We have had the Mother Of All Sheds for over 10 years now and have never
got round to fitting the guttering.

Slightly more recently we ran main drainage to one corner of the shed.
Our rainwater from the house goes into main drainage (officially agreed).
I would like some rainwater to go into the main drainage and some to go
into water butts and into a small pond.

The main problem is that the main drainage is on one side of the shed and
the water butt and pond area will be on the other side of the shed.

The shed is roughly 7.8m wide and has two sets of double doors in the
front, so there is no scope for anything going across the front.
So everything has to route round the back.
The sloping roof goes front to back and is (almost) flat.

The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
saved/used.

However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.

This would, I assume involve a run of downpipe across the back of the shed
and up one side to where a rain diverter is installed by the water butts.
This to take any overflow across the back of the shed and up the other
side into the soil pipe.

At the moment I can't make my mind up if the extra efficiency in rainwater
harvesting justifies the extra complication and cost of running all the
pipework.

Or is there a simpler way?

Cheers

Dave R

--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

In message <khq6udFtiqfU3@mid.individual.net>, David
<wibble@btinternet.com> writes
>We have had the Mother Of All Sheds for over 10 years now and have never
>got round to fitting the guttering.
>
>Slightly more recently we ran main drainage to one corner of the shed.
>Our rainwater from the house goes into main drainage (officially agreed).
>I would like some rainwater to go into the main drainage and some to go
>into water butts and into a small pond.
>
>The main problem is that the main drainage is on one side of the shed and
>the water butt and pond area will be on the other side of the shed.
>
>The shed is roughly 7.8m wide and has two sets of double doors in the
>front, so there is no scope for anything going across the front.
>So everything has to route round the back.
>The sloping roof goes front to back and is (almost) flat.
>
>The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
>the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
>saved/used.
>
>However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
>is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.
>
>This would, I assume involve a run of downpipe across the back of the shed
>and up one side to where a rain diverter is installed by the water butts.
>This to take any overflow across the back of the shed and up the other
>side into the soil pipe.
>
>At the moment I can't make my mind up if the extra efficiency in rainwater
>harvesting justifies the extra complication and cost of running all the
>pipework.
>
>Or is there a simpler way?

A Tee outlet in the downpipe below the storage overflow level?

I hope you are not given to complaining about raw sewage in rivers:-)

--
Tim Lamb

On 19/07/2023 14:31, David wrote:

<snipped>
>
> The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
> the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
> saved/used.
>
> However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
> is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.

> Or is there a simpler way?

Arrange the butt half of the guttering so that it can flex a little, use
a rigid pipe from this to the butt with a float attached. When the butt
fills, the guttering lifts to divert water away from the butt.

--
Cheers
Clive

On 19 Jul 2023 13:31:58 GMT, David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:

>We have had the Mother Of All Sheds for over 10 years now and have never
>got round to fitting the guttering.
>
>Slightly more recently we ran main drainage to one corner of the shed.
>Our rainwater from the house goes into main drainage (officially agreed).
>I would like some rainwater to go into the main drainage and some to go
>into water butts and into a small pond.
>
>The main problem is that the main drainage is on one side of the shed and
>the water butt and pond area will be on the other side of the shed.
>
>The shed is roughly 7.8m wide and has two sets of double doors in the
>front, so there is no scope for anything going across the front.
>So everything has to route round the back.
>The sloping roof goes front to back and is (almost) flat.
>
>The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
>the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
>saved/used.
>
>However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
>is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.
>
>This would, I assume involve a run of downpipe across the back of the shed
>and up one side to where a rain diverter is installed by the water butts.
>This to take any overflow across the back of the shed and up the other
>side into the soil pipe.
>
>At the moment I can't make my mind up if the extra efficiency in rainwater
>harvesting justifies the extra complication and cost of running all the
>pipework.
>
>Or is there a simpler way?
>
>Cheers
>
>
>
>Dave R

How about two full-length gutters. The top gutter slopes slightly
towards the water butts with a down pipe above the butts, and has a
diverter at top-of-butt level as is usual. The second gutter is
positioned underneath the open end of the diverter and runs back to
the soil pipe. When the butts are full, the overflow from the diverter
goes back along the lower gutter, to a short down pipe connected to
the soil pipe.

OK, so it needs two lengths of gutter, but it's pretty cheap stuff.

You can never have too many water butts. Connect them together at
their bases (drill holes, fit connectors https://tinyurl.com/2u44zvmp
use jubilee hose clips, seal joints with gutter sealant if needed
etc), so that they fill in parallel and can be drained likewise from a
single tap. I used to have three side-by-side set up like that. It
means you don't need to have access to all the butts, just the one
with the tap, and the others can be tucked away somewhere; they don't
even have to be close to each other if you use long enough connecting
tubes. I used flexible waste overflow or washing machine drain pipe.
https://tinyurl.com/2fskhqu2

