water butt tap not working

Naki

I installed a wate butt (Sankey?) a year ago. I've never managed to get any water  from the tap, though the butt is full. I didn't have it placed on the  stand supplied as there wasn't room, so had a piece of hose attached to the tap instead - I can't  think how this could be a problem, and cant figure out why the tap turns  but doesn't release water.

Can anybody please suggest what could be wrong, and what I can do?

Thank you,

Naki

Dovefromabove

Is the free end of the hose higher than the tap end?  Water won't flow uphill 

nutcutlet

Sounds daft but was there a hole cut properly in the butt, not a potential hole that needed pushing out?

Naki

Thank you  Dovefromabove and Nutcutlet.

The free end is about 2" lower than the tap so Iassume that's ok - as for the blocked hole, that's a good point, and I wish I knew the answer!! A handyman set it up for me, so who knows? I guess I must nowempty the butt with a jug and inspect and check that the piece has indeed been pushed out.

Thank you both for your help - and if anybody else has any further suggestions, please keep 'em coming !!

pansyface

Funnily enough I thought of the hole having not been drilled too. Or maybe the tap is just a duff one. Give it a good kick, both to see if anything loosens and to cheer yourself up.

pansyface

Hee hee. Wear a wet suit when you do that!

Naki

Thanks Everybody!

The good kicking might indeed work and will certainly cheer me up !!

I'll take Edd's advice too, and in the next few days, weather permitting, I'll unscrew the tap (I hadn't realised I could simply do this - not very technical/practical. you see!). But, heeding the warning in capitals, I'll try to get most of the water out with a jug first!

I'll report back once I've had a go (and a kick).

Wish me luck, and thank you all.

 

Naki

Thanks Everybody!

The good kicking might indeed work and will certainly cheer me up !!

I'll take Edd's advice too, and in the next few days, weather permitting, I'll unscrew the tap (I hadn't realised I could simply do this - not very technical/practical. you see!). But, heeding the warning in capitals, I'll try to get most of the water out with a jug first!

I'll report back once I've had a go (and a kick).

Wish me luck, and thank you all.

PS. Just noticed Runnybeak's reply. No rice in the vicinity, glad to say, but our guttering above collects copious amounts of pine needles - I wonder if they could collect at the bottom and block things up?

Anyway, the above 'screw that tap' and 'kick-and-tell' procedures should solve it one way or another

 

pansyface

Pine needles are a real possibility. I have that problem with my greenhouse gutter/waterbutt downpipe and my neighbour's blue cedar tree.

Alan4711

Naki,if you remove the tap make sure you get the retaining plastic collar nut from inside the but ,you need this to tighten the tap again when putting it back, also you may need 2 people to do this as the buts are usually to deep for one person to hold the tap outside the but and tighten the collar on the inside unless of course your 7 feet tall, also move the rain pipie from the but and tie a stocking round the end  to collect the pine needles, suspenders not needed,  good luck. snowing erein Norfolk

Topbird

Some lovely images being conjured up here - people kicking water butts, people getting drenched in the Tsunami after removing tap from said water butt, stockings with and without suspenders and people walking round with water butts wedged on their heads - all topped off with people emptying saucepans of rice down the sink (that would have made me soooo mad RB!).

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