💧Best Ways to Collect Rainwater
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- Water water everywhere... but not a drop to water your garden?! Why not save water and save on your bills by collecting rain water?!
Perhaps you live in a dry area, where rain is scarce most of the year round, or perhaps you want to collect little and often. In this video, Ben demonstrates how to get the most out of the resources you have to hand in this easy to follow tutorial. Get ready to make a splash!
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Great video.
I live in a town house, so I grow on my deck. I took an old umbrella, put a hole in the top, and then turned it upside down over a 5 gallon bucket. the umbrella increases the surface area, and also slows down evaporation. If it gets full, I fill up empty plastic juice bottles with the water. It's not elegant, but it means I don't have to fill up water bottles from my kitchen sink all the time.
Wonderful idea thank you and best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪
@@markirish7599 Thank You from the US !!! 😀.🇺🇸
Brilliant!
Thanks for the great idea!
Nice one Karen!
That is such a great thumbnail! 😂😂😂
Haha yes, let's dive straight in :)
Glad it's appreciated Tyler - great (if messy) fun making it!
I am from Howick South Africa and my capacity for Rain Water Harvesting is +- 8 000 Litres. I use this water for household use via a pressure pump and filter as well as the garden with one tap having municipal (council) via a triple water filtration system for drinking, cooking. When the tanks run out, I switch to municipal (council) water. In a very good year I can be off municipal (council) water up to 8 months and as an average 5 to 6 months. I shall soon commission a grey water system for the garden, but not for eatable plants. From the geyser to the bathroom you can waste up to 10 litres before the hot water arrives and this collected in bucket can be emptied into the garden.
I might add its important to keep the gutters 'clean' and to introduce a leaf catcher into the gutter down pipe.
You're doing a fantastic job saving water Bryan. Here in the UK we take water for-granted, but it's still worth saving what you can. Your efforts are incredible!
Nothing beats a British nerd. Love this bloke!
Cheers Richard!
If you don't have a gutter or downspout, don't let that stop you from having a rain barrel! This is my first year with a rain barrel. I put it on two cinder blocks under a corner of my gutter-less roof, and it has filled up nicely with water. I constantly use it because it's often more convenient than the hose.
Could you post a picture please as I can’t visualise what you mean. 🤔 thanks.
@@pattaylor719 I don't think it's possible to post pictures in CZcams comments. At least I've never seen any, and I see no way to add them.
When it rains, water tends to drip mainly from the corners of the roof. If your roof doesn't have a gutter, just put the rain barrel under one of the corners to catch that water.
@@Beaguins thank you, I’ll try that. We haven’t had any rain yet but when it comes I want to get as much of it as I can!
Oh my goodness just discovered your channel and everything I needed is right here... water conservation, keeping cats of the garden, growing vertically and I could go on 🌻 new sub here and I will have a look for your book x great channel x
Thanks for the sub Sonia, and so pleased you've found us!
bath tubs in serise with eddible crutations, fish, rice, lotus roots, water chestnuts & watercress. I like the hot tub idea too
I got two clean oil drums today, I am so excited to get started.
Such great ideas! I love the tarp concept. I've been harvesting water off the sandbox cover every time it rains with a 5 gallon bucket. I'm going to upgrade my game with a larger tarp and a few more buckets.
Great video Ben… Rain water is acidic. The levels of acid vary by region (more acid if you are close to industrial air pollution, downwind of a large city), but all of it is more acidic than all other water sources. It’s worth keeping in mind if your soil is also acidic or alkaline. So check your rain water every once in a while, to better understand it (and adjust the ph if desired, which is really easy to do). Cheers.
Great advice, thank you. :-)
But this is the same acidic rainwater that falls on the soil is it not? . . . .
@@TRPGpilotyea idk what this guy is talking about. If there’s wild vegetation in your immediate area and in your city then your water is fine. If the rain was that bad then everything in your area would be noticeably contaminated or dying
We have been using rain barrels for the last 10 years and will most likely add to our double barrel set up. We use the collected water not only for watering, but also to cleans pots, bins and tools. We sometimes go for weeks without rain here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, so it’s wonderful that Mother Nature can be bottled for later use! Blessings...daisy
You are bottling rain water, no some t 'mother nature'. What does that phrase even mean?
I live in a drought stricken area. I have to carefully consider how much rainwater to harvest and how much to allow to go into the soil to feed my huge trees. Lots to consider when rain harvesting!
