Second system extension extension.

[Joeboy]

Well that was a handy wee test, at 16.00hrs we have 56% soc. That will easily see my son through to tomorrow.

No grid touch although I do grudge the couple of hundred watts export!

[Oldgreybeard]

Please, please send some rain down here, rainfall is only 99mm so far this year - 7 1/2 months !!, last decent "wet" rain was way back in February. Even the Elder and Gorse bushes are starting to wilt. Still no hose pipe ban though !

So unless you get another 151mm in the remaining 4.5 months of the year, the urban myth becomes true and you really are living in a desert.

I know its no joke though.

As I was typing the post I thought that a certain someone might comment !!

It probably does fit the "desert" definition on rainfall but misses out in lots of other ways - vegetation and farming being a couple of examples.

Besides we have had a couple of spots - 7 at the last count - of rain in the last hour or so.

My wife's just mentioned that she can hear the water butt filling, because it's been practically empty for weeks the light rain at the moment is trickling in and echoing and can be heard from her little sun room. She's complained that the noise of trickling water has made her go to the loo twice in the past hour or two . . .

Still, this fairly persistent light rain we're getting at the moment will be a lot better for the garden than the thunderstorms that were forecast and never materialised. Should have a chance of getting the hard ground to soften up and be able to soak up more water, with luck. The lawn has been rock solid and brown for a couple of weeks now, be interesting to see how it recovers. Always amazes me that the weeds in the lawn never seem to suffer in dry weather, if anything they prosper.

[Joeboy]

What sort of size of rainwater tanks do you guys keep?

[Oldgreybeard]

What sort of size of rainwater tanks do you guys keep?

We have a 500 litre water butt, largest one that would physically fit in the only place I could put it. Not big enough at all, as it can only keep the garden watered for two or three weeks without rain, and our garden isn't very big. If I had the space I'd fit a tank of at least 2,000 litres. I did think about digging the lawn up and fitting a big underground tank, but by the time I'd finished dithering there was too much stuff planted or built in the garden to be able to do it.

[Bugtownboy]

We’ve currently got 600l with another 500l planned. Wouldn’t cope with prolonged dry spell like this summer, but helps.

We already collect some grey water - ok, transferring a bowl from the sink into watering cans, but could do a lot more.

I think grey water collection - for veg and some plants watering - is the way to go.

‘Lawn’ is wild anyway, so it fends for itself. Many Mediterranean plants in a Mediterranean garden to minimise watering needs, water veg as and when.

Most of our collection efforts are on an environmental basis, but it’s good to have a process to help manage prolonged dry, hot spells.

[nowty]

Nowty Towers has a 500 litre underground tank.



And its filled via an underground river with a 12V submersible pump so even in this "drought", I have access to a few thousand litres per day if required, up the the 20,000 litres per day Environment Agency limit (without licence) of course. In fact after 10 years my daily average is only 115 litres per day.

[Oldgreybeard]

Nowty Towers has a 500 litre underground tank.


And its filled via an underground river with a 12V submersible pump so even in this "drought", I have access to a few thousand litres per day if required, up the the 20,000 litres per day Environment Agency limit (without licence) of course. In fact after 10 years my daily average is only 115 litres per day.

I remember that very well, from "the other place". Bloody heroic thread, had me absolutely terrified at times that the shoring in that bloody great hole was going to give way. I remember Biff being equally concerned at the time (what happened to Biff? Did he not makes his way across?)

[Joeboy]

Nowty Towers has a 500 litre underground tank.


And its filled via an underground river with a 12V submersible pump so even in this "drought", I have access to a few thousand litres per day if required, up the the 20,000 litres per day Environment Agency limit (without licence) of course. In fact after 10 years my daily average is only 115 litres per day.

I remember that very well, from "the other place". Bloody heroic thread, had me absolutely terrified at times that the shoring in that bloody great hole was going to give way. I remember Biff being equally concerned at the time (what happened to Biff? Did he not makes his way across?)

Biff was here for a moment in the first days I think but then gone. Hopefully still going about as a guest? I miss his input.

[Joeboy]

What sort of size of rainwater tanks do you guys keep?

We have a 500 litre water butt, largest one that would physically fit in the only place I could put it. Not big enough at all, as it can only keep the garden watered for two or three weeks without rain, and our garden isn't very big. If I had the space I'd fit a tank of at least 2,000 litres. I did think about digging the lawn up and fitting a big underground tank, but by the time I'd finished dithering there was too much stuff planted or built in the garden to be able to do it.

Do you use straw or grass clippings on the beds? A quite ridiculously efficient way to hold moisture where needed.

21.00 hrs, son has been round to our place to shower, cook dinner, Internet etc. We still have 55% soc to go through to tomorrow. Very happy with the result. Amazing how that widespread PV net can harvest enough to tick over and easily get by in low performance days. Very happy to.be helping a young fella out too. I'm sure he'll be OK with helping to get that last string of three PV up top.

[Joeboy]

Nowty Towers has a 500 litre underground tank.



And its filled via an underground river with a 12V submersible pump so even in this "drought", I have access to a few thousand litres per day if required, up the the 20,000 litres per day Environment Agency limit (without licence) of course. In fact after 10 years my daily average is only 115 litres per day.

That is quality!