Rain water harvesting

westlander

Hello all,
with all the water charges and cost of water have many people on here done their own rain water harvesting system for your sheds?

Is it a big job to do or did ye find that it was best too get someone in like JFC to get it done...


Thanks,
westlander

GY A1

is it just for the cow shed,
if so u could put in a concrete tank or as simple a set up as placing a plastic jfc tank under the down pipe and feeding a pipe from there,
you would also need an overflow from the tank to ur gully

westlander

GY A1 wrote: »

is it just for the cow shed,
if so u could put in a concrete tank or as simple a set up as placing a plastic jfc tank under the down pipe and feeding a pipe from there,
you would also need an overflow from the tank to ur gully

its a 3 bay back too back slatted shed with spaced roof GY A1.

But I'm wondering is there a way of setting it up so that if the rain water tank is empty (I know its rainy ireland so it probably never will be empty )
you can still use the mains?

I do have a shut off valve going into the shed for turning off the water..suppose it could be doctored one way or the other too take water from the rain tank instead!

_Brian

In one shed we have a 600gal plastic tank gravity feeding regular drinkers, works well and been working now for about 15 years or more.. Tank was a second from factory so came cheap. All inside so unless temps are near -10 frost isn't an issue.

GY A1

westlander wrote: »

its a 3 bay back too back slatted shed with spaced roof GY A1.

But I'm wondering is there a way of setting it up so that if the rain water tank is empty (I know its rainy ireland so it probably never will be empty )
you can still use the mains?

I do have a shut off valve going into the shed for turning off the water..suppose it could be doctored one way or the other too take water from the rain tank instead!

if u have a valve on mains feed and a valve on rain water feed side,
that means u could turn mains feed water off and use ur own rain water,
and then if rain water tank ran out u could turn on the mains feed, (having mains water as back up)

_Brian

GY A1 wrote: »

if u have a valve on mains feed and a valve on rain water feed side,
that means u could turn mains feed water off and use ur own rain water,
and then if rain water tank ran out u could turn on the mains feed, (having mains water as back up)

I think you might have a problem with the setting of the floats in some drinkers.. I know ours are gravity fed with only a small head height.. I think they might need adjusting to take mains pressure..

I would prefer to have a mains feed to a ballcock in the top of the harvesting tank so in dry spells it could be kept full.. Then the feed to the drinkers would remain constant.. However, over a 20 week housing season I might only need to top up the tank once or twice so it doesn't seem worth the bother..

Nekarsulm

there are still a few 1000 stainless tank about front the days tractor men drew milk to the creamy. Very hard to get a lad to part with them. probably cost 1500 euro, but lifetime job.

dharn

What sort of pump would you need to keep 3 drinkers going if your tank was below the level of the drinkers

Suckler

I've set up a few IBC tanks to catch rainwater from the shed gutters. Cattle won't drink the water from it really, not as fussy about it in winter when its not sitting in the tank for long periods. Usually use the water from the tanks for power washing etc. to save on the mains.

milkprofit

_Brian wrote: »

I think you might have a problem with the setting of the floats in some drinkers.. I know ours are gravity fed with only a small head height.. I think they might need adjusting to take mains pressure..

I would prefer to have a mains feed to a ballcock in the top of the harvesting tank so in dry spells it could be kept full.. Then the feed to the drinkers would remain constant.. However, over a 20 week housing season I might only need to top up the tank once or twice so it doesn't seem worth the bother..

PUT THE MAINS BALLCOCK AT THE HALF WAY FROM TOP OF FEEDER TANK

_Brian

milkprofit wrote: »

PUT THE MAINS BALLCOCK AT THE HALF WAY FROM TOP OF FEEDER TANK

I was meaning it as a backup that I could manually switch on if needed. But really our shed is small and the tank feeds 22 weanlings drink without much need for intervention.

westlander

Suckler wrote: »

I've set up a few IBC tanks to catch rainwater from the shed gutters. Cattle won't drink the water from it really, not as fussy about it in winter when its not sitting in the tank for long periods. Usually use the water from the tanks for power washing etc. to save on the mains.

Suckler, have you a connection at the bottom of the tank for the power washer
or
is it a fully open top ended tank and you just stick the suction hose off the tractor pto washer into it and work away?

GY A1

westlander wrote: »

Suckler, have you a connection at the bottom of the tank for the power washer
or
is it a fully open top ended tank and you just stick the suction hose off the tractor pto washer into it and work away?

would be better to have a connection at the bottom with a valve,
u could take water out at any time from the bottom then

Suckler

westlander wrote: »

Suckler, have you a connection at the bottom of the tank for the power washer
or
is it a fully open top ended tank and you just stick the suction hose off the tractor pto washer into it and work away?

Connection with tap on the bottom nozzle in to ordinary hose that I use to fill a drum or it can go direct in to the power washer if the water is clean enough. I usually have a drum so I can use the filter the hose drawing it in to the power washer. Good few different connections for them on the market.

blue5000

Put the ballcock with mains supply about 6 inches from the bottom of your rain water storage tank, this way you make the most of rain water, the higher up you put the mains ball cock the less rain water you use.

sandydan

saw a mass concrete walled tank purpose built and covered for rainwater harvesting in Galway,about 16x 8 x8 with roof-water into it passing through screens to remove debris.pressure regulated pump fed off tank to troughs and parlour wash pump tank. mains-water fed into tank, this meant provision for ballcock in wall of tank with valve controlling feed pipe, if going on holidays he opens valve to keep tank full ( its open all this summer anyway) .surplus rainwater feeds into drain when tank full but he seldom sees this happening during reasonably summer,

oldjeep

Pat Kelly Moore Ballinasloe, makers a fantastic concrete rain harvesting tank with filter inc. Worth an enquiry?

oldjeep

Will post Pats no. tomorrow with his permission.