Simple water inlet design for a courtyard tank

I grew up in a rural location, without scheme water. There was one huge concrete tank, that collected rain water. We had no qualms with drinking that water, nor water from any other rainwater tanks.

These days it is deemed inadvisable to drink rainwater. Anyway, I don't want to drink it directly, but for the kettle, for making tea and coffee. I also boil water then cool it and keep in the fridge for drinking. I would rather use rainwater -- suspicious about what comes out of the tap.

I know that rainwater is said to have pollutants in it, from the atmosphere. That would depend where you live. I live very close to the coast, and most rain-bearing weather comes from the direction of the ocean, so should be relatively pure. Also the surfaces on which the water flows and is collected, are factors. The roof is clay tiles.

I bought a small tank, 720 litres, which is 190 gallons. Good enough, got it delivered to my backyard. But then, how to connect it to the downpipe?

Devised a simple solution, so thought to post it here, as it might be useful for anyone else browsing the web looking for ideas how to do it.

I made it with 50mm PVC pressure pipe and fittings, here it is:

...only difference from that photo, is I stuck a small length of pipe underneath near the 45 degree elbow, to hold it up more securely.

The top of the tank has a screw-on lid, with a leaf-strainer and mozzie-barrier inside. It was easy to cut a round hole:

But the other end, connection to the downpipe, that is a challenge. I wanted it to be variable, so that when the tank gets full, water can be diverted to flow down the downpipe and not into the tank.

But firstly, cutting the round hole in the downpipe. I know it is due to my inexperience, but when I used the hole-cutter attachment to the electric drill, the central hole started to "wander" and the hole being cut became erratic. So, I resorted to a nibble-tool. Have one of these from my electronic construction days, works fine on thin galvanised steel:

The idea I came up with, to vary water diversion, is a pipe-joiner, that can be turned. The pipe that inserts inside the downpipe looks like this, a cutout-section:

Then I riveted a piece of 0.5mm thick aluminium:

The idea is that the aluminium flanges can be bent inward, for insertion of the pipe, then once inside, can reach in and push them out again. Yeah, that worked.

Perhaps a heavy downpour will bend those flanges. I could have bought some thicker metal, but then, so what if they bend? Even if only half the water gets diverted into the tank, that should be enough. It is a small tank. Perhaps then, no need for those flanges.

It came together and installed OK, but I wonder about that one-in-ten year downpour? If the flanges are turned to vertical, thus minimising water diversion to the tank, there will be a partial blockage in the downpipe. So what happens if the water backs-up, right back to the gutter?

My place has high-front type gutters, with slots cut in the front so that water overflow will be out the front and not back into the eaves, as this photo shows:

That is probably good enough protection. Even if water does flow back into the eaves, it will, at worst, flow into the wall cavity. My place is double-brick, so the inside wall won't perish. Even so, not something that I would want to happen.

I notice that most new houses built in Perth do not have eaves, the gutter is mounted right on the outside wall, so that extra runoff protection is not there.

I could maybe insert something further up the downpipe, to vent-out excess water. Or maybe that is overkill.

EDIT 2020-12-24:
Here is a photo of the completed pipework, showing the small piece of pipe glued on to support the 45 degree elbow:

EDIT 2021-01-02:
At the downpipe-end, the pipe-joiner can be turned, so as to divert the water either into the tank or to continue down the downpipe. I have a tube of "heavy industrial grease", that I applied to make it easier to turn the pipe-joiner, however, later on reconsidered -- ideally I should find a grease that is rated for potable-water.

There are some available, and I purchased HydroSeal tap lubricant:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/hydroseal-15g-thread-lubricant-tube_p4923331

Bunnings also have another brand, Kinetic tap lubricant:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/kinetic-15g-tap-lubricant_p4920449    

Tags: general

Malabar Spinach continues to flourish

I posted a snapshot of the Malabar Spinach soon after having planted it:

https://bkhome.org/news/202011/malabar-spinach-is-taking-off.html

Look at it one month later:

...and that's after I have pruned it a bit! It was sending tentacles out along the ground, that I cut off, have also been cutting off leaves for salads.

A comment about that, using the leaves in salads and cooking...

On the Internet in various places it is stated that the leaves taste like Spinach. Hmmm, vaguely yes, but the plant is mucilaginous, so the leaves are slightly slimy to chew. Not too slimy though, and I found them OK in salads. Cooked, they turn to mush very quickly.

I also read on the Internet that the stems and berries are edible. Can't say about the berries yet, but the stems are inedible -- they are just too stringy. I cooked them in a curry, leaves and stems. Chew the stems, and you end up with a wad of string in your mouth. Even cutting them very short didn't help.

On the left of the photo is another that I planted recently, the "alba" variety. The two on the right are the "rubra" (red stem) variety. I want to find out if there is any difference in taste and texture. The alba leaves do look slightly lighter green. 

Interesting also, they are not getting any direct sunlight. Mid-summer, the roof eave keeps them in shade all day. In winter however, they will get direct sunlight, which might keep them going all year round. 

Tags: general

Malabar Spinach is taking off

I have been taking "before" photos of plants shortly after being planted, with the intention of taking more photos in about a year, to see how they have grown. Here are some earlier photos;

https://bkhome.org/news/202010/feijoa-growth-progress.html

https://bkhome.org/news/202010/yummy-blueberries.html

https://bkhome.org/news/202010/the-feijoa-has-started-budding.html

https://bkhome.org/news/202010/garden-before-photos.html

My back yard is a small courtyard with a North-facing wall. The roof eve overhangs the wall, so the wall is shaded most of the day in the summer, the sun does climb up the wall in the afternoon. This is late-spring here in the Southern Hemisphere, so in the winter it will be expected to have more sun on the wall.

There is likely to be one benefit of the roof overhang -- it will reduce likelihood of frost immediately below. Not that we get much frost here, but it can Happen.

About two weeks ago, I planted two Malabar Spinach plants (also known as Climbing Spinach), scientific name Basella rubra. This is a tropical perennial plant that likes hot conditions. It will possibly die if there is frost.

They were very small when purchased, and for the first week didn't seem to be doing anything, but suddenly have taken off. Photo, taken two days ago:

This is the red-stem variety. On the left is a Stevia Sweet Leaf, and in the pot on the right is a Passionfuit plant waiting to be planted.

This morning I bolted a trellis onto the wall, to give the vine something to grow up, but, fascinating, it also makes a great ground cover:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVT8tn4wcZw

Fascinating also, the entire plant is edible, apparently too, the berries, though one guy on youtube did say might pay to be cautious and not eat the unripe ones.

Stevia Sweet Leaf, scientific name Stevia rebaudiana, has edible leaves and is a sugar substitute. Preliminary observation is that it is not quite so happy in that hot spot -- it remains to be seen how it copes with mid-summer. It was wilting a bit, so put lupin straw around it to keep in the moisture. The Malabar, on the other hand, will tolerate not only the heat, but also dry conditions. 

Tags: general

Feijoa growth progress

Fascinating to watch. On the 5th October, I posted a picture of the Feijoa just starting to grow:

https://bkhome.org/news/202010/the-feijoa-has-started-budding.html

Took another photo yesterday, 16 days later:

It is Spring here in the Southern Hemisphere, the plants are enjoying the sun and warm weather!  

Tags: general

Yummy Blueberries

I buy Blueberries from supermarkets, and they are expensive, due to the high cost of manual labour to pick them. So when I saw Blueberry plants in my local plant nursery about 4 weeks ago, I thought, give them a go, so bought two.

The variety is "Sunshine Blue" and although being very small already had lots of unripe fruit when purchased. Here is a photo, taken today:

The stems covered in fruit are as I bought it, the stems without fruit are new growth.

Now, the most interesting thing, that prompted me to post this report: the fruit doesn't all ripen at once. They ripen progressively. Each day I have been going into the garden and picking a few that have turned blue. Today picked five.

This is really great, as I will have a snack every day, apparently over about 3-4 months. Sunshine Blue is a dwarf variety, "only" growing to about 1.2 metres, but I am amazed to think about the abundance of fruit on a plant that size.

Here is some information about Sunshine Blue:

https://www.gardenexpress.com.au/product/blueberry-sunshine-blue/

One of the key factors with this variety is that it will tolerate less-acidic soil than most varieties of Blueberry. That's good, because I didn't have a clue when planted them. Only afterward, read about the acidity requirement, so scattered some potash of sulphur around them, and some pine needles. They are growing, so must be reasonably happy with the soil condition.

They are shallow-rooted, and I have drip irrigation, and have planted them near the drippers. This will be another plant to report back on, in say, another year. 

Tags: general

The Feijoa has started budding

Yesterday I posted some "before photos", and there was a comment about the Feijoa not growing:

https://bkhome.org/news/202010/garden-before-photos.html

However, this morning I spotted budding!

The guy I bought the Feijoa from, had grown it from a cutting, and had encouraged it to grow as a single stem. I told him that I wanted it to be bushy rather than a tree, and he advised me to cut off the tip and strip off all the leaves.

Well, I did cut off the top of the Fejijoa, but left the leaves - just cut them in half. Here is a photo taken this morning:

...almost every leaf has new buds. Fantastic.

Perth is located on a coastal sandplain, so the soil is not rich. Well-drained though. Here is the photo that I posted yesterday:

...there is some mulch scattered around. The mulch is various kinds of tree bark I think.

Prior to planting I dug in some chicken and cow manure, and there is also some slow-release granules scattered around.

This morning I added about an inch of "premium mulch" from a local soil and garden supplies place, described as:

A MUSHROOM FARM COMPOST BASED MULCH, WITH PIG MANURE, STRAW, SAWDUST AND LIQUID MANURE.  A FINE MULCH SUITABLE AS A COMPOST , SOIL CONDITIONER, AND AS A MULCH.

Keeping a small gap around the stem of each plant. However, what worries me is whether I have over-fertilised. Will soon find out I guess.

In the above photo, bottom-right, you can see some small plants. These are Gazania Pink Kiss (Gazania splendens) seedlings:

https://www.floriana.com.au/natural-beauty/gazania/pink-kiss/

There are many varieties of Gazania, Gazania splendens, alternative name Gazania rigens, are native to South Africa. Gazania splendens/rigens thrive in sand and drought conditions. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the enriched top dressing. 

Tags: general

Garden before-photos

I posted about planting an Umbrella tree (Schefflera Amate) and an Irish Strawberry tree (Arbutus Undeo):

https://bkhome.org/news/202009/schefflera-amate-for-shaded-spot-in-garden.html

They were planted around the 11th of September, so have been in for about 3 weeks. I think it would be nice to take some "before" photos, then take photos again 12 months later. So, here they are...

This photo shows the two Umbrella trees:

For the first 3 weeks, they just sat there doing nothing, but today I noticed new growth just starting. So, got inspired to take the "before" photos. It will be very interesting to see what these plants look like 6, 12 months later.

Another one that I put in about the same time, was the Irish Strawberry tree. It sat there doing nothing for about 2 weeks, then started sprouting, quite vigorously. Photo:

...the new growth is lighter-green.

On the otherhand, a Feijoa tree, that I put in about the same time, is doing nothing, it has lost some leaves (right side of photo). I am wondering if the Feijoa will suddenly decide to "come good".

The Feijoa is also known as Pineapple Guava, though it is not a guava. According to here, it is fast growing to 4 metres:

https://www.gardensonline.com.au/gardenshed/PlantFinder/Show_1252.aspx

However, I have grown this before, and found it to be fairly slow growing and only attained a low bush after several years. 

Tags: general

Schefflera Amate for shaded spot in garden

I posted recently about searching for a screening plant suitable for a spot in the garden that does not get direct sunlight for most of the year:

https://bkhome.org/news/202009/screening-plant-for-fully-shaded-mediterranean-climate.html

I received some suggestions from David (Sage in the forums) and from dogle. Dogle suggested the Irish Strawberry Tree, which was a case of synchronicity, as I had just purchased one the day before. However, it does seem that it wants more sunlight, so I planted it in a different location in the garden.

I just stumbled across the Irish Strawberry Tree the day before yesterday, while browsing through the plants section in Bunnings, and recalled having read about it many years ago. It is fast growing, hardy, can be pruned to a hedge, or grow into a small tree, and has edible fruit.

The fruit is stated to be insipid by some online writers, however, as dogle pointed out, it is necessary to wait until it is fully ripe and then it has a nice taste. Information:

https://www.gardensonline.com.au/gardenshed/PlantFinder/Show_1519.aspx

Anyway, onto that fully-shaded spot. Today I found Schefflera Amate in Bunnings, in the "Shade Plants" section, a small pot for AU$9.99. Info:

https://www.gardensonline.com.au/gardenshed/PlantFinder/Show_2508.aspx

Will put it in tomorrow. What I need to do is take photos of this in a year, then two years! Very interested to see how it turns out as a screening plant in that spot. 

Tags: general