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A client has just requested an underground rainwater harvesting and irrigation syatem. I am sceptical being a believer in Right plant Right place reducing the need to water, and that watering a lawn verges on being a criminal offence. Also surely the eco benefits of saving water are negated by the electricity used to pump it into the irrigation system....Any thoughts or experiences please?

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  • Being "Green Minded" in my opinion can be more of an ideaology than a practical solution to a prolem that may not even exist. Example:- People who live off grid don't have any choice (unless they want to live like a cave dweller) but if you have a mains supply (of water or electricity) it will be difficult to justify the installation of an ecological solution on financial grounds alone, let alone for the reasons that you have doubts about, and you haven't included the environmental impact of manufacturing the equipment.
  • Funny you should say that Gary as I was gonna come back later with an addendum (but been out mulching and watering :-) That's a smiley by the way. I asked Phil if we could have some emoticons but it turns out it's too expensive for what it's worth.
    My comment was gonna be along the lines of "If the client wants to pay you to source the gear and project manage the job then swallow your ethics and get the invoice pad out".
  • I've got a greywater system with twin reedbeds that works on gravity.
    You can get solar powered pumps if you are worried about energy use.
    Or how about a little windmill to pump it up again?
    Sounds like an interesting challenge to me......
  • Paul,
    Can you expand a bit on your concerns regarding legionnaires please. I'm in the process of altering my water supply setup. All my water comes from my well at the moment from where it's pumped uphill to a 1,500 litre holding tank. From here it's demand pumped for the house (washing etc only) and for garden irrigation. I've just bought two 1,000 ICB's to replace the holding tank (which is fibreglass and knackered). I was going to fit a new pump to these just for the house and fit the old one to the "swimming pool" which is basically a much bigger above ground, open topped holding tank and use that just for the irrigation. The reasoning is that the amount of water we use for irrigation is much more than for the house and involves too many refills from the well.
    Thanks,
    Roger
  • PRO
    Hi Sarah

    I'm a great believer in rainwater harvesting and I feel that all new houses should have one installed as standard.

    The pros:

    The UK gets its fair share of rain
    Rainwater is kinder/better for plants
    Once installed, the water is free (except the cost of distribution i.e. electric, solar etc)
    The production method of the tank may take plastic out of circulation as it's recycled
    In times of drought related stress, even the most hardy of plants might need that little pick-me-up drink

    Cons:

    Installation costs - it might be hard to justify
    Suitable space is not always available and damage could occur - especially in a mature garden - to existing trees, shrubs and plants, during installation
    Irrigation system and pumps will need maintaining
    Only useful when the holding tank contains water and may ineffective in prolonged periods of drought - when it's needed most
  • Thank you for all these comments. I'm not sure that the customer is right just because they have the money to pay for it, but it is much more likely that they want to impress friends and have a green lawn and think that this is the most ecological way to go!! My issue is just HOW eco-friendly is it, financial cost not being a factor, is it really eco-friendly to put a large plastic container underground and then use electricity to pump it uphill? This is a completely flat site. Probably the most useful thing is to place it above ground and use gravity/solar to power it... Thanks again for all you comments.

    Philip Voice said:
    Hi Sarah

    I'm a great believer in rainwater harvesting and I feel that all new houses should have one installed as standard.

    The pros:

    The UK gets its fair share of rain
    Rainwater is kinder/better for plants
    Once installed, the water is free (except the cost of distribution i.e. electric, solar etc)
    The production method of the tank may take plastic out of circulation as it's recycled
    In times of drought related stress, even the most hardy of plants might need that little pick-me-up drink

    Cons:

    Installation costs - it might be hard to justify
    Suitable space is not always available and damage could occur - especially in a mature garden - to existing trees, shrubs and plants, during installation
    Irrigation system and pumps will need maintaining
    Only useful when the holding tank contains water and may ineffective in prolonged periods of drought - when it's needed most
  • PRO
    Been reading up on the Earthship in Brighton recently and that uses rain harvesting, more here:

    http://www.lowcarbon.co.uk/earthship-brighton/rain-harvesting-1
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