Hello dear forum community,
I’m currently thinking a lot about our house construction. In doing so, I came across the topic of using rainwater.
There are quite a few options – often described is a cistern with several thousand liters and a complex pumping system...
For me, however, the costs and benefits need to be balanced.
But what do I actually want?
I would like to use our rainwater solely for the garden area.
At my parents’ house, we had a rainwater barrel that had to be emptied regularly during heavy rain and froze in winter.
I’m looking for a solution that is frost-proof and larger, or that can be integrated in a way that avoids the hassle of emptying the barrel.
I have also considered an underground option and a pump that would have to be used if necessary. However, I’m not willing to spend 3,000 euros.
Whatever the solution may be, I am more than happy to deal with it myself and get my hands dirty. I want a long-term but also good solution.
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or personal experiences, please share them with me.
Best regards,
Ralf
I’m currently thinking a lot about our house construction. In doing so, I came across the topic of using rainwater.
There are quite a few options – often described is a cistern with several thousand liters and a complex pumping system...
For me, however, the costs and benefits need to be balanced.
But what do I actually want?
I would like to use our rainwater solely for the garden area.
At my parents’ house, we had a rainwater barrel that had to be emptied regularly during heavy rain and froze in winter.
I’m looking for a solution that is frost-proof and larger, or that can be integrated in a way that avoids the hassle of emptying the barrel.
I have also considered an underground option and a pump that would have to be used if necessary. However, I’m not willing to spend 3,000 euros.
Whatever the solution may be, I am more than happy to deal with it myself and get my hands dirty. I want a long-term but also good solution.
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or personal experiences, please share them with me.
Best regards,
Ralf
Roppo schrieb:
Hello dear forum community,
...
If you have ideas, suggestions, or your own experiences, please share them with me.
Best regards,
RalfOur previous owner installed a rainwater storage tank buried underground (since no rainwater discharge was possible), with the overflow draining into a soakaway. The water is extracted using a simple submersible pump, and I installed a remote control switch on its supply line.
Usage: Always enough water available (even during the recent extremely dry weeks here). No need to empty it, since the overflow infiltrates into the ground. No freezing issues because it’s underground — even the pump stayed submerged throughout the winter.
For me, a brilliant solution. Unfortunately, the costs are unknown.
derSteph
G
Gartenfreund25 May 2018 07:02Four years ago, I installed a buried rainwater storage tank to save on rainwater fees.
The rainwater pipes had to be redone because the slope was in the wrong direction.
A 4 m³ (140 ft³) tank was buried. However, a slightly larger tank would probably have been better.
Underground infiltration of the water was not possible because there are many trees and shrubs in the garden. In addition, a permit would have been required, which would have cost about 100 €.
When there is too much water, it is pumped out using a standard, inexpensive sewage pump, which is positioned relatively high in the tank. Another pump is located at the very bottom. This one is activated with a water level switch when needed. This pump is also used to irrigate the garden.
Since there is no filter, the water is not suitable for a lawn sprinkler, and this type of pump also does not generate very high pressure. Therefore, when needed, a 1-inch (1-inch) hose with an open end is placed where water is required. It is somewhat inconvenient but it works.
Excess water is allowed to infiltrate on the surface. To do this, I installed 75 mm (3 inches) drainage pipes on one side of the garden, which I slit with a saw, and laid them above ground with a slight slope. Due to the planting, this pipe is mostly only visible in winter or early spring, which is not really an issue since the garden is rarely used in winter. And if there is snow, it is covered anyway.
All work was done personally.
I cannot give an exact cost, but it was probably around 1500 € in total. This also includes a very expensive drainage channel (over 300 €) that collects water from the driveway.
I hope I was able to help.
By the way, the pumps remain in the tank during winter, of course.
The rainwater pipes had to be redone because the slope was in the wrong direction.
A 4 m³ (140 ft³) tank was buried. However, a slightly larger tank would probably have been better.
Underground infiltration of the water was not possible because there are many trees and shrubs in the garden. In addition, a permit would have been required, which would have cost about 100 €.
When there is too much water, it is pumped out using a standard, inexpensive sewage pump, which is positioned relatively high in the tank. Another pump is located at the very bottom. This one is activated with a water level switch when needed. This pump is also used to irrigate the garden.
Since there is no filter, the water is not suitable for a lawn sprinkler, and this type of pump also does not generate very high pressure. Therefore, when needed, a 1-inch (1-inch) hose with an open end is placed where water is required. It is somewhat inconvenient but it works.
Excess water is allowed to infiltrate on the surface. To do this, I installed 75 mm (3 inches) drainage pipes on one side of the garden, which I slit with a saw, and laid them above ground with a slight slope. Due to the planting, this pipe is mostly only visible in winter or early spring, which is not really an issue since the garden is rarely used in winter. And if there is snow, it is covered anyway.
All work was done personally.
I cannot give an exact cost, but it was probably around 1500 € in total. This also includes a very expensive drainage channel (over 300 €) that collects water from the driveway.
I hope I was able to help.
By the way, the pumps remain in the tank during winter, of course.
M
meister keks25 May 2018 22:20Hello.
We have an infiltration shaft where the rainwater from our roof drains.
In front of it, we have installed a cistern with a capacity of 4500 liters (1200 gallons) and connected an inexpensive hardware store pump.
The cistern is buried underground, so it doesn’t freeze.
Our pump cost about 150 euros and the cistern around 800 to 1000 euros.
I can only estimate the excavation work at approximately 200 euros.
Overall, it’s not a major effort, but from an economic point of view, it takes quite some time for this to pay off.
However, the feeling of almost “free” irrigation is a nice benefit.
We have an infiltration shaft where the rainwater from our roof drains.
In front of it, we have installed a cistern with a capacity of 4500 liters (1200 gallons) and connected an inexpensive hardware store pump.
The cistern is buried underground, so it doesn’t freeze.
Our pump cost about 150 euros and the cistern around 800 to 1000 euros.
I can only estimate the excavation work at approximately 200 euros.
Overall, it’s not a major effort, but from an economic point of view, it takes quite some time for this to pay off.
However, the feeling of almost “free” irrigation is a nice benefit.
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