Just collect it all and water the tree individually
Your tree, if outdoors in the natural environment and exposed to direct rainfall will never be affected by you collecting rainwater. That's very strange that you think it would. Same as those restricted parts of the world that think that they need to regulate collecting rainwater because some Jack downstream of you has a water claim lol
You live in a wonderfully green place, so many trees and bushes around.
Yes his garden is beautiful , have a nice day to you
Thank you! It's lush and green, but pretty 'wild'! Love watching the wildlife enjoying it, I'm very lucky.
We are having a bad drought here in Va right now. I have 2 water containers , one on either side of my house to catch the water. One waters my horses and chickens, the other my garden. The garden one ran dry the other day. They are IBC containers. I’m going to set up another tank at the barn before winter to catch all that I am missing. Actually just a trough hooked to the guttering.
It’s so great to use that good water instead of the chemical laced water we pay for.
Absolutely - rainwater's the best! I hope you get some good rains soon.
@GrowVeg We finally did ! Now both containers full again, thank the Lord. Still having loads of tomatoes to harvest !
The "let's dive straight in' moment is a cinematic marvel
Thanks very much! 😀
We have been giving IBC tanks to plot holders to harvest and store rainwater, it is surprising how much you can gather. By making a loose fitting frame (not fixed) to the top of the IBC and stapling a very loose sheet of plastic to the frame, a hole in the middle of that and rainwater collects in the saggy plastic and drips right into the top cap of the tank. The tank keeps itself topped up year round and will be full at the end of winter. Another plot holder has a woodpile he manages for home use, he keeps it dry by covering with wrinkly tin, this is angled down at one end and feeds a water butt. Another idea is guttering attached to a fence, again angled to fill a butt. There are so many good ideas for rainwater harvesting out there, limited by your own imagination...Steve...😃
I have been using 80lt black old style Bins for my water, about 8pounds each.I then link them with a siphon usually an old hose
Excuse my ignorance, but what is an IBC tank?
@@yogawithrosie3805 "Intermediate bulk containers" it is a square shaped plastic tank with an inlet at the top and a tap at the bottom, they are used throughout industry to store everything from syrup to paint, they are generally 1000 Litres in capacity...Steve...😃
Some great ideas there @Green Side Up!
I have several 50 gallon drums, buckets and vessels sitting around a 20’ canopy roof. The water drips into these containers and drums. It’s not a “neat” method, it it works! Thanks Ben👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼✅
Any way you can collect water is good.
Love collecting rain water for my plants in pots in the house or outside 💞👍💐🇦🇺
This was super informative! I also collect water inside. While I am waiting for my shower water to warm up -- I put one of my garden buckets in the tub to collect the cold water -- then use that to water houseplants.
That's really great to be using water with care like that.
Very educational video! Thank you.🙂
We're having issues with our well. I am going to start using rainwater for my gardens. This was very helpful!
Great video thank you 🎉🏴🌸
thank you, loved the video
Really enjoy your videos!!!
This is a good video.
And I am collecting lots of boxes so I can collect rain water because water bills are expensive, so hopefully I can collect a lot of rain water to drink.
Very helpful, thank you!!
I love your work Ben thanx a lot
Thanks for watching Michael. :-)
We have 4 large water butts in the garden (one next to a shed with sloped roof, 2 against walls of the house and one against our lean-to greenhouse), but due to most of our garden being in containers, even after a bit of a downpour they soon dry up again with sunny / windy weather in the summer, so we can empty those butts pretty quickly! What we have done however, is have our shower and bath drain pipes go down into our storm drain in the garage (grey water). We then use a pump with a hose to pump it out and either directly water with it or fill up the water butts. It is a bit smelly, but we've used it for the past few years now and none of the plants seem to mind at all. Just another great way to reuse and cut down the water bill :)
That's a great way to conserve water. It's usually advised to use 'ecological' products when using grey water in the garden. Clearly your plants are thriving on it.
I have 2 beer keg sized barrels to catch rain water off of my greenhouse. V little rain last few months, but a good storm filled them back up. Water is fixed priced in Scotland from the mains, but I prefer to use rain water where I can
I’ve just begun researching this topic and I have a small patio garden. The setup I have at the moment is I use the starter trays placed under some of my elevated raised garden totes to collect water during rainfall, then I transfer to watering containers. I also leave containers out without lids on to collect rain as well-these I place under patio chairs.
This video has certainly gave me a few more ideas to collect even more rainfall in a small area where I’m limited from doing a more elaborate set up.
