Collecting rainwater

[Allfurcoatandnoknickers]

we’ve just got a greenhouse and will be adding a water butt to it and also have a larger one at the top of the garden as
well as an outside tap and hose.
apart from water butts, does anyone have any ideas about water collection?
our friend Recommended a water trough but I’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations?

I've been looking at these Rainpod systems which allow you to link as many water butts as you want, connected to a single tap which you can position in a convenient location.

https://www.save-rainwater.co.uk/

If you have space you could get one or more IBCs to collect rainwater from your house roof - these could be linked together fairly easily. Get black ones to avoid algae problems.

I toyed with idea of a vintage cattle trough to use as a dip tank, but got put off by people saying that animals can easily drown in them if not covered.

Thanks for that @Turkeyhen will take a look. We have two dogs but they're unlikely to go anywhere near the water but it's always a consideration. I was thinking of the old troughs/dip tanks idea.

I'm sure dogs wouldn't come to any harm but have heard of birds, small mammals and even cats drowning in open water containers. You could probably overcome this quite easily by putting chicken wire or similar over though.

I have IBC tanks collecting water from my garage and sheds. Cheaper and bigger than water butts if you have space.

Thanks @Scampuss space is a bit of an issue as we need space around the greenhouse to get access and also for a bit more growing space. I'm looking at troughs with the chicken wire idea at the moment!

Just a warning that troughs will end up as perfect mosquito incubators.

@Scampuss true - back to the drawing board 😂

Why do you want a trough/dip tank? If it’s so you can dip a watering can instead of waiting for water to trickle through the tap at the bottom, you can just take the lid of a butt and dip.

We have 5 water butts. Three are side by side and connected to a roof gutter, another is connected to a roof gutter on the other side of the house and a 5th collects grey shower water using a divert valve. This water gets smelly quickly so you need to use it same day with a watering can.

Thanks for the rainpod info, @Turkeyhen Did you decide to go for one? They look excellent but I can’t quite understand how they are better than just daisy chaining water butts via a hosepipe connected to a drainpipe diverter. What am I missing? I really want them to work so I can put my water butts in a more convenient location!

Whatever you use to collect rainwater, it needs to have a lid, not only to stop pets and wildlife from falling in and drowning, but also to prevent the growth of algae. A lid also helps to stop insects from using it as a breeding ground.

Having said that, if you do have a large trough, you can float a plank of wood in it so that creatures can clamber out.