Smelly Water

[LosingthePlot]

I have a water butt from the shed roof. It has been there for 3 years and this year it started to smell so bad (it smells like vomit!) I emptied out all the water (onto the plants - which don't seem to mind the smell) and cleaned it out (scrubbed out the inside and cleared downpipes etc).

Rain came again and filled it half way up - but the smell is still there - as bad as ever.

Apart from emptying and checking the butt again, and gutter/downpipe again, and maybe looking to see if something is caught in the tap - does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks

[Squirrel]

Urgh! That sounds awful! Havn't a clue, but perhaps something is caught in the tap. Would a bit of milton (the stuff they use to steralise baby bottles) help do you think?

[poultrychat]

My tin of ***** fluid has a dosage rate for keeping butts clean

[Alice]

I'm trying to think what smells like vomit and can only think fungus infection. Is it a wooden but. It might be rotten with fungus. As poultry chat says, have a look at the ***** fluid and see what it says. Good luck.

[LosingthePlot]

Thanks for the suggestions, I happened to have some baby sterilising tablets to hand so I've popped a few of them in and will check progress later. I'll have to water something I'm not too fond of in case the water kills it.

[nick the grief]

The answers easy ..... don't smell it !!

I would check the guttering to make sure a baby bird hasn't fallen in there or the like.

The steralising tablets won't hurt to clear the butt out but as you say water the grass with it, although you probably find that it would be OK. I know you can use a 5% solution of bleach to steralise plants prior to propogation if you want.