Lidl Irrigation System - water whilst on holiday

MORPH3US

Hi guys, did anyone buy one of the Lidl micro irrigation systems when they were on sale last week?

I am on holiday for 3 weeks from Sunday and so got one of these this morning hoping it could water for me whilst we are away.

My plan is to hook it up to the water butt and leave it running whilst we are away.

I was wondering if anyone else had done this though and if the water butt full would last the three weeks? I wasn't sure how much water these irrigation kits spit out per day / week.

Thanks

elliep_2

Why not test it before you go. set it up now and let it run for a week while you can keep an eye on it? That way you can top-up water the plants if they need it and you can see how fast the water butt goes down. Then you'll have a better idea of if it'll do the job while you're away. Obviously you'll need to refill the water butt with water from the hose before you go away if you do that.

Pie123

I got one of these last year and went on holiday for 2 weeks. When i returned my water butt was empty and my posts full of water like a swimming pool.
If you connect it to a water butt leave it less than half a tap power and make sure you water butt is filed to the top
And is this offer stilll on i need another one

balloo_2

Have you a rainwater kit on your greenhouse? If you are going abroad pray for rain over here. Lidl also had a timer there for £4.99 to connect to an outside tap that would maybe turn water on and off every day. I am thinking connect a hose pipe from a tap to your water barrel, but who am i to say i am a new gardener.

MORPH3US

Thanks for the responses guys, I set the kit up last night to test and the results are:

1. According to the manual the flow through is 0.1 - 0.3 litres per hour. So considering worst case scenario of 0.3l per hour = 7.2 litres per day x 18.5 days = 133.2 litres. I think my water butt is 120 litres so should last 16.5 days if it runs to 0.3l per hour.

Unfortunately my water butt is not connected to any water source because we do not have any drainpipe downspouts... Will just have to get someone to call in and keep an eye on it towards the end of the holiday and top up from tap if needed.

2. Using the electronic timer is not an option. We always turn our water off at the mains when we go away to be on the safe side.

3. In Lidl at the moment they have the electronic (programmable) timers (about £12), the mechanical (countdown - non programmable) timers (about £4) and also the micro irrigation kits (about £9).

Aldi are also having the irrigation kits on offer soon at £5.99 (?) but check their website for when.

4. Praying for rain is useless - everyone knows it only rains when you don't want it to Plus plants are in a greenhouse so even rain wouldn't help.

balloo_2

MORPH3US wrote: »

Thanks for the responses guys, I set the kit up last night to test and the results are:

1. According to the manual the flow through is 0.1 - 0.3 litres per hour. So considering worst case scenario of 0.3l per hour = 7.2 litres per day x 18.5 days = 133.2 litres. I think my water butt is 120 litres so should last 16.5 days if it runs to 0.3l per hour.

Unfortunately my water butt is not connected to any water source because we do not have any drainpipe downspouts... Will just have to get someone to call in and keep an eye on it towards the end of the holiday and top up from tap if needed.

2. Using the electronic timer is not an option. We always turn our water off at the mains when we go away to be on the safe side.

3. In Lidl at the moment they have the electronic (programmable) timers (about £12), the mechanical (countdown - non programmable) timers (about £4) and also the micro irrigation kits (about £9).

Aldi are also having the irrigation kits on offer soon at £5.99 (?) but check their website for when.

4. Praying for rain is useless - everyone knows it only rains when you don't want it to Plus plants are in a greenhouse so even rain wouldn't help

MORPH3US :rotfl: I meant that you could pray for rain if you had a rainwater guttering kit. I thought that would help to keep the barrel topped up while you were away Thus keeping your irragation kit working while you are away. ps don't spend to much on my pressie this year. :eek:

Pie123

i am getting one tommorow do they still have them in stock and at what price

MORPH3US

Sorry guys, forgot to come back and update.....

Set the system up and noticed a little leak where the splitter is from the mail pipe to all of the smaller ones. Fixed that with some clear bathroom sealant. It was where the two bits screwed together... nothing major.

Then filled my water butt to the brim and turned it on, all seemed to be working fine with little beads of water forming on the end of each little pipe.

Left it on overnight to see how much water it used, went back the next day and my 120 ltr water butt was EMPTY!!! :eek::eek:
Not great when I wanted the waterbutt to last three weeks while i'm on holiday.

Tried again the next night with the water butt tap turned down to half way (normally still good flow of water) but next morning the water level hadn't moved at all (and no drops forming on the ends).

Think its a waste of time myself.... ok maybe if you just want to use it while you are at home... i.e. turn it on full, leave it an hour or two then turn it off....

HTH

M

elliep_2

At least you tested it before you went away. It sounded like it was going to work in theory and it's a real shame that it didn't but at least you're aware of what it'll do and can arrange some other watering method.

stilernin

I have had a couple of poor experiences with Lidl/Aldi/Netto recently.

Square compost bin - fixings at the corner popped open too easily, would never have stood the rigors of being full of mature compost.

Cold frame - far too flimsy, didn't even bother putting it together.

Hand fork _ the tynes bent on the first outing, only used clearing out old patio pots.

With some things you really do only get what you pay for Unfortunately, you don't always know when it is going to be...............

All have been successfully returned for a refund.

ixwood

You need a timer for it to work properly.