How to collect water off a polytunnel with a gutter
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- Опубликовано: 24 мар 2018
- I’ve tortured myself for a month or more about how I’m going to keep the veg in my new tunnel watered from November to May - when there’s no water on the Allotment. This is the solution that Debbie and I finally came up with.
It might not last 10 years, but it looks good and works well on it’s first day! Make sure to watch to the end of the video for details of the products used.
If you are new to my allotment videos you might find a bit of context useful. We have three allotments in my family, mine (Steve), my wife's (Debbie) and my middle daughter's (Jennie). We also have a small kitchen garden at home. They are all managed in an integrated fashion, so don't expect to see the usual mix of veg on each plot.
On Jennie's plot, for example, we focus on potatoes, squash, alliums, and brassicas. This video provides an overview • The big picture of our... . I do an update of the allotments, roughly one a week, you can find the tours here • Tours .
Our approach to allotment life is to: grow as much as we possibly can, to be self-sufficient in veg all year round and in fruit in summer, to give away our huge surplus to friends and family, and to have as much fun as possible.
My wife and I spend about 4 hours a day, 4 days a week on the plots (on average) and we keep nudging that down as we eliminate non-productive work: like grass cutting, weeding and watering as much as practical. We are both newbie gardeners, only starting the allotments in 2016.
I'm a bit obsessive about the nutrient density of the veg that we grow and making the plots easy to work because it's through this allotment lifestyle and food that I've overcome a debilitating auto-immune disease.
I'm always aware though that it might not last so I make sure that I don't work too hard, eat the most organic fruit and veg I can and design the plots so that I can still work them if I flare up again. 
Развлечения
Great video. Really helpful, thank you very much for your time and effort, plus the buying details.
Thanks! Just what I was looking for, google bought me straight here.
Thanks for the feedback Daniel, when I did the other side I used a slightly different design, which I prefer ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html : All the best - Steve
Good day to you steve !! 👍👍😁😁 Thanks for sharing how you collect rainwater of the polytunnel with us all today 😁😁👍👍
Genius idea. Thank you. I will be definitely adapting this idea to on my own tunnel. I was struggling to think of anything to collect the rain water of the polytunell.
That is so simple but yet I never thought of it great job!!!!!!!
I wracked my brain for a week trying to come up with a solution, given that I didn't have side rails (which would have made it a lot easier) : All the best - Steve
I think it looks looks great! Thank you Debbie for demonstrating how strong the tape is. I had the wrong thing in mind until you showed how you were trying to pull it apart.
Having that water is going to make a HUGE difference. Really happy for you!👍
Huge, I've had water anxiety for months, we ran out last year in early April and those three weeks until the taps were turned on were very difficult to cope with! : All the best - Steve
Great idea!
This gives me food for thought, as I'm about to order a polytunnel.
I reckon as it's a new build, it'll be simple enough to install a side rail (tanalised 75x38 fence rail) inside the cover to hold the guttering, then use 100mm cover repair tape on the outside to overlap into the gutter to direct the run-off.
Yes, I didn’t want to puncture my plastic because I was worried about subsequently stretching it as it aged. As it happens I’m now 5 years in and the plastic is still tight so I could have punctured it without issue : all the best - Steve
Very impressed, that's the best design I've seen:))
Thanks!
Hi Steve. Brilliant idea. The only thought that crossed my mind was what you might do when you re-tension your polythene cover.
I did think of that, we pulled the poly skirt fairly tight, so when we retention by about an inch it shouldn’t loosen up very much. The worst that can happen is that we tension by 2 inches in which case we could cut the poly in the gutter and reattach it but I don’t think that will be needed. : all the best - Steve
Super! I love it! I dont like round greenhouses because its difficult to collect water off of it, but have one myself. This is a great idea though, thank you for sharing.
Hope it helps, let me know how it goes if you decide to try it. : all the best - Steve
Great ideas
Thanks, but I like the way I did the other side better ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html It should easily outlast the cover, which will be changed in a few years time : All the best - Steve
I think thats a really well thought out solution .Well done mate.
I made a few improvements when I did the other side ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html
Brilliant, nice to see how you workedqq it out. I hope it is all still working
Working great
Nice, this looks good. I really like the style. Great job.
