Topic: Irrigation System

[Parsley]

Following on from Emma Jane's post, in the Success and Failure thread.

Now things are a little quiter lottie wise, thoughts are already turning to projects for next year.

One project is to install an irrigation sytem, running off the water butts.  I was wondering if anyone here set one up and how effective is it.   Also how high would the butts need to be raised above the floor?, and   can I run a water time off it, or would I need mains pressure for that?

Many Thanks

Tina

[tim]

Lioness, surely??

This was all discussed, some time back, with a Dutch (?) origin.
As I see it, the purpose of irrigation is to have a regular, trouble-free system. We have used many. But how can a water butt be regular? In supply or pressure? You top it up manually throughout the season?? Or, if you have mains, why butts?

Timers? You have electricity? Wouldn't think that pressure came into it.

Height? Depends upon how full you keep the butt?? = Tim

[derbex]

I do this for the greenhouse, and Tim's points are all valid, ideally I'd like some sort of a header tank to get even pressure and so watering times.

But then you need a pump -hence power- and some way of controlling it, say a float switch.

Also even with 2 linked water butts, and just a small greenhouse, I've only got about 10 days water.

The timer is OK as it runs off batteries and these last a season or more. Only it's £40 and do you want that sitting down at the allotment?

Jeremy

[Parsley]

Lioness, surely??

Girls will be boys and boys will be girls, it's a mixed up muddled up shook up world  ;D ;D


Thanks for your input ......but I'm still confused.

I did check the sites search facility, but nothing under irrigation was found, hence post.  :-[

I've seen this in the Blackwall catalouge  http://www.greatgardeningoffers.co.uk/frameset.htm  (click onto water efficient garden) and was wondering  if anyone here uses a  similar system and if  so, what are the pros and cons.

I appreciate that you need to keep the butt topped up for it to work, but thats where all my knowledge of physics, gravity and anything electicasl stops.   So if I wanted to irrigate a perfectly level 4 x 15ft bed, with the water butt ½ a foot off the floor.  Would it water all the bed,  or just the first 5-ft?   As for my query regarding a timer switch, just wanted to know whether the batteries just dealt with the clock part, and if water presure was needed to activate some kind of valve gizmo to make the water on and offable.  

I'm not in the market for growing watercress. I just want a simple system that would hopefully cut down the hours spent watering. Allowing me to spend more time taming the jungle I've inherited.

Thanks

Tina

[Andy H]

Has anyone done a homemade diverter from gutter downpipe to water butt?