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When we built the basement, we needed to run a set of external stairs up to ground level. Rather than have these awkwardly appear in the garden, we built a 3x4 m box around them with the plan to put IBCs in the bottom for rainwater harvesting and to run a deck over the top and create a mezzanine level deck. it is west facing so should be a shaded sun spot in the evening. All the roof rainwater is currently piped through this area in 110mm pipe on its way to a soakaway. I now need to buy 4 1000l IBCs and plumb them together to allow the rain water to enter the top (via some kind of filter) and have excess water go to the soakaway. I've made electrical provision for a submerged pump which will be connected to an outside tap. It's now time to order the tanks and figure out how to plumb them together. Looking to buy here but quite clueless on the fittings and sundries I will need but beyond that I'm pretty clueless! Help please

So the plan is this. 3 or 4 IBCs buried under the patio linked together at the bottom with the first tank connected to the downpipes using filtered hoppers and the supply taken from the last in the line to limit the sediment transferring between them. I then plan to put a 5 micron filter and an activated carbon block in the garage before feeding the WCs, washing machine and outside tap with the supply. Question is - should I use a submersible pump or a jet pump...? Both will need some sort of pressure switch to sense a tap opening or a WC flush, but there the similarity ends. My thoughts are that a submersible pump will be cheaper and easier to maintain but by design it will pick up more sediment and that means the filters will need changing more often. Also, it will cut out at a higher water level. A jet pump will sit the clean side of the filters so will not be prone to pulling as much sediment - plan to pick up from just below the water surface with a floating pickup - but for a pump with a switch and a pressure tank it is much more expensive. Other option is to pick up from the IBC outlets and balance across all 3/4 tanks with the jet pump that slightly reduces the cost as the links will be 25mm MDPE. The commercial models tend to do in tank pumps but that means you don't get the full water capacity. They also need a separate flow / pressure switch but not too worried about that. So has anyone else used anything like this and have any thoughts ..??

Hi, Is anyone doing rainwater harvesting and what has your experience been over a few years of using such a system? I'm interested in choosing one for a new build and using it in my toilets and washing machine (less so the garden). I understand in the absence of water charges (Direct charges are currently suspended in ROI), there is no economic payback but I still feel it's the right thing to do. I would be very interested in any good or bad experiences in having such a system in place and have you found it useful or not? Does it over complicate the plumbing, are there issues with the underground tank, smells from the water in the cistern/header tank etc. Is it something you would do again and does it meet your expectations? I think the benefits may be marginal at best (especially when occupancy is just 1 person!) but there may be angles I hadn't considered. Thanks!