That video gets all the views, but this video shows how I did the other side and I like this one more, they are both still working well though ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html
Excellent
I have just gotten a 3.5 x 2 x 2 m poly tunnel and I'm going to make a poly plastic gutter an wire coat hanger to shape it then attach it with gaffer tape and now I might also use double sided tape
many thanks and brilliant work here =)
Hope it goes well, we had spare gutter, the double sided tape worked great
Looks good, Steve and Debbie. Regards from Blighty :)
BTW thanks for the great idea as well as all your other video ideas. Ive just bought my first Polytunnel and have been doing tons of research on my new hobby.:-)
Thanks James, I assume you've discovered my ebook, free to read steverichards.notion.site/Gardening-eBook-info-6f57489ae10a4721b48b421826203814 : All the best - Steve
Great I'll read that. Thanks Steve.
R reet Marra I think that has to be about the best solution I've seen for them rounded top tunnels my just pinch it when a do a recover of mine ;-)
Keep watching and see how well it works in a years time! : all the best - Steve
Looking good, i think it will last and do the job.
Good solution Steve.. I'm gonna try on my polytunnel 😌
I tried a slightly different technique for the other side, that worked even better ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html : All the best - Steve
Hello Sir very interesting video. Very good idea
Genius!
Hi Steve, how has the guttering system worked for you now that you've had it a year? Have you made any adjustments to it? If you have another video about it, please point me in the right direction. This is such a clever idea! Thank you for sharing 😃
Hi Liz, it's worked well, I updated the design for the other side and updated the video too ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html There's a good discussion too in the comments, with some people suggesting cheaper options, but I'm happy. I'm about to do a video all about designing a water capture system in a week or so : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Hi Steve jumping off the back of Lizs comment, how is it faring 3 years down the line? just planning a community garden polytunnel installation and your video has given me some great options. (thanks also for the products you used at the end)
I have just pegged out where my new tunnel will go and was looking for guttering solutions, can I just say this is perfect!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Watched with interest as I have also done the poles outside but tried just using tape but that pulled off when tunnel is slacker (only cheap green one) Cher’s Ray
Hope you work something out Ray, it's great to have such a big area to collect water from! : All the best - Steve
A clever but simple idea, should work nicely mate
But will it last Ant, that’s the question that will play out over the next few years ...
I'm sure it will, looks solid enough
It looks like you’re gotta good setup. Hope it works well for you.
Still working, I think it will outlast the polythene on the tunnel
Thank you for the great idea! We will use it at the purple homestead i think
Thanks for the feedback, it's holding up quite well, although some of the double sided tape is losing it's adhesion, fortunately the polytunnel repair tape is still good : All the best - Steve
Thanks for the idea. I was trying to come up with something fir the polytunnels I am putting up this year. Im on a well and hate to pull water from it for watering.
When I did the other side I changed the design a little for the better ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html both are still working well though and will outlast the poly cover : All the best - Steve
Great idea Steve, have you thought about an IBC tank? I know Tony @ukherewegrow loves them. All the best.
I've considered it, but to be honest they are a bit unwieldy for me. Unless they are fairly full the water pressure is really low and it takes a lot of water to fill them. I prefer water butt's because they are tall and thin they have great water pressure and I can clean one while having another full etc. Also I have a space issue. Tony has the advantage of a huge water collection area AND a generator and electric pump, so he can shift the water around easily and keep everything full. : All the best - Steve
steve, just found your channel looks really good. i am going to do the rain capture off polytunnel, but will get a simple solar pump to move the water. also uv light kills algae, not yet worked out how to drive that from 12volts
Hi Ben, strange that we always get algae when we let light into our storage containers, so ours are all black now, also we use this amazing pump to move the water around ruclips.net/video/2aMBcuAQIqs/видео.html : All the best - Steve
Nice job. Be sure to do regular inspections on hot days. Heat is an enemy to many adhesives, makes them soften and weaken. Putting the weight of your guttering and the water that will eventually collect in it onto posts was a very good idea. I wish you well and good luck. Do you get enough condensation inside your poly tunnel to merit doing the same guttering job on the inside?
Yeah, heat is a concern, but the tape seems to be very similar to anti hotspot tape so fingers crossed! The product description claims : Sponge tape material: the mounting tape is made of PE foam, have strong adhesion, good retention, anti-ultraviolet, temperature, water, solvent, flame and rub resistant
Looks great! Will it need adjust when you adjust the cover in summer?
