Greenhouse Water Collection

Did you know that the majority of plants respond better to rainwater than water from the tap?

Aside from the obvious environmental and cost benefits (if you are on a water meter), this is why we make such an effort to our greenhouse water collection systems as efficient and effective as possible. What else would you expect from a greenhouse manufacturer who is known to be one of the best in the industry?

The only exception to this rain water rule tends to be new seeds and seedlings which are usually better watered using tap water. This is because established plants are better positioned to resist infection from fungal plant diseases that might be present in water butts.

Our greenhouse plumbing and drainage features are all centred around this target of collecting rainwater as efficiently as possible, with all of our greenhouses coming with neat powder coated aluminium gutters and downpipes as standard. The downpipes has been designed to a standard size with a 40mm exterior. Consequently there are a range of proprietary push fit fittings widely available which can be used to facilitate greenhouse water collection.

We have put together a short visual document highlighting how our greenhouse water collection systems designed. If you wish to collect water from both the gutters into one water butt for a small charge we can provide a kit with the additional necessary fittings and additional length of downpipe. This is especially useful if your greenhouse is located quite some distance away from your nearest water source. These water butts are often placed behind our greenhouses so that the aesthetics of our constructions are not tainted.

Unfortunately most rainwater diverters are made for house gutters so they are neither small or neat for a greenhouse. That said we, at cultivar, have found one that will fit a 50mm pipe and this can be adapted to by us to fit our slim and attractive aluminium donwpipe, here’s our rainwater diverter solution.

What is a Water Butt?

A water butt is essentially a large tank which collects falling rainwater. We have designed our greenhouse drainage system to feed rainwater into your existing water butt. With a water collection kit it is possible to harvest water from the guttering on both sides of our greenhouse. With the majority of plants prospering when watered with rainwater instead of tap water, a water butt becomes a valuable tool which is recommended as part of any greenhouse owner’s arsenal.

This is especially true if:

1. Your greenhouse is located some distance away from the nearest water source
2. In the event of a dreaded hosepipe ban
3. If you are on a water meter