Q. What should I do if the barrel or container will not let out water quickly enough?
A. Outgoing restricted waterflow is usually caused by the container being too air tight, creating a vacuum affect. Options are: 1) remove the incoming diverter hose allowing air to enter via the hole; or 2) drill a small hole into the barrel next to hose hole (3 mm or 1/8″ should be adequate).
Q. Why won’t my barrel / container completely fill?
A. On air tight containers, too much back pressure can occur to allow the barrel to fill. To reduce the back pressure, raise the hose closer to the surface.
Q. Why is my barrel leaking from the top?
A. That’s usually a hose problem; lower the hose deeper into the container.
Q. There is a slight noise coming from the Diverter unit. What causes this?
A. You probably hear this noice when the containers are full or when the deactivating plug is installed. This is caused by water swirling within the Diverter unit, as it is designed to create a flushing action to keep the unit clean of needles and leaves.
Q. Can the Garden Watersaver withstand freezing weather?
A. Certainly! Water can only be held in the bottom 2″ (50 mm) of the Diverter, allowing plenty of room for the expansion of freezing water.
Q. Will the Garden Watersaver work on round downspouts?
A. The diverter unit can be installed and will work on all residential downspouts. On round downspouts, simply reduce the length by 4″ and fit it over the large spout of the diverter.
Q. How do we winterize our rain barrel system?
A. When using the GWS diverter kit, all you have to do is disconnect the hose and add the plug that came with the kit. Remember to empty the rain barrel and leave the spigot on the barrel open all winter, too.
Q. Will the plastic Diverter withstand the cold?
A. Yes! Garden Watersaver has not received one complaint of breakage due to freezing.
Q. What happens to the Garden Watersaver Diverter due to the sun’s UV rays?
A. The enemy of plastic are the UV rays of the sun. You may notice that the diverter looks white on the outside, but looking at the inside it appears blue. The blue color is the UV stabiliser which was added to the polymer mix when the unit is molded. This coating will protect the integrity of the polymer for years and years!
If you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective way to water your plants and garden without connecting the hose to the tap, a rain barrel can help you collect and recycle rainwater.
A quarter-inch of rain falling on an average home yields a little more than 200 gallons of water, filling a rain barrel in a matter of minutes.
Rainwater is naturally softened, making it ideal for outdoor and indoor plants. It also won’t leave spots when you wash cars or windows.
Not only does a rain barrel save on your water bill, it helps divert runoff into storm sewers and Iowa’s waters.
Why should I have Rain Barrel? #1 A quarter-inch of rain falling on the average home yields a little more than 200 gallons of water. A rain barrel can be filled in a matter of minutes and provide a simple, efficient, low-cost method for homeowners to collect and recycle water. #2 Rainwater is naturally “softened” and is ideal for plants, both indoor and outdoor. Because it is not chemically “softened,” it does not leave lime spots and is great for washing cars and windows. #3 Rain barrels also help divert stormwater – collecting it before it passes over our urban or suburban environments on its way to our lakes and streams.
The secret of Garden Watersaver is our unique Downspout Diverter, which attaches easily to any gutter’s downspout. Once in place, the Diverter sends water to a …
The major components of a rainwater harvesting system
The major components of a rainwater harvesting system
Collection system: Roof surface and gutters to capture the rainwater and send it to the storage system
Inlet filter: Screen filter to catch large debris
First flush diverter: Diverter that removes debris not captured by the inlet filter from the initial stream of rainwater
Storage tank: Storage tanks composed of food-grade polyester resin material approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is green in color and helps to reduce bacterial growth
Overflow: Drainage spout that allows for overflow if the storage tank gets full
Controls: Control system that monitors water level and filtration system
Treatment system: Filtration and disinfection system that treats the water to non-potable or potable standards
Pump: Pump to move water through the system to where it will be used
Backflow prevention: Backflow preventer to ensure that under negative pressure water cannot flow backwards through the system into the make-up water system
Flow meter: Flow meter (with data logger) to measure water production
Power supply: Systems may use either conventional power sources or, to improve off-grid capabilities, alternative sources such as stand-alone or grid-tied solar systems
Water level indicator: Monitors the water level in the storage tank.
Mole drainage, on the right soil type and when installed correctly, can help reduce waterlogging problems substantially.
Mole drainage is widely used in New Zealand and the United Kingdom in heavy soils to improve productivity of pastures and crops. Mole drainage was popular with dairy farmers in the 1960s in Victoria but these often failed due to reasons now more fully understood. Recent research has resulted in robust guidelines for installing mole drains so they are more effective for longer, with a greatly reduced failure rate.
What is a mole drain?
Mole drains are unlined channels formed in clay subsoil. They’re formed by pulling a ripper blade (or leg) with a cylindrical foot (or torpedo) attached on the bottom through the subsoil. A plug (or expander) is often used to help compact the channel wall. The foot is usually chisel-pointed and the entire point is hard-faced by welding. More frequent hard-facing of the underside will increase the effective life of the torpedo. The beam is the main rail that carries the leg and torpedo.
