Poly-tunnel guttering / water harvesting

Can any member recommend a guttering system for a poly-tunnel? - Our tunnel is the full stretch-over type with no longitudinal battens, so a self adhesive system would be needed.

a-a

 

Can you do something at ground level?

Bit late now, but I wonder if it would be worth, when stretching the plastic over, backfilling the last 6" with gravel and putting a perforated drainage pipe in the before the gravel. I expect that most of the water would run along that, rather than percolate into the ground (except in very dry conditions - which would maybe when you were most keen to collect the rain water?)

 

I have never seen one for real, although I have seen them online...so cannot recommend one.

I would however be dubious of a self adhesive system coping with a torrential downpour, when the guttering is stuck to the cover itself as I don't think it would do the cover any good. If the self adhesive part was purely for a watertight seal at the guttering to ensure water collection, and the guttering was supported from the ground, I think that would be better...but a bit of a faff to do.

Steve...

 

I dismissed thoughts of forming a channel around the perimeter at ground level as I thought my clay soil underneath would form a giant crack underneath on the line of the buried cover allowing it to work loose (even a row of carrots or parsnips form long, deep cracks in dry weather) and that's why I have porous Mypex weed barrier around perimeters.

 

Alex, I'm a little confused as I thought you mentioned guttering rather than drainage at ground level...have a missed something perhaps on another topic that made you start this one...and I have got hold of the wrong end of the stick?

Steve...

 

Hi Steve, yes I was hoping find a system of guttering to fit at about 4-5ft up the tunnel wall to direct water into a butt - We did try a commercially available stick-on type, but apart from it being difficult to fit well, the 'trough' is only about a quarter inch across so overflows or chokes with silt easily - anyway I have rigged up a very "Heath-Robinson" system using poly sheet, garden canes and gaffer tape - It works OK when testing and I'm now waiting for a good downpour to see if it does the job!!

a-a