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Rainwater harvesting and SUDs questions

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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    @markUrPp8to3 If you look from the start of the thread, I think there is some detail on this early on.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Yes, you can get an IBC for about £30 but to store the same amount underground the tank will cost 10x that or more. Plus you have to dig a large hole and find a home for the soil, and it needs to be pumped back out afterwards so you have to factor a cost for that.
    What are your main reasons for needing to store it underground?
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    The cheapest way to store water underground is to use plastic crates wrapped in heavy duty plastic. You have to treat it like a pond liner though and remove all sharp rocks and backfill around with clean sand to keep the integrity of the liner. Two crates gives you about 750L of water for £120ish plus the membrane plus sand, so probably £200 all in. You only need to dig down about a metre too which isn't too bad. https://www.drainagesuperstore.co.uk/product/aquacrate-stormwater-soakaway-and-attenuation-crate-20-tonne-25-per-m3.html
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Many thanks. How do you make it watertight wrapping in plastic?
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Many thanks. How do you make it watertight wrapping in plastic?
    The same way you would with a pond. If you can keep water in a pond then a crate is the same but you wrap the liner over the top and build a patio or something on top. All the crate is doing is keeping the shape of the hole when there's no water in there.
    Personally I'd explore all above-ground options before digging a hole though. You can hide water troughs under benches or potting tables. Two 5' cattle water troughs will make up over 500L and you can hide those almost anywhere.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Government subsidies for retrofitted SuDS systems would be very helpful. Councils used to offer cheap water butts by using their bulk buying power but that seems to have died now.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Yes, but we should have been doing this 30 years ago. They are discussing it now as if it's a bright new idea.

    We have big local SuDS and they flooded because there was so much rain. The scale needs to be bigger than currently conceived.

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Just a reminder to anyone harvesting rainwater that lumps of dead moss and the like will build up in gutters after periods of drought and can block your pipework and filters during the first downpour. Keep checking them to ensure maximum water capture.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Just a reminder to anyone harvesting rainwater that lumps of dead moss and the like will build up in gutters after periods of drought and can block your pipework and filters during the first downpour. Keep checking them to ensure maximum water capture.
    Thank you @wild edges
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    Is anyone taking grey water straight out to the garden and using immediately for shrubs and stuff?  Like shower/bath -> garden.  Any gotchas?
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