Doing my bit to save the environment, I mean cut down on my water bills. I devised a system that uses the rain water off my roof to flush the toilet.

The pump is powered by a solar panel array that also provides power to my laptop.

I've put this thread together to go over what i've done and to help anyone else if they want to do similar.

The rain water is diverted from the down pipe by a divert/filter that sends the water into two large butts. A small electric submersible pump operates to pump the water into a header tank in the loft.

Float switches and relays are used to ensure the pump doesn't overflow the tank or pump the butts dry.

Solar panels charge a lesuire (deep cycle battery) to provide power for the pump and my laptop. A pure sine wave invertor regulates the solar charge and provides mains power. Found modified sine wave inverters (cheap ones to be junk) and not work with many appliances.

water butt plumbing

water butt and pump

Thats fantastic!!! How much was the set up? I'd love it as I'm on a water meter.

Nice system Neil
Have you considered using your grey water from the bath/shower, washing machine and sink (obviously not the kitchen) for the toilet flush? Would be especially useful when it hasn't rained for a while

Butts about £25, b&Q
pump = £7, eBay
tank = second hand off old heating system (loads being thrown out with Combi now)
inverter = £100 ebay (more expensive as pure sine wave)
charge controller = £15, ebay (you might not need it if inverter has charge controller)
float switch = £7ish each, ebay
solar panels vary in price, but all ebay. That lot of mine are a 40w, 60w, 18w & 10w = 128w altogether.

Thinking of investing in a "grid tie inverter" to do away with the battery and sell the elec back to Manweb.

We tried the grey water but it starts to stink after a few days so had to use a lot of bleach. you can get a grey water diverter kit on ebay but it depends on the level of your bath compared to the butts as you wouldn't really want to pump it.

if you wanted to do it cheap raising the butts above the height of the toilet would be good as gravity would fill up the toilet cistern. Quite good if you have downstairs lav.

Just to power the pump, if you needed it, you'd only need a tiny solar panel for about £20. I've got so many because they power the laptop all day.

Great idea but I suppose it only works if you have a flat roof to put the waterbutts onto.

you can put the butts on the ground. The little pump I have will pump water up to 6m high which should do for most houses.

Hi Neil,Wow thats amazing, I know what you look like, but may one be forgiven for thinking that you wear a white lab coat, have large round glasses and a rather large amount of curly grey hair?

Lol ! well done mate - looks good!

Reaping the benefits off it today matey, free toilet water is falling from the skies!!

V.impressive - can't see me doing anything like this tho

it's quite easy to build it up. I started with the water butts/diverter first then the pump and connection to the loft header tank came afterwards.

When I move house and do it again, i'll probably supplement with 1000 litre tanks and try to divert water from both the front and back of the house. My mate has 3*1000L tanks connected in serial which drain water off four sheds he has at the end of his garden. It's all filtered by a big pond filter. I'm not quite ready for such dizzy heights yet.

See you actually pay twice if you're on a meter, for the cold water which then gets doubled for the waste (they assume the water you use will eventually end up in their sewers).