"kiticat" wrote in message
...
Trevor Harley wrote:
... Talking of April showers, a pesky one has just ruined our drought.
0.2 mm of rain, not enough to do the garden any good at all, now already
almost evaporated, just enough to tip the rain gauge (you could hear it
balanced on the edge), but just enough bringing to an end 18 rainless
days. This is the fourth longest drought in my records, and not that far
short of the record 21 days in summer 1999.

This rain wasn't forecast; indeed, none was forecast until Thursday.
It's all very annoying.

Trevor Harley
Lundie, 10 miles NW Dundee
http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~taharley/


I'm not sure when it last rained here in Hampshire but my water butts
are empty already. Much as I love this weather I really wouldnt mind a
bit of rain. (though 0.2mm is a rather annoying amount to break a drought)

--
Sarah


Thats the con of water butts. They are fine for normal garden watering etc but
when it gets properly dry and you've used all the water what do you do then? In
fact I'd say water butts are probably more useful in wetter areas to store
rainwater.

Will.
--

Will Hand wrote:

I'm not sure when it last rained here in Hampshire but my water butts
are empty already. Much as I love this weather I really wouldnt mind a
bit of rain. (though 0.2mm is a rather annoying amount to break a drought)

--
Sarah


Thats the con of water butts. They are fine for normal garden watering etc but
when it gets properly dry and you've used all the water what do you do then? In
fact I'd say water butts are probably more useful in wetter areas to store
rainwater.

Will.
--




You're right they do to tide over a week or so and they are handy for
hanging baskets but now I'm having to resort to using our washing up
water. I guess it will be bath water next but last year when we tried we
just couldnt get enough suction on the hose and I'm loathe to pay out
for a gadget if we can figure out a way of jury-rigging it ourselves...
--
Sarah

On 2007-04-17 19:15:32 +0100, "Will Hand" said:

Thats the con of water butts.

I find the biggest con is that they really stink, even with plenty of
fresh rain. We have one, and my wife uses it religiously, but I have to
leave the area when she starts pulling that pump. The water will pong
the greenhouse out and even drive the pheasants away.

We've tried letting them equilibriate with nature, we've tried Milton
solution (I think that's what I mean), we've tried water-sterilising
tablets, but nothing makes any difference.

Trevor
Dundee

kiticat wrote:
I guess it will be bath water next but last year when we tried we
just couldnt get enough suction on the hose and I'm loathe to pay out
for a gadget if we can figure out a way of jury-rigging it ourselves...

Sarah

We used our bath water for watering the garden all last year.

We syphoned the water out of the bath, which works fine if your bathroom
is on the first floor.

We put one end of the hose in the bath and attached the other to the
outside tap.

Turn the tap on for about 20 seconds or so and then turn it off. Your
hose is now full of water and will start pulling the bath water out as
soon as you take the hose off of the tap.

We kept a loop of hose outside the bathroom window, tied up with a bit
of nylon line ready to pull in after the kids had been dunked.

It was a bit fiddly at first but after a while, our 6 and 8 year old
operated the system perfectly and watered the garden every other
night(until the novelty wore off).

HTH

Cheers

Neil

On Apr 17, 10:13?pm, Trevor Harley wrote:
On 2007-04-17 19:15:32 +0100, "Will Hand" said:



Thats the con of water butts.

I find the biggest con is that they really stink, even with plenty of
fresh rain. We have one, and my wife uses it religiously, but I have to
leave the area when she starts pulling that pump. The water will pong
the greenhouse out and even drive the pheasants away.

We've tried letting them equilibriate with nature, we've tried Milton
solution (I think that's what I mean), we've tried water-sterilising
tablets, but nothing makes any difference.

How about keeping an eel in each one? I have heard that is how some
wells or cisterns are helped to keep from stagnating. No idea how
though.

As for using grey water, try searching uk.d-i-y for some threads on
that subject. It is quite easy to modify plastic plumbing to divert
outlets.

What you might watch out for is that washing up liquid is full of
phosphates and any overspill that could affect a neighbour, seriously
into the organic soil ethos" might cause friction. And any such
effluent stored for a few days will become nauseating.

Will Hand wrote:


"kiticat" wrote in message
...
Trevor Harley wrote:
... Talking of April showers, a pesky one has just ruined our drought.
0.2 mm of rain, not enough to do the garden any good at all, now
already almost evaporated, just enough to tip the rain gauge (you could
hear it balanced on the edge), but just enough bringing to an end 18
rainless days. This is the fourth longest drought in my records, and
not that far short of the record 21 days in summer 1999.

This rain wasn't forecast; indeed, none was forecast until Thursday.
It's all very annoying.

Trevor Harley
Lundie, 10 miles NW Dundee
http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~taharley/


I'm not sure when it last rained here in Hampshire but my water butts
are empty already. Much as I love this weather I really wouldnt mind a
bit of rain. (though 0.2mm is a rather annoying amount to break a
drought)

--
Sarah


Thats the con of water butts. They are fine for normal garden watering etc
but when it gets properly dry and you've used all the water what do you do
then? In fact I'd say water butts are probably more useful in wetter areas
to store rainwater.

Will.
--

In dry areas, if you use rain-water when it's available you'll reduce the
rate at which valuable tap-water supplies are used up.

--
Graham P Davis
Bracknell, Berks., UK
Send e-mails to "newsman" as mails to "newsboy" are ignored.

Neil wrote:


kiticat wrote:
I guess it will be bath water next but last year when we tried we just
couldnt get enough suction on the hose and I'm loathe to pay out for a
gadget if we can figure out a way of jury-rigging it ourselves...

Sarah

We used our bath water for watering the garden all last year.

We syphoned the water out of the bath, which works fine if your bathroom
is on the first floor.

We put one end of the hose in the bath and attached the other to the
outside tap.

Turn the tap on for about 20 seconds or so and then turn it off. Your
hose is now full of water and will start pulling the bath water out as
soon as you take the hose off of the tap.

We kept a loop of hose outside the bathroom window, tied up with a bit
of nylon line ready to pull in after the kids had been dunked.

It was a bit fiddly at first but after a while, our 6 and 8 year old
operated the system perfectly and watered the garden every other
night(until the novelty wore off).

HTH

Cheers

Neil

oh you genius!! what a great way to do it!!! Thanks

--
Sarah

Trevor Harley wrote:
On 2007-04-17 19:15:32 +0100, "Will Hand" said:

Thats the con of water butts.

I find the biggest con is that they really stink, even with plenty of
fresh rain. We have one, and my wife uses it religiously, but I have to
leave the area when she starts pulling that pump. The water will pong
the greenhouse out and even drive the pheasants away.

We've tried letting them equilibriate with nature, we've tried Milton
solution (I think that's what I mean), we've tried water-sterilising
tablets, but nothing makes any difference.

Trevor
Dundee



thats so odd - I've not had any problems with smells. Do you have lids
on them? (dunno if that makes a difference.)

--
Sarah

Will Hand wrote:

Thats the con of water butts. They are fine for normal garden watering etc but
when it gets properly dry and you've used all the water what do you do then? In
fact I'd say water butts are probably more useful in wetter areas to store
rainwater.

It's a ballast - if it runs dry you don't have a big enough butt :-)

"Mark Annand" wrote in message
t...
Will Hand wrote:

Thats the con of water butts. They are fine for normal garden watering etc
but
when it gets properly dry and you've used all the water what do you do then?
In
fact I'd say water butts are probably more useful in wetter areas to store
rainwater.

It's a ballast - if it runs dry you don't have a big enough butt :-)

I quite like my butt as it is thank you.

:-)

Will.
--