Pump it up - Using a pump to capture run-off
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earthwagon
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 8:01 am
- Location: Eastbourne
Does anyone have experience of using an electric pump to capture rainwater run-off from lawns, patios, etc. and diverting it to a water butt, rather than allowing it to soak away or feeding to a drain? The idea seems attractive but the thought of a mains powered pump sitting in the bottom of a water trough sounds a bit scary to me. Views appreciated.
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TheRobster
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:04 pm
- Location: Leeds, UK
You'd probably be better off collecting the runoff and diverting it to an underground storage tank via a series of pipes, gutters and/or linear drains (whatever is applicable to your specific situation). Then when you want to use the water, use the pump. There are plenty of appropriate pump types (submersible or ones that sit outside the water and use suction).
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Tony McC
- Site Admin
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- Location: Warrington, People's Republic of South Lancashire
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Ted
- Posts: 585
- Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:02 pm
- Location: Luanda, Angola
I just installed one of these butts underground:
http://www.hiberniaeth.com/html/RainSystems.htm
The instructions that came with the system were appalling, amongst the worst I have ever come across in my life in fact.
After giving up with the instructions, I have managed to install it (alll underground) and it seems to be running perfectly. The pump provides surprising pressure - enough power to wash a car - so if you put one of those nozzles on the end of the hose it would be very powerful! And each tank holds 1600 litres (about 330 gallons). I just turn it on when I want to water plants/animals or wash cars.
It cost £700 for the tank, the pump, a few seals, and the filter. I had to buy all the drainage to take it from the gutters (mine just takes rainwater off a roof) to the filter and then from the filter to the butt. I also had to connect up an overflow to an existing stormwater drain. And I had to build a manhole for access to the filter so it can be cleaned.
So in the end it cost quite a bit more than £700 by the time I had hired a digger and a few other tools and installed all this drainage.
But I don't think I would have saved much money building my own tank and filter and sourcing my own pump myself.
Has anyone built their own system or installed another system or one of these? How did you find it?
http://www.hiberniaeth.com/html/RainSystems.htm
The instructions that came with the system were appalling, amongst the worst I have ever come across in my life in fact.
After giving up with the instructions, I have managed to install it (alll underground) and it seems to be running perfectly. The pump provides surprising pressure - enough power to wash a car - so if you put one of those nozzles on the end of the hose it would be very powerful! And each tank holds 1600 litres (about 330 gallons). I just turn it on when I want to water plants/animals or wash cars.
It cost £700 for the tank, the pump, a few seals, and the filter. I had to buy all the drainage to take it from the gutters (mine just takes rainwater off a roof) to the filter and then from the filter to the butt. I also had to connect up an overflow to an existing stormwater drain. And I had to build a manhole for access to the filter so it can be cleaned.
So in the end it cost quite a bit more than £700 by the time I had hired a digger and a few other tools and installed all this drainage.
But I don't think I would have saved much money building my own tank and filter and sourcing my own pump myself.
Has anyone built their own system or installed another system or one of these? How did you find it?