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Running low on rainwater?


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I need some advice!!

With the hot weather we have at the moment I'm fairly rapidly running out of rain water!!

I don't have a full on rain barrel/water butt; instead at the moment a kind of make shift water catcher. How is London's water supply for sarras? I'm guessing not good at all!

Any advice on what I should do?? Please don't answer..."get a water butt" as they are expensive and am at rented property so cant really adapt the drainage system. Last year I resorted to buying car battery (reverse osmosis / distilled) water but that got expensive....and some very funny looks when I went out and bought all the water in the local garage several times!

Any advice gratefully accepted!

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Im completely out myself, was relying on some good spring rains to fill the four butts up again but that aint coming!

So ive been to the local aquarium shop and am going to be buying RO water at 25litres/day for £3.50 a pop.

Definatly considering an RO unit for home.

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Im completely out myself, was relying on some good spring rains to fill the four butts up again but that aint coming!

So ive been to the local aquarium shop and am going to be buying RO water at 25litres/day for £3.50 a pop.

Definatly considering an RO unit for home.

Lucky you have a local aquarium!!!

Guessing our local water supply will kill them...I have heard that some areas of UK aren't that bad for short periods

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I bought an RO unit last year, off eBay, and it is one of the best investments I have made. I spotted that a certain business seller had auctions closing on RO units every day, so I added a weeks worth to my 'watch' list and got one for £22 on a midweek ending listing. I no longer have to rely on water butts collecting enough rainwater or about possible contaminants collecting in them. The payback will be based on how much water you use, but if you have to keep buying RO water it can soon add up to the cost of a RO unit.

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Boy it's dry down here in Essex, the south east where I am is apparrantly the driest place in the UK. We haven't had any rain for ages where I am, don't get me wrong I am enjoying the hot weather as are my plants but I have 5 or 6 water butts of all different sizes which I installed last year to cover me for the coming summer, but I am nearly out completely and its only April.

I may have to look into to other alternatives but don't know an awful lot about RO units how they work or what type etc I would need.

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I may have to look into to other alternatives but don't know an awful lot about RO units how they work or what type etc I would need.

I find that a 3 stage RO unit generally suffices.

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Is it slightly ironic that it started to rain on my way back from the aquarium shop (having found one much further away), having just bought 24 gallons of RO water?

It didn't last though!

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I think i'll just let you know that it rained 2" or so in 15 mins yesterday :sarcastic_blum:

I'm sure that britain will soon get back to normal spring and start chuckin' it down :rainingsmile:

Good luck getting rain! :l_sunny:

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Hi all

So its been the driest 2 months, pretty much ever. The fact that I have 3 water butts that are all very very low on water leads me to believe that I am certainly not the only one worried about lack of water for the CP's.

So given that there isnt likely to be any rainfall till at least the end of the week, is there any suggestions as to what I, and others in my situation, can do?

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Hi Lazz

Yep it sure is dry!

You could go and buy some RO water from an aquariam shop, or alternatively some distilled water. however it gets expensive and a pain fetching and carrying. If it is a problem that you think will reoccur it may be worth considering the purchase of your own reverse osmosis system. That way the weather can do what it wants but you can 'make' your own water to suit. You can see some reasonably good ones on auction sites. I go one last year and am so pleased as this year I have had to use it from mid March to keep up with my water requirements.

Best of luck

Cheers

Steve

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The area where I live has always suffered from poor drainage due to it being flat and at low level. At this time of year if I walk on my back lawn my foot should still into the soft ground and be under about an inch of water. However this year it is quite dry and firm which doesn't normally happen until around June/July time.

However, I suspect if I dig down a couple of feet I should still be able to find ground water. I was thinking perhaps that this ground water would be suitable for emergency use on my vft's. Does anyone know if this is the case? Is ground water OK to use on vft's or are there harmful chemicals in it? The only problems I can envisage is if any of my neighbours has been using weed-n-feed on their lawn and then watering with a hose pipe. This might find it's way into the ground water in my garden.

