Rain Water Harvesting Tank

Hi folks,

I haven't been active of late but I'm back. Hope you are all well.

We are going to have a large rain water tank installed which will provide water for garden, greenhouse plus flush the toilets in the house.

I'd be grateful for any recommendations please.

 

I bought a large 1200 litre tank last year I got it from Smiths of the Forest of Dean: tank, drums and fittings experts. Easily installed after taking off pallet, rolled up to the greenhouses. This year it supplied all the greenhouse water and was never below half full.

 

Did you have the tank sited above ground Nigel?

We plan on putting it underground.

 

Mine is above ground for two reasons: firstly I didn't want to go along the route of electrics and pumps, although solar powered pump is a possibility and secondly the impossibility of digging a deep enough hole into the rock a couple of feet down.

 

Hello Nigel I am assuming you used aplastic tank, did the water freeze in it. I ask as I have been buying 1000ltr IBC tanks I have 3 now I have wrapped them in black plastic so the sun wont create algae in them,



I intend to put them up about 30 inches on a concrete block base and link them together, with the cold this winter I wondered if they would freeze though. Cheers for your thoughts.

 

@Jordhandeson This winter there was some ice in it, but I wouldn't worry about it freezing solid unless you had something like the winter of 1963 and even then there would probably be sufficient give in the plastic that they wouldn't split.

 

As much as it improves the looks of the garden if it sits underground, I would also recommend to install it above ground.

It saves a lot of hassle not having to use an electric pump. Set it on top of a nice concrete block or stable steel/Wood foundation and gravity will do all the work for you.
Also makes it easier to drain it completely and remove all the rubbish that tends to accumulate in it.

Just feed it from the drain pipes of you house/Garage/Shed and there will always be enough water to you to use.

 

Thanks Nigel that’s good to know. I was thinking of cladding them some insulation board and wrapping that in black plastic but now you've said that I will hold off and see how the stand up to the weather. Cheers Jord

 

Black dog thanks you've just given me an idea as I had not though about the rubbish and leaves getting inside. If I leave the down pipe a bit short I could let the water go through a removable mesh filter so it collects any debris.

 

I looked into the used orange juice containers, they are 1520 litres(I thought for some reason they were 3000 litres). Otherwise it would have been an IBC at 1000litres.
Then I realised that I didn't own a property with an acre of garden so it was either lose the plants that need watering and replace it with water storage...... yeah

 

I'd have to disagree on several points. I have two 3000l tanks buried, one under the terrace and one under the lawn. They're both near the outside electric socket, so it's no hassle to connect the permanent pump in it's block-lined hole (also under the terrace). For the other one I use a Lidl submersible pump as and when required.
If the tank has a simple, accessible mesh filter fitted when it's installed, then no rubbish accumulates.
In total, I've got 9000l storage capacity from the house, garage and shed rooves. It's still not enough to water the terrace pots through the summer for the simple reason that there's an excess of water from October to April and very little between May and September.
I realise that the situation here isn't necessarily the same as the OP's, so I wouldn't dream of making sweeping statements about what they should or shouldn't do in their own situation.

 

Thanks for the info @noisette47
You are probably right when you are saying "There is no such thing as too much water stored".

I myself am in a lucky position because we live near a river so a simple 3 metre well with an electric pump gives us plenty of water all year round.

But I would always advise to go for the system that can be cheaply and easily repaired and cleaned. Unless you don't have the room for it, of course. Then you might as well bury it beneath the lawn