Thank you!!!
So pleased it's given you a few ideas Tarra. :-)
I have been using rain water so far this year. I started with collecting snow at the end of April. Then we had a couple of thunder storms. The tarp idea is good. I'll try that to collect more. Thank you!
Glad this was useful. Well done on collecting so much rainwater!
We hope to get a 20,000lt tank soon. It’s common in rural Australia to have huge tanks.
That's a huge capacity!
Great video made me think how to save more rain water! We installed three water butts this year think we might add over flow butts! Thanks ☘️☘️☘️
You can never have enough water storage Fiona - it's a wonderful asset.
So lucky. We have a 300 year old well. Only the past 2 years have we started to re use. 18 x 6 x 6ft do holds loads.
I am certainly considering adding a guttering system to my (in progress) greenhouse to collect rainwater and may be able to get some of those (IBC?) tanks for about $20... might have to look into grabbing that while I can. Great tips as always!
£20 for an IBC tank is amazing value!
Hi, Here where I live in France I didn’t need to water at all this year! It has been raining cats and dogs for 6 months !!! I just start singing and that’s it ! 😉Thanks for the tips !
“Il pleut comme vache qui pisse", isn't that what you French say?
It's been a funny year for weather all over Europe I think Val.
I personally have a very damp garden so its all about water management for me !
I have got 2 IBC's and 2 water butts that collect water and the overflows are positioned so that the water misses most of my garden and disappears without turning my grass to mud,
In the water butts i have 2 Goldfish that i bought and 3 fish that we caught when we were out walking in the New Forest and all my fish have a lovely time with mosquito larvae , The IBC's i have a load of snails (Ramshorn which are supposed to be a pest for fish lovers) which keep the algae (sort of) under control
Liked just for the thumbnail
Where I live, we get 2,599 mm or rain annually, on average. We also just went through 7 weeks with no measurable rain. I now have two 200 litre rain barrels joined at the base and am about to add a third. Joining at the bottom means I only take water from the barrel 'on the end' so the system self-levels. The city provided one of the barrels for $50 (CDN), less than half the price it would be from a home improvement store.
Agree with you RAIN WATER is very good water when we can store with BIG TANK for using in garden can save a lot of money
I use old plastic beer barrel and storage boxes with holes in the lid and also have a water butt. Also have milk bottles of water store around garden hidden under plants.
I live in southern Oregon, where we have been having really dry summers. I'm going to be building a good sized greenhouse/hoop house. I'm going to add rain gutters to it and get one or more IBC containers for water collection.
I think IBCs are the way to go - so much volume and should last a reasonable time before they run low.
Thank you for the eye opener. We plan to filter the water with two or three makeshift filters as it runs into the containers (made up of fabric, gravel, sand and charcoal) and have the final result running into a container with a water tight seal.
As the containers fill up, there will be an exit drain for any possible (if at all) excess water use of nothing but clean water being spilled out into a drain pipe (or possible pond).
..... I thought this up as I was typing....time to get to work!!! Ttyl!
Great idea, and best of luck with your project.
My homestead is completely on rain water. I love it. My subdivision is constantly having to boil water. They have also run out of water. So most buy their water in jugs - crazy 😝. I love my water. It is easy to filter for drinking and I never run out.
How do you filter for drinking?
Great video! I have a large glass topped rectangular patio table which I tilt slightly so the water drains off one corner. Amazing how fast it will fill a 5 gallon pail in a moderate rain. I use the water for my indoor plants, like dracaenas. Thanks!
What a genius way of collecting water. :-)
I do the same in my backyard! I have a patio table in my backyard where I work with my plants. I noticed how much water was dripping off of it when I watered my plants. The ground is not flat so it tilts naturally. I put several 5 gallon buckets there when it rains and I collect quite a bit!
Hello Ben, great Video👍 how mean not being able to collect water. We have a well and have plenty of water. A month ago the water was tested and we are good to go. The water is good like drinking water. But we also collect rainwater in 3 buds 320 liters each and a big one holdkng 1200 liters with a filtersystem in it against moos and other things that could be on the roof. I also collect water from the kitchensink from washing veg or my hands without soap, when it is not raining. I just put a big bowl in the sink and when its full , use it to water the garden.
🙋🏼♀️🌻 happy gardening
It's great to reuse every drop of water you're able. Very satisfying!
