On 22 Jul, 12:30, Stan The Man wrote:

A water butt pump like this one at £35 -http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=141331- will certainly do
what you want but it needs electricity of course.

Thanks for the suggestions, this pump looks ideal. This is still a
project in gestation, but to automate it I'm reckoning on sticking one
of these timers on the outside wall
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/72670/...l-Timer-Socket
powered from a RCD-protected spur off the living room ring circuit.
All getting rather expensive, but I guess the reduced bills will pay
for it in time, and I can feel nice and smug about using rainwater.

I seem to recall that to be strictly in compliance with the latest
regs the socket should have its own supply back to the meter, plus a
Part P building regs approval, but this would require major upheaval
plus a new consumer unit, so I think I shall turn a blind eye to that.

I can't use gravity because the garden slopes slightly upwards away
from the house where the downpipe is. Mounting something up at eaves
level doesn't sound very feasible for my setup.

As for being stuck with a water meter, we get 12 months to try it out
- if it works out cheaper paying bills the old way we can revert
(although the water meter will stay on the pipework ready for the next
incumbent).

Cheers!

Martin