Mole drains are used in heavy soils where a clay subsoil near moling depth (400 to 600cm) prevents downward movement of ground water. Mole drains are a more sophisticated drainage system than open drains. Mole drains do not drain groundwater but remove water as it enters from the ground surface.
Mole drains over a collector pipe system
A mole drain over a collector pipe system is recommended in:
soils where mole drains would have a very short lifespan due to sandy or stoney areas
heavy clay type soils, or
lengths greater than about 80 metres to reach an outfall
This system requires the installation of slotted subsurface drainage pipes at approximately 60m to 100m apart, across which mole drains are pulled. This system is useful where soil may contain stones or sandy patches in the profile, at drainage depth, which could collapse when moled. The relatively close spacing of the pipes and shorter mole drain lengths will minimise the area affected by the resultant poor drainage when the mole drain collapses.
Permeable backfill such as washed sand, small screenings or small diameter ‘pea’ gravel is placed (backfilled) on top of the slotted pipe in the base of the trench. The collector pipe will have been installed using a laser to ensure a constant fall in the pipe to the outfall. Depending on the clay content and its depth, this backfill must reach at least 150mm above the moling depth so that the water moves into the backfill via the mole channel.
Mole drains are then installed at an angle (often 70 to 900) to the direction of the pipes. Excess ground water flows into and along the mole drains, then drains into the porous backfill above the pipes, and is then quickly removed to outfalls via the subsurface collector pipes.
Mole Plough
Mole ploughing is a method of deep tillage used in agriculture to break up compacted soil and improve drainage. It involves the use of a machine called a mole plough, which creates a vertical channel or “mole” in the soil by pushing a blade through the earth.
The process of mole ploughing typically involves the following steps:
Preparation: Before starting the mole ploughing process, the field is usually ploughed or disked to remove any surface debris and loosen the topsoil.
Equipment Setup: The mole plough is attached to a tractor and adjusted to the desired depth and angle of operation.
Soil Penetration: The mole plough blade is then lowered into the soil and pulled through the earth by the tractor. As the blade moves through the soil, it creates a vertical channel or mole that can be up to 1m deep.
Soil Fracturing: As the mole plough moves through the soil, it fractures and loosens the soil around the channel, creating pockets of air and allowing for better water penetration and drainage.
Incorporation: Some mole ploughs are equipped with a device that can add organic matter, such as compost or manure, to the channel as it is being created. This helps to improve soil fertility and structure.
Soil Closure: Once the mole plough has created the channel, the soil is allowed to settle and the channel is gradually closed by the surrounding soil.
Mole ploughing is an effective method for improving soil structure and reducing compaction, which can lead to increased crop yields and improved soil health over time. However, it should be used with caution, as excessive deep tillage can also disrupt soil ecosystems and lead to soil erosion.
How to mole plough for optimum benefits. Mole drainage, when completed correctly on the right type of soil type can assist in reducing problems of waterlogging. To help farmers get the most from the process there is a need for farmers to understand how to mole plough and construct effective mole drains.
Wet winter soils are a common problem in parts of the United kingdom and surface drainage has potential to improve the situation by removing excess surface water. For greatest impact the profile of the soil profile needs to be drained so that crops and pastures have the capability to reach their potential and stock damage through compaction and treading can be reduced.
Mole drainage is widely used on heavy soils to improve productivity of pastures and crops in this article we consider How To Mole Plough … Further Reading https://bdolphin.co.uk/news/mole-plough/
In Siberia’s northeastern region of Yakutia, villagers are harvesting ice. Water from the ice is their only source of drinking water through the long winter when the tap water freezes.
Documentary movie about life in Yakutia, the coldest inhabited region on Earth with the lowest recorded temperature -71°C (-95°F) and the average winter temperature -50°C (-58°F).
Snow harvesting is a method used to address water scarcity in cold deserts and higher altitude regions that experience snowfall.
One Day in the Coldest Village on Earth −71°C (−95°F) | Yakutia, Siberia. Documentary movie about life in Yakutia, the coldest inhabited region on Earth with the lowest recorded temperature -71°C (-95°F) and the average winter temperature -50°C (-58°F).
Snow harvesting is a method used to address water scarcity in cold deserts and higher altitude regions that experience snowfall.
In Siberia’s northeastern region of Yakutia, villagers are harvesting ice. Water from the ice is their only source of drinking water through the long winter when the tap water freezes.
Peter Powell – photo of one of our habitat restoration sites from last week. The brash is pinned in to stop erosion of the bank but will also provide homes for invertebrates and cover for fish. Willow is included, this will sprout into new trees to make the structure alive and permenant.
Water pollution is a growing crisis around the world, but one city in Australia is doing its part to tackle the huge surges of waste that come from stormwater drains. By using a somewhat obvious, simple and cost-effective system of nets, or “trash traps,” the City of Kwinana is… pic.twitter.com/YfGvQ2pSAR
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