It should easily accommodate an inch of tensioning. : all the best - Steve
Hi Steve, fabulous solution, thank you. However, I have just done this with my polytunnel, but I have one of those covers with thicker green lines criss-crossed all over it, making the cover surface uneven. The polytunnel repair tape has not stuck down on it. Have you come across a way of fixing it on these types of polytunnel s please?
I haven’t I’m afraid, I think the only solution would be a batten on the inside fastened to the hoop, to which you then attach a batten on the outside, to which you attach the gutter : all the best - Steve
Steve - I know this video is old but do you know what waterproof double sided tape you used for this? I can't find anything suitable - at least in a 10m length that I need. Lots of foam based ones on Amazon etc but having used them before they aren't very good.
Ta!
Simon.
I did use the foam ones and as you say they are not that good, the adhesive is failing already, although the polytunnel repair tape is still holding everything together well enough, so it doesn't matter that much : All the best - Steve
2 things, 1 your on the ball, 2 neat tape work on the polly tunnel gutter
Thanks, my wife did the taping ;-) : All the best - Steve
Question for you if you please? The only available area I can put my Poly-tunnel in my garden only gets light in the afternoon in winter due to trees from my neighbour. I'm working on getting him to chop them to a legal height. Is this going to really limit my growing season?
Hi James, I'm afraid so, in the UK light levels are very low in winter and if you only get afternoon light very little will grow, perhaps claytonia and lambs lettuce. However you will be able to grow crops earlier in early autumn and they will hold in the polytunnel for harvest in winter/spring, they won't die, they just won't grow : All the best - Steve
hi Steve
Your solution looks very smart. You've now had these gutters for more than 2 years, how are they holding up? Have you had to do any repairs on them?
no repairs so far, but I like the way I did it on the other side better ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards thank you for taking the time to answer so quick!
Looks ingenious. How is it performing four years on? Thinking of setting this up on our new tunnel. Thanks.
It's doing well Douglas, although I like the way I did the other side better ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html It should easily outlast the cover, which will be changed in a few years time : All the best - Steve
Hello Steve. Though you posted 5 years ago I've only just discovered this fantastic video, as I've been mulling polytunnel water capture and not thought of a solution. Yours is so clever! Can I ask how it's worked out? Did you learn any further lessons? I'd love to know. Wishing you happy growing 😊
Hi Anthony, I did the other side and slightly improved the design ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html it's worked really well, I think it will last 7 years, which is the life of the main cover : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Thanks for replyivng Steve, good stuff. I shall get cracking! Hope You ahave a great season.
Picked £3k so far this year Anthony, so that’s a good start
Has it lasted mate any issues as I’m going to give this a go
No problems so far, even with the blistering heat we’ve had this summer!
Hey Steve, great design. Did you attach the support stakes to the base rail?
No, I just hammered them into the ground a few inches away from the polytunnel : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards thanks Steve, have you ever had issues with wind moving the gutters?
In the video you've watched we have a small issue with the wind catching the west corner (we have westerly winds) when we did the other side we used a different design ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html which is better : All the best - Steve
what make tape did you use and would you recommend it ?
It's listed at the end of the video Mark, the tape had worked well, but I prefer the design I used in this video ruclips.net/video/jjEXhIR0e_E/видео.html : All the best - Steve
Hello, just stumbled across your video. I did a similar thing, but it failed due to wind coming up behind the guttering and eventually it forced the tape off the polytunnel and broke the seal. Did you have any problems with wind?
It's held up well, but it's really well attached. I also benefit from wind breaks to the north and west of the tunnel and that's our prevailing wind direction : All the best - Steve
Thanks for the reply Steve. Pleased to hear it has lasted. No windbreaks on mine so very exposed. I may give it another go with more tape, including a strip connecting the underside of the gutter to the polytunnel. Cheers Richard
I think your solution will work, steve...................brian
Thanks Mate, that's reassuring! : All the best - Steve
In winter water turns to ice bestroying your barrels
Fortunately not
Best you get that design patented get a sponsor and earn yourself some cash.
Ha, it is working well, but we prefer to give stuff away - ideas and veg - and live a simple life. Thanks for the vote of confidence : all the best - Steve