@@GrowVeg yes, I think so too. Its something everyone can do and help safe water. Hope you and your garden are doing well! Have a great day 🙋🏼♀️
You remind me so much of a friend I had a Reading Uni called Ben. (Wantage Hall)
Haha - hello to you Ian! Hope you’re very well and thriving! 😀👍🙌🙌
@@GrowVeg I am thank you. It's funny , not thought much about that time but seeing you brought back some great memories and also a sense of pride when I saw what you have achieved
I use 80lt round black bins, about 8pounds each, then link them with a siphon usually an old hose at the moment I have 5 In a small space at an oil tank
We started with one old water butt and keep adding to it. We need to replan our garden again as it keeps evolving and want to catch even more water in the winter. Should've thought about that before we got to autumn and the rain started 🤣
Always worth catching all you can, for sure. :-)
Great vid ...many thanks.
Gilly wife of Mark
Thank you :-)
We built a double stacked IBC tote rain tower. It make nice water pressure. One line goes to the garden the other to the sink in greenhouse.
Smart thinking there Mr Larry!
We set up three 32-gallon garbage cans for our rainwater catchment system but we linked them at the bottom so it uses all the water evenly out of each can. We did this so no any single can would get stagnant water.
Smart move! :-)
1mm of rain on 1 square meter area will produce 1 litre of water 👍🏼🇬🇬
We have 4 rain barrels…two for,the open garden and two for the greenhouse…with exception of the cost of barrels and lines and spigots tov them..FREE WATER!
It's a beautiful thing - a freshly harvested haul of onions.
Nice pilant tips valo
I live in the west country. And i have 6 water barrels of 210 litres and 2 Ipc tanks. This March was the wets in 40 years and they are all filled up. So hopefully i will be set for the summer. This way i will save on my water bills.
That’s great to hear Andrew. Plenty stored up for summer. 😀
And with the help of your garden planner am all set up
I have found for speed and ease, if you can, sinking your rain barrel (I use 2nd hand food barrels normally available for £20 each or less and hold 220 litres) into the ground, then you can dip your watering can straight in. no time wasted waiting for the thing to fill up via a tap. A 1000 litre ibc pipe watering system is the ultimate way to go.
Great idea!
Hey Ben, great informative post. I’ve an IBC and intend to get another. What would be a fantastic idea is to be able to connect an IBC to an irrigation system, using a small and simple solar panel to power a pump. Any advice or ideas greatly welcomed. Keep going Ben you’re dites been a great source of information and entertainment..😂
That sounds like a great idea. I've never done this myself but in theory this should work just fine. Great to be storing and using more rainwater!
I intend to use a drip system with mine. I have a quick overview on my channel and next year will make a video of the setup that I use for the intended drip irrigation system.
I just bought a barrel, but got no pipes (live in a block of flat, and it's further away).
I use a slim line water butt, however you’re correct, they don’t stretch very far. It does help though and I also keep buckets turned upside down to use those. I plant to install more water butts.
Yes last year I only had one slim line water butt and it would last me about 3 weeks, thankfully fate was lucky to me. I ended up kind of inheriting one and got another on a deal from a new store that opened in town. My garden is pretty small 12"6' x 30" I now have 2x240l off the main roof & 1x110l off the shed. My colleagues thought I was mad, taking a day off work before a storm to sort my butts out! However all went well, and they all got a good fill, by the end of the second storm they were all filled :) thankfully I haven't ran out of water yet, & supplies have lasted through out the dry parts of this year so far. I have also increased my growing area to 4 raised beds. (built after sorting the water storage out) All Hugely motivated by this fabulous channel to btw ! :) It is definitely worth keeping an eye out for offers on places like freecycle, and asking colleagues / neighbours / allotment holders etc. Your local council may even do a special offer with a local store. However if you prefer an upmarket (positively gorgeous looking water butt) or even more specialised options like tanks check out www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk - I get some connectors from there to.
You've been busy Caroline - nice work! And how often can someone say they've taken a day off work to sort their butts out!
@@GrowVeg 😂
Wall mounted!!! 😍
I collect water from home dehumidifiers and pour into 5-gallon buckets for watering my garden.
I run an allotment on there theres no running water so I need to keep as much as I can so iv got over 3000ls now got two icbs tanks and the rest is water butts but alot to move at frist but now I have a basement water pump runs off a drill works very good
We have three, 55-gallon (U.S.) water barrels next to our home. We use it to solely water ornamental annuals and perennials, due to possible animal, insect, bacterial or chemical contamination from the roof.
