are empty.

Looking earlier today, one of them is visibly off vertical which I'm sure is contributing to the issue. That is the older of the two, at least 16-17 years.

[graculus]

Or connect the two via a siphon arrangement: cut a length of hosepipe long enough to reach the bottom of both butts, immerse it in the one to fill it, put your thumb over one end and quickly lift that end and feed it into the other butt.

[ElyDave]

Whilst these are all good engineering solutions, I'm still coming back to the "why" i.e. why the top overflow stopped working, which I think is coming back to the alignment caused by possible aging.  One or other of these solutions is likely to be useful in soem way though

[matthew]

Whilst these are all good engineering solutions, I'm still coming back to the "why" i.e. why the top overflow stopped working, which I think is coming back to the alignment caused by possible aging.  One or other of these solutions is likely to be useful in soem way though

Two possibilities I can suggest, blocked by leaves and other debris or a build up of biological slime. I would suggest if you can access it cleaning your top link.

However remember that a top link can only fill the second tank once the first is full, unless your inlet feeds both tanks and the overflow link is only there to correct an imbalance, if this is the case then check your inlet system that takes the water from the downpipe as that is probably blocked to the tank that isn't filling.

[The Family Cyclist]

https://enduramaxx.co.uk/tanks/enduramaxx-water-tanks/slimline-water-tanks/

Try these guys, I used to deal with them but going back around 10 years now. Ernest Does used to be a good supplier for them. Littleport would i guess be your neck of woods

[ElyDave]

Whilst these are all good engineering solutions, I'm still coming back to the "why" i.e. why the top overflow stopped working, which I think is coming back to the alignment caused by possible aging.  One or other of these solutions is likely to be useful in soem way though

Two possibilities I can suggest, blocked by leaves and other debris or a build up of biological slime. I would suggest if you can access it cleaning your top link.

However remember that a top link can only fill the second tank once the first is full, unless your inlet feeds both tanks and the overflow link is only there to correct an imbalance, if this is the case then check your inlet system that takes the water from the downpipe as that is probably blocked to the tank that isn't filling.

First tank is filling, but it was not for some reason quite getting to the level of the overflow to tank 2, pipes are all clear, tested with a hose.  Hence my visual investigation and noticing of the alignment.

[ElyDave]

https://enduramaxx.co.uk/tanks/enduramaxx-water-tanks/slimline-water-tanks/

Try these guys, I used to deal with them but going back around 10 years now. Ernest Does used to be a good supplier for them. Littleport would i guess be your neck of woods

Yes, once other things are off the more important List, Ernest Does are just up the road.

[TPMB12]

I suggest you visit english country life youtube channel. They're into smallholding and have a very good video on their water harvesting system. They use IBCs painted black to hold rainwater even linking them up. They know a fair bit about water harvesting. I think IBCs can be a cheap,  high volume option.

[Wombat]

IBC containers are 800 x 1200, and are readily available for about £30. They need shading or the water grows algae. Somebody onour allotments has just got some with black fabric covers, which look neat.

That last one I got was actually black, which is a plus point.  I've got two of them, as well as two 360 litre butts.  As our "mains" water is from a borehole, I use the IBC water for car washing and the like, to avoid over-stressing the borehole (although there isn't exactly a shortage of rainwater in mid-Wales at present...)

Can't get an IBC for £30 though!  Last one was £60.

[canny colin]

Facebook market place have IBC on for £ 10-00 - £ 30-00 . May depend were you live but I know a haulier who picked some up as a back load from Mull . Bloke just wanted rid of them . Must be thousands of them cluttering up commercial premises . 

[ElyDave]

Here's my current setup, and the third shot is where I could possibly fit an IBC.

You can see that the current space will not fit one, but I could get a larger rectabgular slimline tank in there instead of the two butts.  I could only really get an IBC in where the knackered old cold frame sits. I could either run a long hose from the current point down there to fill it, or add an overflow to the downpipe the other side of the bed you can see.

[Woofage]

I've got a few of the butts like your one on the left. They have 2 tap holes so you could link an IBC (or other storage) at base level without losing the tap function from the LH butt. I connect my butts (or, er, missus) via pond hose (approx 25-30mm diameter) and I got all the required fittings from a place that sells pond stuffs. Make sure the first butt is higher than the IBC so the latter doesn't overflow.

[ElyDave]

I've got a few of the butts like your one on the left. They have 2 tap holes so you could link an IBC (or other storage) at base level without losing the tap function from the LH butt. I connect my butts (or, er, missus) via pond hose (approx 25-30mm diameter) and I got all the required fittings from a place that sells pond stuffs. Make sure the first butt is higher than the IBC so the latter doesn't overflow.

That is one possibility I had considered, though i've not checked for a second hole in my butt (snigger).

Shirley though, if the IBC is lower, that is what WILL cause it to overflow and that is the point. The IBC needs to be lower for the flow, and in theory if the IBC max fill is at the level of the system inlet it wil stop there? I was considering a fancy float valve arrangement. Plenty of time to think though as I won't do anything until after my hols in early June. I also use pond hose. 

[Woofage]

You're quite right. I meant to write the opposite regarding heights  .