Here’s how to irrigate your garden with roof water, straight from the roof - no hands needed.
Water at height, such as on your roof or in your down pipe has energy in it.
The higher the water the more energy it has to drain to your garden.
To divert the roof water to the garden there are several products which can be inserted in the rainwater downpipe. They divert the water to a hose to irrigate your garden. They can also divert the rainwater to a pond, pool, or tank.
• Here is an example of a rainwater diverter about to be inserted into a down pipe to direct rainwater to a garden. There are several such products readily available.
I’m holding an example of a rainwater diverter, and its connected to a hose.
To install the diverter one chooses the height in the down pipe. Then one cuts the down pipe at that height where the diverter is to be inserted. Then the pipe is cut a second time, at the point slightly above where the diverter will rest. By inserting the diverter up into the down pipe the base of the diverter may be slid inside the lower part of the down pipe.
When it rains there is a cup or storage well in the diverter which holds the falling water and directs it into the pipe or pipes connected to the diverter.
When it rains the diverter directs the rainwater into the hosepipe straight to the garden, pool or tank which can be dozens of metres from the down pipe.
Water can be directed uphill in the hosepipe as far away and as high as the height at which the water diverter is placed into the down pipe.
To ensure water in heavy rainfall is all harvested use a 30 mm diameter pipe, not a 25 mm pipe. The smaller the diameter, the greater the friction and the slower the rainwater flows through the hosepipe.
May the drops be with you, and upon your garden, not in the street gutter.
Michael