Water collection options

[Smiffy]

Following on from my crop watering thread it looks like more storage capacity and a more controlled watering system are whats needed.

Regarding the storage I have been looking at the prices for IBC's, and for new ones they seem to start around the £150 - £175 mark which isn't cheap. Second hand ones are available for around £50 but I would need to be 100% sure of what had been stored in them beforehand.

There is also the problem of getting the bosses approval to stick a couple of them in the back garden - they don't tend to blend in very well . Burying is an option, (and a lot of work) but then you will need pumps etc, increasing the cost and adding complications

Another option that will blend in a bit more is a garden pond filled from a downpipe with the overflow directed back to the drains (using a pond in place of a butt or IBC).

I am often in huge industrial scale Nurseries (the type that supply the supermarkets, not the garden centre type) and most of these places have now built massive water collection ponds/lakes the size of football pitches. They are filled by the runoff from the acres of greenhouses surrounding them. The nurseries do this so that they can cut down on the amount of water (and water bills) they use from the mains.

I have inherited a couple of smallish ponds in our garden, I may look at replacing one of them with a much bigger one.

Any thoughts ?

[Lightspeed]

Suggestion: Mount 2 IBCs one on top of the other. The base one on SOLID engineering block foundation say 1ft above ground level.

If these were built against the house next to the main gutter down pipe they could be filled automatically with a simple water butt rainwater harvesting kit. Overflow water would be directed back to original drainage.

Building against the house allows for the IBCs to be braced to the wall to make them more stable.

Keeping everything above ground level will let you gravity feed your watering system, without the need for pumps.

This is not a pretty installation, so needs disguising. maybe building a wooden structure with a roof above them to look like a lean-to garden shed? This would also provide shade for the stored water, which is better storage condition.

?????

[Smiffy]

Something like this you mean ? although this is only one high. Looks very good.



This would be my preferred option but it's maybe not the subtle approach (or one I would ever get past the wife)



Harvesting the rain to a pond would blend in better and would be a better fit to our garden but your idea solves the need for any pumps to extract it. Just not sure where I could put them.

[Lightspeed]

Hi Smiffy,

Yes, that's along the lines of my thinking. And its using the same gravity feed trick.

Your pond idea is a good way to keep the reservoir hidden in lain sight.
If you're not fussed about possible loss of grid electrical power, then this is probably the best option. It could also store a larger volume of water than in IBCs, without drawing too much attention.

Second pic is pretty impressive, and pretty scary. That's 6 tons of water he's got sitting there, supported on what appears to be 8 4x4 posts. He's a braver man than me, that's for sure.

[Scythe13]

I have no experience with stacking them, as I have been experimenting with just the one IBC, but I can tell you that 2 stacked will be high. And I do mean, HIGH. It will be about 7 feet tall, or more, if you have a small roof on it.

The wooden shelter was going to be my suggestion. But you can use that shelter's roof as water collection area as well. Maybe a greenhouse nearby or a shed, could double up as extra water collection area.

Personally, I'd look at maybe making a hidden area, e.g. behind a shed, that you can sneak an IBC into.

[Smiffy]

The problem is scythe that although I could probably hide one IBC, I think I need more than one.

Stating the obvious but fresh water is vital in any survival situation and at my present location harvesting rain water is the easiest way to have a good supply on hand. One IBC holds 1000 Ltrs which sounds a lot but really isn't (in a dry spell) if you need to keep crops watered as well.

In old money an IBC is roughly 3 foot x 3 foot x 3 foot. If I translate that to a pond then I just need one 3 foot wide, 6 foot long, and 18 inches deep to equal the capacity of one IBC - which is nothing in terms of area.

If I could find the space for one 12 feet long and 6 feet wide and 18 inches deep (which still isn't a massive area) that gives me roughly the same storage capacity as 4 IBC's. I could also go deeper and increase the storage or reduce the required area further. Another reason I am thinking about ponds is there is very little cost involved.

The only place I can sensibly store IBC's out of the way is behind my garage but that would mean relocating my woodstore, which is an option, but I'm not sure where I could relocate it to.

Some more thought required on my part i think. Stacked IBC's would be more practical but a pond is cheaper and doesn't need to be hidden

[Mortblanc]

Go with the ponds.

Redesign your garden around several water features that double as storage, keep the neighbors and the wife happy, and require no explanation other than "I like water features."

You can even justify solar powered pumps that feed the features and keep the water moving, and would pump the water along the surface to anywhere you need it in a drought.

[Devonian]

If I were you, I would also go deep rather than have a wide surface area as during a hot dry summer a shallow pond (18 inches) with a big surface area could easily dry up during a prolonged hot spell, whereas a deeper pond with a smaller surface area will not be subject to the same levels of evaporation.

[Scythe13]

For amount and ease of storage, a pond, deeper the better, would be the more sensible option. My reservation with deep ponds is the danger issue for children. If you have no kids...it's not your issue.

Personally, if the wife would let me have a water feature, I'd have both.

[Mortblanc]

Have you learned nothing Grasshopper?

You buy the water feature kit and give it to her as a present doing all the hard work of installation for atta'boy points!

In my area Mother's Day is the traditional time for garden oriented presents. New ornamentals, tress, flowers and shrubs are accepted gifts on that particular day.