It's so weird to me that certain areas, particularly those that suffer droughts, would have restrictions on rain water collection. I wonder why that is...? Shouldn't they be happy if you're using less water from the system which can be already stressed?
I think that most areas are now cottoning on to the value of gardeners saving their own water. Restrictions seem to be a lot less these days than perhaps a decade or so ago.
Could it be that the water companies can’t make any money from you?
I'm no expert, but I did grow up in the western United States (where I'm assuming most of these restrictions are) and the fear is that people will collect enough water to affect the amount flowing downstream. California has always been dependent on water flowing from Colorado, Arizona, ect, and so they developed strict legal agreements and safeguards to ensure that water remains "theirs". There's a ton of politics that factor in, and banning rainwater collection is just a small part.
@@rachelhouldridge9191 They always hammer the little guy.
@@rachelhouldridge9191 Well, at least that makes sense. Thanks for sharing some insight!
My condo townhouse doesn't have gutters, so I really don't know how I would collect water. The only option seems to be the tarp, but it seems very impractical for my small yard.
Yes, that may not be practical. It's a shame you can't install some gutters - it would harvest so much rainwater.
I currently store 4000 lts in IBC"s and mainly use it in my house (washing machine, toilet and shower) and power washer but very little gardening.
Im from east riding of yorkshire area.
Nice one Neil. Very satisfying to harvest and use your own water.
I have a collection of tanks and barrels that hold over 5qm of water (more to follow as I check websites that offer items for free such as freecycle). The house down pipes are fitted with special filters I have designed that use a combination of mesh, gravity trap and very fine filter cloth. The water is used to water the garden, rinse out items for recycling, washing the car and windows and also flushing the toilets - a small additional tank in the loft (it's a bungalow) fed from a 12v pump connect to the water storage makes this possible. The savings on water bills is in excess of £350 per year compared to our next door neighbours. The system more than paid for itself in the first 12 months.
I am assuming you are on a water meter ?
@@w.dossett3332 Yes I am. Water is expensive here on the Isle of Wight.
That genius Steve - and such a saving!
I live in S. Portugal and roof guttering is both expensive and difficult to install so I use a series of 40 litre buckets under the roof drip line and an electric water pump. I then pump into 7 x 1,000 ltr tanks. I am working on finding space for at least another one tank. We get very little rain some winters so I also need to increase the number of buckets for when it does rain. We also have a borehole which I use for the automatic irrigation as the rainwater is simply insufficient for the 6 months of drought and heat.
Six months of drought and heat is tough, I do sympathise.
I have a spring behind my house that I run a garden hose as a siphon from down to the garden. for the flowers on the back porch a 5 gallon bucket at the porch's drain catches enough to supplement tap water for them.
Hi
From where do you have the tules to connect between the rain pot and the drain-pipe?
Thanks from Esther
Rain water harvesting
Lucky you can still do this legally in the UK.
Unbelievably, there are several states in the USA where it is illegal to harvest your OWN rainwater! They say it belongs to the water company, which will then charge you for the water that ran off your roof! The joys of the “Land of the Free!”
I was amazed to hear that in the video. Some people think it's bad enough here in the UK that some water companies put you on a meter and charge for the water you use - up to a few years ago, you could use as much water as you liked for a fixed charge. Since bringing in meters, people have started to think more carefully about water usage e.g. for washing cars and sprinkling lawns,
Tell them it belongs to the almighty and he can bill you directly if he wants.
@@yogawithrosie3805 After problems with my water company (refusing to install a meter) I refused to pay them anything until the situation was resolved. They put me on an assessed charge tariff that works out about half of the rateable value charge. You can actually refuse to have a water meter fitted, not sure what the situation is if ones already installed.
That’s insane . I harvest rain water for my garden . And nobodies going to tell me I can’t. It’s allowed in my state. Rain water does not belong to the water utility company. It comes from the sky for anyone to use.
It seems astonishing that that's the case Nic. I heard it was illegal in some states, but most seem to see the value in saving rainwater to reduce mains water consumption.
connect water butts at the bottom, they'll empty and fill equally with only 1 tap xx Water finds its own level xx
I have hooked up 6 55 gal barrels that very way, with a small hole at the top to let the air out as it fills. Been in use 10 years. I drain them for winter. My only problem is due to droppings and debris on the roof, the water gets smelly. I have a short term fix by adding chlorox to the front barrel and letting it disperse thru the others. Looking for better solution, with little cost.