--
Chris

On Thu, 20 Jul 2023 16:19:45 +0100, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>On 19 Jul 2023 13:31:58 GMT, David <wibble@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>>We have had the Mother Of All Sheds for over 10 years now and have never
>>got round to fitting the guttering.
>>
>>Slightly more recently we ran main drainage to one corner of the shed.
>>Our rainwater from the house goes into main drainage (officially agreed).
>>I would like some rainwater to go into the main drainage and some to go
>>into water butts and into a small pond.
>>
>>The main problem is that the main drainage is on one side of the shed and
>>the water butt and pond area will be on the other side of the shed.
>>
>>The shed is roughly 7.8m wide and has two sets of double doors in the
>>front, so there is no scope for anything going across the front.
>>So everything has to route round the back.
>>The sloping roof goes front to back and is (almost) flat.
>>
>>The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
>>the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
>>saved/used.
>>
>>However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
>>is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.
>>
>>This would, I assume involve a run of downpipe across the back of the shed
>>and up one side to where a rain diverter is installed by the water butts.
>>This to take any overflow across the back of the shed and up the other
>>side into the soil pipe.
>>
>>At the moment I can't make my mind up if the extra efficiency in rainwater
>>harvesting justifies the extra complication and cost of running all the
>>pipework.
>>
>>Or is there a simpler way?
>>
>>Cheers
>>
>>
>>
>>Dave R
>
>How about two full-length gutters. The top gutter slopes slightly
>towards the water butts with a down pipe above the butts, and has a
>diverter at top-of-butt level as is usual. The second gutter is
>positioned underneath the open end of the diverter and runs back to
>the soil pipe. When the butts are full, the overflow from the diverter
>goes back along the lower gutter, to a short down pipe connected to
>the soil pipe.
>
>OK, so it needs two lengths of gutter, but it's pretty cheap stuff.
>
Of course the lower gutter could be a length of drainpipe, as long as
it can collect the water from the overflow of the diverter.

--
Chris

On Thursday, 20 July 2023 at 11:39:01 UTC+1, Clive Arthur wrote:
> On 19/07/2023 14:31, David wrote:
>
> <snipped>
> >
> > The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
> > the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
> > saved/used.
> >
> > However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
> > is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.
> > Or is there a simpler way?
> Arrange the butt half of the guttering so that it can flex a little, use
> a rigid pipe from this to the butt with a float attached. When the butt
> fills, the guttering lifts to divert water away from the butt.

Or just connect a large outlet pipe at the top.

OP can do the setup any way they want. As long as all water gets to the drain, and at least some can be otherwise used it's a win.

In message <62ce8575-16c9-42f7-bdd7-5234154c7cb1n@googlegroups.com>,
Animal <tabbypurr@gmail.com> writes
>On Thursday, 20 July 2023 at 11:39:01 UTC+1, Clive Arthur wrote:
>> On 19/07/2023 14:31, David wrote:
>>
>> <snipped>
>> >
>> > The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways from
>> > the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half gets
>> > saved/used.
>> >
>> > However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until storage
>> > is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.
>> > Or is there a simpler way?
>> Arrange the butt half of the guttering so that it can flex a little, use
>> a rigid pipe from this to the butt with a float attached. When the butt
>> fills, the guttering lifts to divert water away from the butt.
>
>Or just connect a large outlet pipe at the top.
>
>OP can do the setup any way they want. As long as all water gets to the
>drain, and at least some can be otherwise used it's a win.

From a gardener viewpoint the priority is to keep the water butt full.
The simplest form is to have the downpipe directly filling the butt and
an overflow to drain positioned near the top.
My experience of purchased diverters is that they are susceptible to
blockage by leaves/moss etc.
For the O/Ps situation the diverter needs to be on the drain side of the
building. Very little fall is required to pipe the water around the
building. If the entry pipe is sealed to the butt say 150mm below the
overflow point and the tee off to drain positioned 100mm higher than the
entry, Robert is your Mother's brother:-)
>

--
Tim Lamb

On Wed, 19 Jul 2023 15:03:31 +0100, Tim Lamb wrote:

> In message <khq6udFtiqfU3@mid.individual.net>, David
> <wibble@btinternet.com> writes
>>We have had the Mother Of All Sheds for over 10 years now and have never
>>got round to fitting the guttering.
>>
>>Slightly more recently we ran main drainage to one corner of the shed.
>>Our rainwater from the house goes into main drainage (officially
>>agreed). I would like some rainwater to go into the main drainage and
>>some to go into water butts and into a small pond.
>>
>>The main problem is that the main drainage is on one side of the shed
>>and the water butt and pond area will be on the other side of the shed.
>>
>>The shed is roughly 7.8m wide and has two sets of double doors in the
>>front, so there is no scope for anything going across the front.
>>So everything has to route round the back.
>>The sloping roof goes front to back and is (almost) flat.
>>
>>The simplest solution would be to have the guttering slope both ways
>>from the middle, so half the rain goes down the drain and the other half
>>gets saved/used.
>>
>>However it would be good to be able to use/save all the rain until
>>storage is full and then divert all the rain down the drain.
>>
>>This would, I assume involve a run of downpipe across the back of the
>>shed and up one side to where a rain diverter is installed by the water
>>butts. This to take any overflow across the back of the shed and up the
>>other side into the soil pipe.
>>
>>At the moment I can't make my mind up if the extra efficiency in
>>rainwater harvesting justifies the extra complication and cost of
>>running all the pipework.
>>
>>Or is there a simpler way?
>
> A Tee outlet in the downpipe below the storage overflow level?
>
> I hope you are not given to complaining about raw sewage in rivers:-)

Always been that way as far as we can tell.

Certainly there was no sign of a soak away when we extended out from the
back of the house.

Cheers

Dave R

--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64