Water butt for my shed - help!

[zazen999]

Yes that would be ok. I wish i had your problem, i cannot seem to keep my barrels full. I must use at least a barrel per day. After 4 days i'm waterless (

What are you doing with it? Polytunnel?

[Alison]

We've got an IBC and two normal sized water butts coming over our shed. They all filled up last winter, have been drained down a bit but are currently all filled. As already said, water just overflows into the soil now, as it would have done if we hadn't put water butts on the site.

Am guessing if we get the polytunnel up and running next year I'll be using water a lot quicker.

[Flobalob]

What are you doing with it? Polytunnel?

No Polytunnel. But greenhouse, conservatory,large glazed outbuildings,50 odd pots,hanging baskets.
My first job every morning 7-9 except Sundays ;-)

[Two_Sheds]

I will start collecting 4-pint water bottles. We rarely buy them as we can't use it fast enough

I buy a 4 pinter, and divide it into little pop bottles to freeze. I get small quantities of milk to use, and big containers for the lotty

[Demeter]

As already said, water just overflows into the soil now, as it would have done if we hadn't put water butts on the site.

The reason I'm worried though is that once you put up a gutter you are channelling all the water into one place so it is more likely to puddle - especially as we have heavyish clay soil where it would struggle to soak away quickly enough in any heavy rain. It was horrendous last year and I just couldn't go for a while because the ground was so wet there wasn't any point. Also, the place where the water butt will go is right next to my neighbours plot and his plot is down a "step" from mine so that all the water would most likely end up puddling his allotment more than mine and that would NOT make me popular!!

I'm off to B&Q this morning to get my guttering and have thought of somewhere I can get some free rubble so I'll get a bag of grit to go on top and dig a little bit of a soakaway today.

[Demeter]

Thanks everyone, I've now completed the job! Made the soakaway yesterday and put up the guttering etc this morning, very pleased with the results and now all I need is a bit of rain to test it out!

[bobleponge]

Hope it all works Demeter, nowt like a bit of hard work and then seeing your results actually as you intended them to be.
Well, thats the theory anyway .....