Rainwater harvesting for house usage

I'd watch him teaching me to knit. He is so interesting and so above my pay grade :)

I'm not that sure you need much in the way of filtering. We used to get loads of crap with mains water and I just put in a fairly course string filter (looks like string would around a core). Used to clean sand out of the header tank every so often but a course filter sorted that and the occasional green water we used to get ;-(

My BiL runs a B&B in the UK and for ages all the guest went home with stomach complaints due it turns out from their stream fed water supply (his family had built up a tolerance) anyway upshot of that story is a simple quite small UV system sorted that problem out.

So I'd go with a course filter and a UV filter. The reason I wouldn't bother with fine filters is that they block to easily and need replacing too often. Finer filters maybe useful for water just for drinking but the UV filter alone would make the water safe to drink. You do need to do some occasional replacement of the UV lamp and obviously check its running.

I'd also incorporate some system that was easily cleanable on the water collection side. A first flush filter is what is normally recommended but if all the water goes into a smaller settlement tank first (like a water barrel) that overflows from near the top into the main tank then most solids will remain in the settlement tank.

they’re Drogheda based and very good. If your in the north east it nearly as easy to drop off your sample kit.

They'll start adding on levys and fees and standing charges and left unchecked it could end up privatised and run up into the thousands per year. In theory it sounds reasonable to pay for it but I understand why it gets such push back

In theory you could have a long pipe sticking into the air with a nozzle and on a windy night you spray all the waste water out of that. Though the county council crowd who spent years carefully doctoring out their elaborate percolation area and proprietary wastewater treatment system rules would not be best pleased about them being bypassed in such a trivial manner

They really are useless with their commercial bills. And their "half yearly" bill could be 5 months this time and 7.5 months the next.

If you pay for more than one bill/meter at the same time they can't work out how to add the two together and clear the account. Incompetent would be very kind to call them.

If you live in a bungalow installing a system that uses harvested water is fairly straight forward. Collect rain water off roof preferably in one large tank or smaller tanks connected in line. Fit a storage tank in attic with a float switch, fit electric mono pump at base of water tank wired through float switch in attic tank (When the water level in attic tank falls to a pre set level the pump will kick in and fill the tank automatically, float switch will knock off pump when tank is full)

Run hose from tank across attic with drop down to washing machine, toilets etc (but not kitchen/food prep area if water is untreated) A little plumbing with stop lever valves etc. at toilets, washing machine etc. will connect your harvested water but in case of drought or long term power cut etc, a simple turn of stop valve lever will ensure supply from original mains water tank.