Water conservation

-
We have been meaning to buy a Waterbutt for some time now to be kinder to the environment, simultaneously lowering our household water usage.  A growing number of home owners in the UK are on water meters that track usage and charge for the volume used instead of a flat-rate so water conservation is important to us.

We have finally got round to doing that and I installing one today to a down-pipe attached to the back of the house.   At some point we are going to attach another one to the pent-roof of the Potting Shed but that involves constructing guttering too so is for another day.

Rain-water is good for the garden because it tends to be soft and hasn't the chlorine, salts, pesticides and other chemicals added that makes tap-water safe to drink for us humans.  This means that the nutrients plants obtain from the soil are not constrained by chemicals added to the liquid.  It is also best for refilling ponds in hot weather when the levels drop as it is suggested that the chlorine in tap water promotes algae growth.  

Installing the water container was a quick 10 minute job costing about £25 including the drill attachments. 



Here the Waterbutt has been placed on its stand so that the tap is accessible to a watering can held beneath and is sitting next to the down-pipe that we are going to access.


A 25mm holesaw and arbor attachment for an electric drill have been screwed together and  attached to make a hole in the top of the container.  This is for the pipework between the down-pipe and the container, some waterbutts will come with pre-drilled holes. 





Two marks 10mm and 30mm below the top of the container have been made on the down-pipe, a ring of the down-pipe has been removed with a hand hacksaw and the rain diverter has been fitted in place of the removed section. 


The washer and pipe between  the rain diverter and the waterbutt have been screwed in and connected and we are good to go! 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Well overdue post - transforming a patio

-
Image
Having had a break from writing on these pages, I felt it was as good a time as any to return with transformative news, both in reinstating the original name of this blog 'SuburbanGaze' but also of the outside space.   Over the summer months of lockdown I began researched ideas around renewing the patio.  We had spent so much time concentrating on plants and nature that we had forgotten our own basic needs.   So many options to choose from, so many trawls through Google images to find inspiration.  I knew we needed a large flat area with a built in pergola for shade but all off-the-shelf models lacked the bold clean and dark masculine straight lines that I was looking for. I realised quickly that our needs were not catered for and I would need to design something from scratch.  So the process began, like so much in the outside space a lot of thought and planning has gone into it. The problem: A hideous eight...
Read more

Dark side

-
Image
Its always good to have a bit of a change, I guess life is a journey and we all move through different periods.  For now for me, everything shall be black with a splash of orange.  Have began by using some garden paint to coat the bird-boxes for a sheltered spot behind the potting shed, also painted black.   The bird-table has also been coated having been natural, cream, blue... The potting shed has also been transformed in the same colour, I love how this colour makes the boundaries and building disappear into the background.  All the plants appear front and centre the colour popping.  With new robust fences installed the garden has never been better for us.  And that splash or orange has been delivered in a spray-paint coat of the former white garden furniture and a new garden sofa in the al-fresco dining area.
Read more

Pond overhaul

-
Image
I love the wildlife pond area of the garden, its now hidden from view most of the year by a huge native hedge that was grown from whips.  There is almost a secret garden feeling now at the end of the garden, its an area to come to for contemplation.  I haven't got round to putting a bench down there maybe next year.  It looks lovely at the height of the summer, but I made a mistake in the choice of oxygenator and its unwieldiness (if that's even a word) has gone unchecked...That is until now.  Its autumn and the leaves of the Amelanchier are bright red, this has spurned me on to get the wildlife pond sorted for next years fresh load of frogspawn, apparently this is the perfect time - less wildlife to annoy! :)  It's been something to focus on away from the reality that is life.  Here is what the pond looked like in August/September, all super-green and abundant.  But, spot...
Read more