On 11/25/2015 4:43 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 25/11/2015 2:38 AM, songbird wrote:
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
...
What do you mean "not very good"? Are you saying that the first rains
caught
in rain barrels should NOT be saved for irrigating plants? Or?

many rain capture systems include some sort of
arrangement for rejecting the first number of
gallons of water so that contamination (from
dust, bird droppings, etc.) is reduced. when
using the water for a garden most of what is
there isn't harmful anyways so i'd not worry.
the concern is more geared towards those in areas
of harmful dust fallout and those who are using
the water for drinking, cooking or other house-
hold uses.

A friend of ours used to have a first flush diverter on his household
rainwater tank (cistern in USian) but took it off after a year or so
because he found it flushed away too much water and a short passing shower
would result in his not getting any water into his tank (cistern). And
dust or crap settles to the bottom of the tank in a very short time and is
not a worry until it becomes time to desludge the tank. the tank (cistern)
was to supply water for all his household use so the loss of any water was
a problem.

I'd have to disagree a bit with the cistern vs. tank and the 'Usian' nature
of either. Cistern is very much in long-term usage in the UK; it was common
when plumbing became popular in old homes to have a cistern constructed in
the uppermost reaches of the attic to provide a head of water. The local
council-provided water was likely to be at low pressure and volume and
keeping some in your own cistern could alleviate both problems. It is even
true that the 'tank' of a flush toilet is referred to as a cistern in the
UK. If you get right down to the meaning of the words themselves, a cistern
is a container with no top while a tank is enclosed all around.