Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: RichardA on March 23, 2012, 17:57
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Hi, can I ask if anyone who uses ibc for water storage has found that algae is a problem as they let in more light and are presumably hard to clean than blue barrels. Are they light enough to move and set up when empty assuming two persons available ??
Thanks
R
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I use 2 ICB's ( 1,000 L ) to collect water from the greenhouse roof on my plot as we have no mains water.
With help from my son we moved them ( empty ) by putting them on a wheel barrow, put a ratchet strap around the ICB and wheel barrow tighten up, one push the barrow and the other help balance it and give directions. (very limited vision for the pusher)
We were able to carry them at chest height when we had to negotiate paths between fenced plots.
As for the algae, with a bit of jiggery pokey I managed to thread black polythene sheet between the metal cage and the tank ( 5 pieces ) all overlapping when spread out and taped them together.
Just a cautionary note, if you fit a water butt style or domestic tap in the cap that goes over the lever tap, remove the cap in frosty weather. ( I of course learnt the hard way ). :ohmy:
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Brian emptied my IBC tank because of the algae, and said perhaps we could take it out of the metal cage and wrap it in black plastic. But I thought perhaps we could paint it black, as long as it isn't the paint that melts plastic! :lol:
OR, the other week, someone on here showed the wooden fence he'd built round his IBC tank, and that's another idea. Brian could make me one out of pallet wood!
I have an old nursery barrow, and we cart it around the garden on that, but only when its empty! ;)
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We put charcoal in ours to stop green stuff, with a solution from the orange diy store. Works fine. We got hold of 2 ibc`s, but 1 was split on the outlet. So we used the cage as a stand, now there is enough head to run a hose. :D
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That's a good idea Compo. I had my IBC tank on blocks up about 18 inches, but it still wasn't enough room to get a decent run out of the tank through a hose.
What solution is that? must google......
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This is the stuff http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biotal-Biotal-Refresh/dp/B004QLQ184
It lasts a long time too.
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many thanks everyone, bit sensitive about dosing as may wish to use harvested water in duck ponds or fish ponds as well as for plants. I like the plastic wrap and fence ideas.
Again my thanks
R