@@richardpowers4932 ive put mesh filters in my down pipe and fashioned a S trap for over flow into my dip tank ,and its working fine with nice clear water x
I really enjoy these videos. In my house there is a lot of humidity, my garden is plenty of water. What I am not very sure of is the quality. It is said that have been detected herbicides even in the rainwater. There is also a danger of "breeding" mosquitoes and allowing the appearance of Dengue. Thats worrying right?. Any way today I have transplanted some lettuce plants for my salads and I have very big earthworms working for me too...jajajajaj
I had open top rain barrels and solved the mosquito problem by adding a couple of gold fish to each barrel.They became quite proficient at eating mosquito larvae and any other bugs that entered the barrels.
Rainwater should be safe to use - it shouldn't have any residues in it. Great news you've got earthworms on your team!
Thank you for this video :)
In regards to the contaminants in stored water - can this be stopped by using a filter or closed lid ? Or does the water naturally turn bad over time ?
Thanks again 🙏
I just keep a lid on my water barrels to keep most of the light out and bugs too. The water always seems lovely and clear to me.
A bit tricky to explain but.... I have a new garden, quite large, with new lawn and flower beds so a lot of investment and a huge demand for water initially during the hot spell. We have a borehole (water for the house) and a well (old unused system) and all the water from the house roof and the overflow from the well discharge into a ditch. The well is about 10,000 litres but only fills slowly when it rains. So I connected the gutter drains from the house together and ran a pipe into the well so that when it rains the well fills fast and any excess flows to the ditch. Even this wasn't enough to water a new lawn in a dry spell so I used the borehole to trickle-feed to the well, which was enough to fill the well again almost overnight. I then use a self-priming pump to run a hosepipe or sprinkler. Result is an almost unlimited supply of water (after a few sleepless nights of head-scratching) and the only significant cost is the pump.
Some clever thinking there Paul - glad you've got plenty of water now.
Ditch the lawn and plant some local wild flowers and grass, your soil will thank you and you won't need so much water.
I've had a 200 litre water butt from previous person that lived here. It fills with black sludge in the bottom & nothing comes out of the tap. I've recently researched & realised I need to clean it every year end of winter /beginning of spring! I cleaned it recently with jeyes fluid & put 2 pop socks (like the leg of tights/stockings) over the inlet guttering to stop debris from roof entering. It rained on Saturday & the water butt is full!!! I am amazed. I left 3 flexi tubs, a bucket and tub out & they only collected 1cm of water. Considering looking to see if space to fit slimline water butt to old greenhouse & new shed. Slab base.....so not sure where an overflow hose would go......unless it goes into the soil border? 🤔
Well done on collecting so much beautiful rainwater - it's a precious resource!
@@GrowVeg it is. I've only discovered recently that some plants prefer rain water too. I am thinking about using a tarpaulin attached to clothes drying line and 2 chairs & seeing if the flexi tubs may fill.
I have 3 IBC tanks linked together, each tank is wrapped in black plastic and I collect the water for our horses and goats, the water is gravity fed to the stables, last summer the tanks were empty and we were using mains water, we then had a day of torrential rain and thunder etc which filled the tanks, the roof in question is approx 180 sqf !!
Wow - that's a superb result!
Hello, I have just found your channel and so glad you are uk based. I have just taken ownership of my forever garden in Dorset and really keen to get myself up right.
When collecting rain water do you add anything to it to stop it from going stagnant or by keeping a lid on it dose that make a difference?
I plan on binge watching your videos over the coming weeks as I am a newbie to growing veg! Many thanks Elaine
Hi Elaine. A warm welcome to you! Yes, ideally you want to keep the water collection barrel covered. Must water butts come with a lid, so this is already taken care of. You don't need to add anything else to the water - just use it when you need it. Very best of luck with your new garden!
@@GrowVeg thank you so much for replying that is very helpful
I'm in the west country UK so South West Water supply us, in my last home I had rainwater harvesting fitted 2,000L it fed toilets washing machine garden etc. But being on a meter the water company wanted to meter it and and charge me, the nerve of it!
Now I've moved we are on a septic system with a large garage (2x200L buts) flat roof (100L) 2xgreenhouses (3x100l) we also have a well but it would cost too much to recommission it and as SWW have refused to fit a meter as it's too close to the road so would be of little advantage as I'm on an assessed charge supply.
I've bought a submersible pump so I can get enough pressure to use the hose, easier that filling a can repeatedly.
Lots of water storage there Richard, good work!
