How to filter rain water ???

[Maren]

Hi,

I collect lots of water from my glass roofs. I have gutter guards everywhere, which prevent larger items such as leaves and twigs entering. But sometimes a leaf gets through and creates a blockage. When that happens, all the dust on the glass roofs, which combines with the shade paint into a gray sludge, blocks the in-line filters.

Can anyone think of a way of filtering the water so that the solids drop out somewhere automatically and the clean water flows into the water butts?

[Maggi Young]

Leaf Eater Ultra™. " Simple and effective downpipe filter which throws the leaves and debris out the side and lets clean water down the downpipe. A product of Rain Harvesting Pty Ltd Australia, stocked in Peterborough. "
List Price: £34.99
Price: £34.99 (£41.99 Inc. VAT)

.... it also says its out of stock! http://www.rainwaterharvesting.co.uk/products.php?cat=7

[David Nicholson]

Old pair of tights FREE. Bet Ian agrees with me, can't see him spending £42 quid on a filter

[ronm]

Remember to take your legs out of them though David .
When did Ian get involved? poor guy, dragged in.

[chasw]

I use an old kitchen sieve on the end of the spout before the water goes into the barrel 50p

[David Nicholson]

Remember to take your legs out of them though David .
When did Ian get involved? poor guy, dragged in.

I treat my tights far better than that Ian's the past master at solving a technical problem whilst spending the minimum amount of cash on it

[ronm]

 

[Maggi Young]

Remember to take your legs out of them though David .
When did Ian get involved? poor guy, dragged in.

I treat my tights far better than that Ian's the past master at solving a technical problem whilst spending the minimum amount of cash on it

Ian favours  cylinders of folded 15mm chicken wire,( to reduce gap sizes) scrunched into the tops of the downpipes. Not pretty , but pretty effective.  They  need clearing out quite often, though.
The one you pay for "says" it chucks the debris out the side so it won't need clearing so often?   

[Martinr]

I use partly teased out metal pan scourers, same ones I use for scrubbing salt accumulations off clay pots to keep show judges happy, pretty cheap but require fairly frequent declogging.

[ronm]

Not a nice thing to say about the show judges Martin!
Please tell us more about the scourers.

[Lesley Cox]

How do you declog a show judge?

[ronm]

and if you do, do you get points added or deducted?

[Martinr]

You lot are just trying to get me into trouble I did say I scrubbed the pots. There are few things worse on the show bench than encrusted clay pots with a good coating of algae.

Scourers are available in the kitchen areas most home hardware shops and supermarkets, unfortunately these days I can only find the steel ones and not copper. When you've scrubbed with the steel you then have to wash off the black smears it leaves behind.

[Lesley Cox]

And if you scrub with steel wool (Steelo) you are likely to get the most vicious tiny splinters of metal in your fingers. Fortunately I can still get copper wool at my supermarket and it seems to be in a continuous thread, all bunched up to make a ball of sorts, with no beginning or end so nothing to pierce the skin.

[Maren]

...where were we??? oh yes, filters.

How and where do you attach the ladies tights? I am talking downpipes here