ᐅ Garden Irrigation Using Rainwater Harvested from Cisterns

ypg schrieb:
150 sqm garden? The volume of the cisterns is supposed to irrigate 150 sqm???

Hello @jx7,
when I asked, I was thinking of 5 x 10 meters (totally miscalculated).
However, I also consider 15 x 10 meters or 200 sqm (square meters) to be very manageable in terms of irrigation.
In my opinion, the "small size" of the area to be maintained does not justify large technical measures or costs.
That said, I have little detailed knowledge of your planned system.

lastdrop schrieb:
Gardena 6000/5, EUR 300.-

That, however, is within an investment range that anyone can make.

Nevertheless, when dealing with 200 sqm, it’s worth considering whether automation is necessary at all. If it is only an area behind the house, in my opinion, a quarter of an hour with a garden hose is sufficient.

The cistern is already in place, so it would be a waste not to use it, whether with a garden hose or an automatic irrigation system.

We have a technical pumping system mounted on the wall in the utility room for our cistern, but we also need it for the toilet, washing machines, and the tap used for cleaning water. For garden use only, I have a separate submersible pump inside the cistern, because otherwise, every time the sprinkler runs or the children play with water in the garden, the pump unit runs for a long time, which is relatively noisy.

So, Nordlichtchen, what are your experiences regarding the costs for a submersible pump or a domestic water system?

We bought a submersible pump (4 bar) at the hardware store for about 160 euros (7 years warranty).
Since our plot is divided into two parts (lawn and plants in the lower section, where the cistern is also located, and the "larger" garden area above), we purchased an irrigation system from Gardena. However, it is not automatic.
The irrigation system, including 30 m (100 feet) of piping, 2 water outlets / 2 water connections (1 for the cistern and 1 for the faucet), and various connectors, cost around 200 euros, and with 2 lawn sprinklers, a total of 260 euros.

Since we only partially connected and laid out the system at the end of summer, I cannot yet say how useful it really is. So far, we have used parts of the system for about 1 month to water the garden bed with a hose. It worked quite well. The switchable outdoor power socket was activated – the pump started, and water was available. Watered – done. Turning off the power – thanks to the slope from the upper garden, the pipe drains itself again.

Currently, our 10 sqm (107 sq ft) cistern is filled to the top and ready for use.

Our neighbors also use cistern water for their toilet. In summer, it was quite common for them to have to refill the cistern with a hose. I personally find that rather suboptimal.