We are looking at a 2nd hand IBC but they say they should not be used for food consumption. Can you help, is the instruction to water the base and wash well the best advice
I've seen IBCs used for water collection for irrigation in many places, so I'm sure it would be fine to use. I guess maybe check what was in it before - and wash really thoroughly if necessary to remove any traces if needed.
Great vid. I'm looking for rain barrels., where to buy????
Search 'rain barrels' and also 'water butts' (which is what they're called in the UK).
I have a question, do the rain barrels have to be in shade? I have 55 gallon blue food grade barrels, and the spot I’m preparing is in the sun, and gets hot in that spot during the summer. Thanks in advance 😊
Ideally they'd be in the shade, but if you can keep the water covered then it's fine in the sun too.
any tips on maintaining fresh water on tanks ?
I just keep my water barrels covered and shaded so that there are fewer mosquitos and algae etc. The water is generally pretty clean and clear as a result.
Great and funny video.
Much appreciated 😁
We have a plastic rainbarrel. We collect rain from our rooftop. In wintertime we are afraid it will break because of the frost. So we empty it.
Is there a solution for collecting rainwater durig wintertime as well?
I have plastic rain barrels and, while winters aren't that severe here, they do freeze completely solid at least once or twice in the winter. I guess the main thing is to make sure there is some room at the top of the barrel for the ice to expand. Usually a loose-fitting lid will do just fine. The barrel I have is the one you see in the video by the greenhouse.
Also you can thermoisolate it with foam or other type of insulation
Help! Newbie to vegetable growing.
I recently moved to a new house and it has an established lidded water butt that is full. Is it safe to use the water for my veggies? Or do i need to empty it, clean it out then start again? I'm not sure how long the water has sat in there.
I am so inspired by you and your channel 🙂
I would say it's highly likely to be safe to use. Just be sure to wash vegetables if you're harvesting them soon after watering with harvested rain water.
Thank you
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I'm in Melbourne, Aus, and we get a drought every 10 years or so, not as bad as some areas but it can really hurt water storage. Last one some of the dams got to below 20% for the city. Before 2020 this wasn't an issue, we only used it to drink and clean. But since building the food forest, raised beds, mini orchard, and fixing the last of the lawn for the kids we are seriously looking into water storage, somewhere in the area of 1000 to 3000 litres. Mainly to protect the investment we now have.
While it's not banned here, in typical useless government form, they took away the incentives for water tanks pretty much a year after the drought broke. Sucks, no forward-thinking. If every house here stored 1000 litres at least, droughts wouldn't be as much of a threat they currently are.
Storing water on site is such a wise move and would really help alleviate pressures on local water supplies. It makes no sense to remove subsidies for this! I hope this doesn't stop you installing your storage.
@@GrowVeg Great thing is around here many people upgrade their setups. I'll nab a good quality tank for cheap. It only has to water plants/garden.
I'm really asking for advice here.I have a double set up of two 250ltr mango pulp barrels raised about 2ft/60cm with a self levelling base connection on my allotment do you think if i were to attach a multi branch drip system of about 200 mtrs(that's 13 beds in a large square) spread over my beds would it work or would i be lacking in pressure? I love the using a cover to collect rain in an appropriate recepticle idea that's one i will try if only for the house plants.
It may well have enough pressure, but my main concern would be that the barrels might quickly run dry with such an extensive system. And you are right that the lack of pressure may be an issue. It's hard to know how the pressure might play out but if you already have the system I'd certainly give it a go, but might be wary of buying a new system to try.
@GrowVeg Thanks for that i forgot to mention there is a constant water supply available for topping up if required.Drip systems are cheap enough if you do a little research so i think i'll give it go.thanks again.@@GrowVeg
My husband purchased two big ugly blue 50-gal plastic barrels from an auction. I haven't had a chance to check them out. We don't know what was in them. If washed out with soap and water, regardless of what was in them, would they still be okay to use? I'm looking forward to trying this for next year's gardening.
I would think washing them out and thoroughly rinsing them should make them good to go.
HEY😂😂❤
So funny. We got a deluge today after a very hot dry spell. I was almost out of water. I set out a 10-gallon pot (must remember when it freezes - lose more pots/planters that way), and trash cans 28 and 38 gallon. I had one trash can still full but it wouldn't take any time of serious watering for that to be used. I also save my 2 liter Dr. Pepper bottles and fill them - it blocks mosquitos and if kept in the dark no algae will grow. If it does, the algae dies after it uses up all the oxygen, I think. I would really like an IBC tote but I live in town and the city is not exactly encouraging saving water. I have to keep the 2 liters out of site and the trash cans and planters are good b/c you can have those in your yard. I accidentally left the lid on my large trash can so I got no water in it. :( We're getting a bit of rain, and I've been out moving water today. the 28 gal and the 10 gal pot filled immediately. I also have a horse trough in the back yard 40 gallon, I think. What I have trouble with is calculating an inch of water when I water.
