Rainwater Harvesting
May 15, 2009
It's all in the Water Butt - A money saving idea that will keep you and your garden happy.
As I sit here contemplating whether I should be turning the heating back on, I read with scepticism that we are predicted a “heat wave” this summer. The thought of wall-to-wall sunshine and lazy days enjoyed in the garden seems as distant as the “heat wave” of 1976. However, if the prediction is true, how am I going to keep the vegetables I have only this week planted sufficiently watered without racking up a water bill comparable to a MPs expense claim?
One sustainable solution to the problem is rainwater harvesting. By this I mean purchasing or imaginatively re-employing a dustbin or compost bin to use as a water butt. If money is no object and aesthetics are high on the wish list, I note in the press I can spend anything from £30 up to £300 on a designer receptacle in either polyvinyl chloride or timber. Moreover, if I wanted to go that extra mile, I could even get hold of a former whiskey barrel! How about that for the wow factor?
How will I fill it? Logic dictates that leave a receptacle outside for long enough and it will eventually fill up. That is all well and good if you live in the tropics with daily deluges. To certainly make the best use of your water butt, the simplest and most logical solution is to get a rainwater diverter kit. This will collect water from the roof but once full, this will then continue to divert water into the drain thus preventing the water butt from overflowing. Many "off the peg" water butts will come with diverters but if you are taking advantage of that bin, you can certainly buy one from your local garden centre for "as little as £20".
Whilst the idea of a water butt sits high on my to do list, my next problem is where can I place my 400 litre receptacle without obstructing pathways or upsetting the aesthetically driven wife and secondly, how will I fill it? The answer to the first part is either where I presently park my car or directly in front of my shed door. Hold on, I have a better location, why not place it by the green house and harvest the water from that roof? This will involve the fitting of guttering and a down pipe, but at least this way, it will be hidden and I can still park my car on the drive and open my shed. Yes, that is where I will site my water butt (the one I have yet to buy).
If you do no other improvement works this year, why not seriously think about this one. By doing so, you will be doing your bit for the environment and your water bill!
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