
Getting electricity to the rainwater storage tank.
Since an Arduino will be inside the rainwater tank, I will need some electricity there as well. I could exclude using batteries since an Arduino isn’t exactly low power and I needed to power some sensors as well.
I have an electrical cable running through my garden to provide a garden shed (that still needs to be constructed)) with electricity. So, that seems ideal. I just need to attach a new cable to the existing one. The hardest problem is finding back the damn cable.
Since the wire tap will be underground with high chances of plenty of water, a proper enclosure needs to be used (IP67 if I remember correctly) to avoid running into problems sooner or later.
Finished wiring inside the enclosure. Pro tip. Cut the electricity before you start working on electricity cables.
After finishing the wiring, I had to fill the enclosure with a special resin (provided with the enclosure) that will help to keep any rain water out of the enclosure.
Next task is digging a small trench towards the storage tank about 10 meters away. I started from the storage tank and first drilled a hole through the wall big enough to pass the cable and its protective shield. A different enclosure (dampproof only this time) and the tube holding the parking sensor are mounted temporarily to get an idea for the best location to drill the hole.
Digging a trench towards the pathway.
Next, digging a trench alongside the pathway. This is the safest route for the cable. When I start working in the garden I’ll probably will having to do some digging when working in what will be the vegetable garden. And I don’t want to get shocked when I dig a bit too deep.
To measure the distance towards the water surface, I use a simple parking sensor (which has the added benefit that these should be waterproof) and found some plumbing tubes that gave a decent fit.
Another pro tip. When you start cuttins a tube to its correct length, make sure there are no cables inside…