That's exactly my point, Fire. We have had more than 40 years to increase capacity. The water companies are increasing charges all the time, we have had a meter for something like 20 of those years and paid through the nose but even if we are prepared to pay even more, there isn't the water. Last winter was exceptionally wet, not dry, but the water has all run off into the sea and here we are again.
Anglian Water built a massive reservoir near us - Rutland Water - and houses overlooking it almost doubled in value within six months. Check out house prices in Hambleton, Rutland or waterfront ones in Edith Weston to see how upmarket it has become.
Much as I love the reservoir, the galling thing is that the water does not supply Rutland residents.
Does anybody have any tips on how to collect rainwater without a water butt? I do want one eventually but it’s a long term plan as would involve moving a brick wall and a gate to be able to access the down pipe and site the tank.
Is it literally just a matter of putting buckets down?
Hello @FlyDragon, we collected water on our old allotment in old open top plastic barrels. Obviously it collects much more slowly than something catching the rain off a large surface but was enough to be useful, although we also cobbled some guttering alongside a large storage box with a sloping lid and that collected a surprising amount.
We’ve only got room for two slimline butts against our house downpipes so the main collection is off the greenhouse (8 x 12) but we have interconnected 4 large butts (75 gallons each) and they quickly fill.
There was a post on a recent thread about water butts and one of the responses was from a poster who also has to have his water butts some way from the house shared had rigged up the piping to make it work.
We also have a couple of watering cans sat by the back door where we decant the cold washing up water - we easily average about 6 gallons a day without been obsessive about every drop.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Hello @FlyDragon, we collected water on our old allotment in old open top plastic barrels. Obviously it collects much more slowly than something catching the rain off a large surface but was enough to be useful, although we also cobbled some guttering alongside a large storage box with a sloping lid and that collected a surprising amount.
We’ve only got room for two slimline butts against our house downpipes so the main collection is off the greenhouse (8 x 12) but we have interconnected 4 large butts (75 gallons each) and they quickly fill.
There was a post on a recent thread about water butts and one of the responses was from a poster who also has to have his water butts some way from the house shared had rigged up the piping to make it work.
We also have a couple of watering cans sat by the back door where we decant the cold washing up water - we easily average about 6 gallons a day without been obsessive about every drop.
Thanks Butterfly, I used to have a big drip off the garage roof that would fill a watering can quite quickly, but then I had to replace the roof as it leaked and now it drains perfectly into the downpipe that sits on the border with the neighbours attached garage, d'oh!
Did it cause any issues when you were waiting for the barrels to fill up with having stagnant water open to the air like that? I might see if I can buy a huge funnel!
@FlyDragon, we never seemed too. Certainly nothing that would put me off doing the same at home if needed. We did wonder if we would have problems but got the barrels free (Off Freecycle) so thought we would give it a go.
We have a decorative water bowl in the garden, no planting just still water, and we have never had any problems with that either.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
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Posy said:
We’ve only got room for two slimline butts against our house downpipes so the main collection is off the greenhouse (8 x 12) but we have interconnected 4 large butts (75 gallons each) and they quickly fill.
There was a post on a recent thread about water butts and one of the responses was from a poster who also has to have his water butts some way from the house shared had rigged up the piping to make it work.
We also have a couple of watering cans sat by the back door where we decant the cold washing up water - we easily average about 6 gallons a day without been obsessive about every drop.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Thanks Butterfly, I used to have a big drip off the garage roof that would fill a watering can quite quickly, but then I had to replace the roof as it leaked and now it drains perfectly into the downpipe that sits on the border with the neighbours attached garage, d'oh!
Did it cause any issues when you were waiting for the barrels to fill up with having stagnant water open to the air like that? I might see if I can buy a huge funnel!
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham