January 18th 2021
Lockdown on a Monday is much the same as any other day at The Solar Shed with the only difference being, we don’t hear the phones ring quite so often. It’s all email and video calling now, which saves a great deal of time. Which in turn allows us to spend a few hours on some essential maintenance around the garden and workshop. The sort of stuff that needs an hour here or an hour there but work usually gets in the way of things until the lighter evenings arrive.
Now I don’t know about you, but where we are, here in The Fens, the water table is higher than normal. It’s taking longer to drain away after a downpour and when the rain does come, it may be less frequent, but boy is there a lot of it.
Three times in the last year we’ve been flooded or threatened with flooding.
Basically, bloody great big puddles form where they never used to form and they take longer in time to drain. We did have one occasion where it seeped into the workshop, and that was the trigger to have a really good look at how to alleviate the risk going forward.
So, working on the assured principle that water flows downhill, we made double sure all drains were clear, guttering secure and flowing. A decent bristled hand brush in the gutters did help, as did the drainage rods down the drains, just to make sure, after that nasty incident a couple of years ago with the lid from the discharge tank of the camping toilet!
And it was, a very nasty business.
On inspection this time round though, what we first noticed was how much water actually flowed along our guttering and downpipes in a storm and where the pinch point was. Once that was identified we looked at what could be done to take the water away to a main drain rather than the half collapsed, half open, half don’t know what drain a whole load of roofs all fall away to at present.
We rigged up a simple overflow system and bingo, job’s a good one.
However, the water table is very high at present and when water butts are full, as soon as it rains, there is still nowhere for the rain to go so it takes less rain to cause a flood as the ground is already sodden and butts are already full.
So, thinking about battery storage and how we use them to balance our energy use, I transferred the same thinking to the water butts.
All the water butts have been emptied down the main drain, away from the immediate land and soakaways. About 3500 ltrs of water, gone.
And left behind is a “buffer” of various sized empty water butts, waiting to take the next deluge which will save the drains being over run again and hopefully, alleviate any flooding going forward.
What I have learned is that water does indeed flow downhill and that water butts are not just for storing water but can act as a very handy buffer that will take the brunt of a deluge with these bigger storms and heavier rainfalls.
It’s the little measures that will make the biggest difference to how we adapt and learn to live with the changing climate without it impacting on our lives too much. And, we all have a role to play.
Drains, keep them clear. Guttering, make secure and keep clear. Every down pipe should have a water butt attached and if you do connect more than one water butt, couple them at the bottom.
And if you have big puddles that form, go have a look and see if you can get it all flowing again. In many gardens, a simple French drain that feeds a pond may be the best solution, or just doubling up on water butts to hold more for the drier periods.
One hour of getting your hands dirty today might save you a small fortune and a few worries in the years going forward.
Have a look on youtube for some great water butt and water storage ideas. Adding a hose pipe or two and diverting an irrigation system into your food beds can’t be recommended enough.
With regards to solar and other services, yep, we’re ‘open’ but not in person. Although all installations pre-booked prior to current lockdown are being fitted as agreed. We’re taking calls and chatting about solutions until we’re allowed visitors again.
As always,
Kevin
#SolarLove in the #SolarNation