While volume wise, tapping the downpipe from the house roof would result in more water, the location didnt allow for a simple installation so I went for option B. Install a gutter and downpipe on the shed. With a couple of bits from B&Q the installation was fairly simple. This seemed to be working well, but capacity wise it doesn't take long to drain the standard 210L tank, especially when we don't have rain for a few weeks. So off to B&Q and eBay we go for some additional parts.
- Garden hose
- Pipe clips
- Hose T connectors
- External garden tap fitting.
- Extra butts
The hose is fed from the first tank to the tap which is mounted at the same height as the existing tap so there is no decrease in flow rate. The additional butts are T'd into this main line via the tap. This gives me the ability to isolate each tank as required, but also due to the lack of directional flow limitation, water flowing in to the first tank flows in to all the connected tanks until they equalise.
There is room to add another tank to the setup taking the now 630 liter system to 840 liters. I have also considered tying in two or three more tanks from elsewhere in the garden taking the total up to over 1260 liters. Plenty to cope with any drowt situation.Future additions to the system include a visual capacity gauge (a clear vertical tube, probably with a little floating marker), and a pump between the main feed and the tap to provide high pressure for longer distance watering. The pump will likely be tied into my solar power system (to be documented later).
One last thought, the individual tanks can be isolated and the main tap opened and drained to avoid issues during the winter. Time will tell if this actually works in practice.
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