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water butts

GirlyfoxGirlyfox Posts: 50
in Problem solving

I have two water butts with lids and one with a stand when they are joined together how can i fill them with rain water is cutting the down pipe the only way as we have just moved house and are on a water metre also we lost the bit on the inside of the butt that holds the tap in place on one of them what is the answers thankyou

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  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391

    You can get kits which don't need the downpipe cutting - you just drill a hole and insert a special fitting.  Here's one (scroll down to "Speedy Rain Water Divertor Collector"):

    http://www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk/connectors.htm

    I don't know how efficient they are though.  You can also buy replacement water butt tap kits - one on this page:

    http://www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk/other.htm

    No affiliation with that site or recommendation - t's just the first one google found.

     

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,826

    Any garden centre or builders merchants or DIY place will have a rainwater diverter you can fit onto your down pipe - if you do this properly (follow the instructions exactly) it will fill your water butts, and then when they're full, if it's still raining the water will go down the downpipe into your drains again.

    You can get linking kits and the bits you need for your tap from the same places.

    http://www.wickes.co.uk/rain-diverter-kit/invt/543003/

    You probably need a stand for the other butt too, so it's high enough to put a watering can under the tap.

    image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • GirlyfoxGirlyfox Posts: 50

    thankyou so much I will let you know how this works out waterbutts are wonderful when they run smoothly image

  • GirlyfoxGirlyfox Posts: 50

    got a waterbutt linking kit new tap and attached the butts to the drain now no rain do both butts need a stand if they are linked or are the stands just for watering can

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391

    The stands are just to allow room for watering cans to be filled, but if the linked butts are of different heights, the water in the highest butt will only get up to the top of the lowest butt, so ideally both should be at the same height or you will have some wasted capacity.  You don't need a stand though (which are expensive) and could just use bricks etc to raise the second butt to the same height as the butt with the stand.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • GirlyfoxGirlyfox Posts: 50

    Thank you very much I am thinking that because I sorted my water butts out it may be my fault the rain has stopped but we really needed some sunshine here in suffolkimage

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