It sounds like you're doing all you can to save water. Top work!
Last year I was given 2 plastic rain storage barrels with covers, each about 50 US Gallons. I have them mounted an a pressure treated wood platform but have vet to install the spigot or the crossovers for water flow. My grandfather always used rainwater but I remember no matter how hard we tried the barrels always had a thriving population of mosquito larvae. I've read a bit of pool chlorine granules will kill them all (who doesn't want to kill mosquitos!) but I am worried the chlorine addition (quite mild) would harm the plants. What are your thoughts?? Tom
Good question Tom. I get mosquitoes in my water too but kind of just put up with it! That said, I imagine a mild addition of chlorine would probably be okay - after all the mainswater from the facet is usually treated with a little chlorine. My thinking is that when you water, the chlorine would quickly evaporate off and so shouldn't cause an issue. But it may be worth reading around a little more, just to be sure.
My rain barrel water gets a nasty smell after a few days in the hot sun. Any suggestions?
I wonder if it could do with a good clean out. I'd draw down the water then give it a good clean inside before allowing it to refill.
I am thinking kf a slimline water butt for my shed gutters, but there is no drain near the shed at the moment. Do you need to have a drain for overflow from the butt? or is it just a case of regular usage and thus avoiding overflow altogether?
I have a slimline water butt which collects off half of my 6ftx4ft apex shed using a mini gutter half kit (kit from Screwfix). I don't have a drain nearby, so have put gravel down below and ensured that if it does overflow it flows onto the gravel which runs away downhill UNDER my shed - which is on raised plinths. It took 2 storms in Nov 2020 to fill it. If it likely to be very wet / storm, then I could run a pipe from the overflow to a large bucket / trug / bin to collect more water, but as yet I haven't needed to. Hope this helps ?
If there's no risk to foundations, the water can just be left to overflow from the top.
Both my greenhouses have a 2000 liter rainwater tank installed next to them (underground), and we have a switch + tap + hose inside the greenhouse to pump the water up.
We also have A 5000 liter rainwater tank to collect water from the roof of the house, and we have a 2000 liter rainwater tank in the front garden, which collects water through drainage pipes underground during very wet periods, because the garden was always flooding there in winter, sometimes staying flooded for long periods.
We also have two of those 1000 liter tanks, but they haven't yet been connected to the roofs they are supposed to collect water from, because we haven't figured out yet how to stop the leaves that fall on those roofs to get into the tanks, which would clog up the tap.
Still looking for ideas there... All suggestions are welcome.
Hi Sofie. You can usually get simple leaf guards that fit at the top of the downpipe, to stop leaves getting in. www.amazon.co.uk/ACHANFLY-Aluminum-Expandable-Downpipe-Strainer/dp/B0B38C7D5P/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=leaf+guard+drain+cover&qid=1682662677&sprefix=leaf+guard%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
I'm going to buy a large bin, but not collect off roof or gutter. I want water to drink during dry season.
I recently updated to a large plastic shed, does anyone know if (and how) I connect guttering to the side? My husband is a bit worried about screwing into it in case it lets water in or damages it in some way. It's such a waste of water at the moment!
Peg into the ground and fix wood to peg downpipe to wood
Nice ideas Ben but no-one seems to mention that it is better to not use rainwater for seeds and seedlings due to diseases, fungi, bacteria etc in the water.
Quote from the RHS website: "Stored rain water is not recommended for use with seeds and seedlings in case it carries disease."
PS 900 US Gall is 750 Imp Gall
My outside tap is connected to 7,000 litre underground water tank that fills from my roof, and it's the only thing I've used, and not noticed any problems. It might be true if you have a very open tank, but not in all cases?
I am not able to clean it out, as it's buried deep under the garden. Maybe it's too dark for anything to develop down there.
@@wcndave You are the envy of many a gardener David!!
Yes, I avoid rainwater for watering sensitive seedlings early on in spring. I find it's less of an issue later in the season once it's warmer and plants grow quickly. Someone else spotted my mistake with translating US gallons to imperial - gutted I made such a glaring error!