Guttering for shed into waterbutt

[tyrosine]

Hi all,

I would like to set up some guttering on my shed to fill a waterbutt. My garden is detached from my block of flats, so virtually an allotment. I was wondering what is the best way to channel the water into the water butt, and to deal with possible overflow.

(i) Stick the downpipe straight into the butt: this would require making a hole big enough for the diameter of the pipe - possibly a P.I.T.A job. Drill another hole near the top of the butt and fit a tap/hose so water will flow out when it gets to a certain level.

(ii) use conventional diverter kit that comes with most butts: I just realised that some diverters, if installed correctly, deals with the overflow (amateur here.... ) which flows out of the downpipe. Would this cause any problem by channeling a large volume of fast flowing water into a small area? The downpipe will drain onto the soil which has ok drainage - however, this will also be right next to the shed so am worried about what it will do to the wooden base.

Appreciate any advice I can get, and thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Mottie]

I'm also watching this thread as I've just been given a big wooden beer-barrel that I want to use by our garage. Would like to fit new guttering, downpipe, some sort of diverter and a tap to fit into a wooden barrel to fill a watering can. All I've realised so far is that I'll need to install some kind of footings for the barrel as a full one will eventually sink into the soil. Also, will need to raise it up a bit to get the water can under the tap! Any ideas what type of tap I can use - the ones that I've seen are really only suitable for plastic water butts that you have access to the inside so that a nut can be tightened onto the tap. Can't get inside my one.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Most plastic waterbutts come with a hole for the output tap and also overflow
Some/all also have either entry holes for the input or an area that is pre marked out

As far as overflow goes, you could get all the water to go into the butt, then take the overflow output to a pipe, which later connects to a leaky hose. Or add another butt?

 

[tyrosine]

Most plastic waterbutts come with a hole for the output tap and also overflow
Some/all also have either entry holes for the input or an area that is pre marked out

As far as overflow goes, you could get all the water to go into the butt, then take the overflow output to a pipe, which later connects to a leaky hose. Or add another butt?

Ah I see! Thanks. That's the thing about trying to buy something from the Internet, you can't really tell what the item is like.

I've only seen one water butt that explicitly mentions an overflow outlet. Of course this has to be one of the more expensive option, and I am hoping to get away with spending as little as possible!

If not, I think it wouldn't be too difficult to drill a hole on the other side of the butt, lower than then input hole and hook up a leaky hose that I drape around the area, bit like an irrigation system? Is this plan flawed??

 

[tyrosine]

I'm also watching this thread as I've just been given a big wooden beer-barrel that I want to use by our garage. Would like to fit new guttering, downpipe, some sort of diverter and a tap to fit into a wooden barrel to fill a watering can. All I've realised so far is that I'll need to install some kind of footings for the barrel as a full one will eventually sink into the soil. Also, will need to raise it up a bit to get the water can under the tap! Any ideas what type of tap I can use - the ones that I've seen are really only suitable for plastic water butts that you have access to the inside so that a nut can be tightened onto the tap. Can't get inside my one.

Not really sure if this will work, but how to people get wine out of wine barrels? I think the put the tap in after fermentation so there may be a way?

 

[Nige F]

A beer keg tap is tapered and driven in to a tapered hole in a stopper ( wooden) that is driven into the barrel Galvanized screwed plumbing fittings are tapered threads. Brass bib taps are paralell thread so if you can get a 3/4 x1/2 inch bush to hold in the wood - a bib tap will fit that. You could practice on scrap wood to get the hole size right. seal the threads with a bit of hemp - or ptfe if you must