A

Edited by Australopithecus
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Well, the local places dont sell rainwater (the confused reaction of the person on the end of the phone when you ask if they sell rainwater is priceless). Unfortunately I have 2 buckets left and thats from the dirty water at the bottom of the water butts.

So my question is this:

We have a pond in our garden and my dad adds a chemical solution which is meant to make the tap water properties similar to that of rainwater by getting rid of the harmfull chemicals. With this in mind, could pond water be used as water for the plants?

"I'd try to find a river or stream if you're desperate. "

Thats actually a good idea as I live just a 5 minute walk from a river.

Edited by Lazz
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Pond water should not be used. The water could l be similar hardness as your tapwater, if it was originally filled with tap water. Therefore, if your tapwater is unsuitable for watering your plants then so is your pond water. River or stream water should be used with caution too, as it can pick up hardness from the surrounding rocks, depending on their composition. Also consider that run off from farm fields often goes into rivers and streams, so any chemicals and nutrient they may have been applying could be in there.

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I have been without rainwater now for 10 weeks & all my 4 butts are totally empty "A good opportunity to clean them out " the weather forecast here for the next 10 days is dry & sunny :suicide_fool-edit: I have been getting by using distilled water but it can be expensive if you have alot of plants. I have now ordered a 4 STAGE AQUARIUM R/ O SYSTEM WITH DI unit the kit just plugs onto a garden hose pipe & produces 0 TDS readings from the water it produces. A 3 stage RO unit would be fine if you just need to use the water with your plants :rainingsmile:

If your cleaning out your freezer save the ice in a bucket & the water it produces can be used with your plants. :blush:

Edited by Triffidtraps
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The fourth stage is usually a deioniser, which removes anything that has got past the RO membrane. Whether it is required is dependant on the RO product water, which is usually a function of the purity of the water prior to going through the RO membrane. When the RO membrane eventually fails, the deioniser will act as a safeguard but its life will be quite short.

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I have been without rainwater now for 10 weeks & all my 4 butts are totally empty "A good opportunity to clean them out " the weather forecast here for the next 10 days is dry & sunny :suicide_fool-edit: I have been getting by using distilled water but it can be expensive if you have alot of plants. I have now ordered a 4 STAGE AQUARIUM R/ O SYSTEM WITH DI unit the kit just plugs onto a garden hose pipe & produces 0 TDS readings from the water it produces. A 3 stage RO unit would be fine if you just need to use the water with your plants :rainingsmile:

If your cleaning out your freezer save the ice in a bucket & the water it produces can be used with your plants. :blush:

sounds good, ive been looking at an RO unit, where did you get it from and what model is it, as all the ones ive looked at require plumbed into a water pipe under the sink.

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sounds good, ive been looking at an RO unit, where did you get it from and what model is it, as all the ones ive looked at require plumbed into a water pipe under the sink.

If you have a garden hose or washing machine tap, then you just need an adapter, such as the 'Tap adapter down to 1/4"' listed on this page: http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/shops/DiscusSouth/index.php?page=store&cat=Component_Parts___Spares&ProductsPerPage=25&ProductBySectionListPageIndex=2

In addition, the RO membrane does not like to dry out, so it is preferable to fit a ball valve to each of the three pipes (inlet, outlet and waste) of the RO unit, so that water can be retained in the unit when disconnected.

Check the hose size of the RO unit before buying any fittings. I've never used the supplier linked to above, I only posted the link for reference purposes.

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Well for RO units for use at CPs, one has to search for the ones for aquaristic use. They are usually much cheaper and they do their job just fine.. A 3-stage one is sufficient, no need for the more expensive 4stages ones.

I use one of these systems and am very satisfied.

Beware of the ones sold for providing potable water, as there is an extra stage at the end that adds some elements to the -cleaned- water in order to make it tastier, mainly salts...

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