Hosepipe ban? Install a water butt

[robert551069]

I have installed a 60 gallon water butt to collect rainwater from the garage roof.
At the foot there is a tap which I use to fill a watering can.
More work than using a hose, but it keeps the plants looking healthy.

[rockyracoon]

Now you just have to hope for the rain they say we might not get.

[Matheous-2]

I have found that about four or five hours rain fills mine from the garage roof....(In Scotland!)

[Booldawg]

I once had a water butt. Trouble is its full when its raining when you dont need it and empty in dry periods.

[venator]

Bring it up to manchester, and we'll fill it for you...

[ChuckFickens]

"I once had a water butt. Trouble is its full when its raining when you dont need it and empty in dry periods."

Sure it didn't have a leak?

[B00]

"Bring it up to manchester, and we'll fill it for you... "

Within 10 minutes.

[Booldawg]

lol, no. Trouble is 60 gallons of water aint going to last you long in a dry period.

I spent half the time having to empty it down the drain as it was over-filling in the winter and then it'd spend all of summer empty.

[pillj123]

when I lived in Cyprus...every day during the long summer months..all household water was turned off fora few hours.This way water was saved...think of all those loos which we couldn't flush!

[boxtops]

We've had a butt in the front and back gardens for some years, worth so much less effort than lugging cans from the kitchen tap.

You'd didn't hear this from me but

<<ifyouhaveanewwaterbuttfillitupnowwithyourho
sebeforethebanstartsnextmonth>>


Fortunately both ours are brim full at the moment!

[Old_Geezer]

Finding ways to elevate a problem is great, but it is unacceptable that at this time and in this part of the world it is ever necessary. At the rates they charge they should have all leaks fixed, and own & run sufficient desalination plants to cover supply in dry spells. It's a disgrace.

[TheOtherHalf]

Weve had one for a view years now and its proved very useful for the garden. I think its a good thing as every little bit helps. We have to start somewhere.

[boxtops]

They were talking about building a desalinisation plant at Shoreham twenty years ago when I lived in Brighton. It didn't happen. If dry countries like Saudi can provide fresh drinking water in cities like Riyadh, hundreds of miles from any water source, it's appalling that we can't do it in our little island.

[Old_Geezer]

It may have been your point pillj123, but I don't see how that saves much water. Delays use for a while maybe, at the inconvenience of the consumer.

[jackthehat]

If I had need, I'd certainly be emptying the water-butt, at regular intervals, and storing the water somewhere to ensure I had a ready supply...

[Booldawg]

build reservoirs not retail parks!

[LoftyLottie]

Very useful if it rains. We have two. But living in North Norfolk in the parched East they are becoming somewhat redundant.

[Booldawg]

how do the water boards know that people are adhering to the ban? Is it reliant on neighbours grassing each other up? (lol, that'd be brown grass of course)

[EDDIE51]

Old Gezzer, desalination plants produce water at 50 to 100x the cost of the present system. If we had to use that we would be charged for water by the litre.
In my area the rainfall was down by 56% last year and in January/Febuary this year it was down by 76% . A water butt last year would have only been filled 2 or 3 times the rest of the time the rain was so little the water would have evaporated faster than it filled.

[LoftyLottie]

They send helicopters over spying on you!!!!

[LoftyLottie]

As per Eddie. I have just put on another thread that our area has had less rainfall than Jerusalem in the last few years.