Leaky tap on water butt...

[SarzWix]

I bought a Sankey water butt last year from Focus, to put in at home. The tap had a bit of a drip to start with, but usually stopped after 5 minutes or so. Now the thing is dripping for up to 2 days after being turned on, and of course the receipt is nowhere to be found... It's not the seal between butt and tap which is the problem but the actual tap dripping. Anyone had this problem? Is it repairable, or should I try writing to Sankey for a new tap? Would like to sort it before I really need the water...!

[Protea]

I had exactly the same problem with a new waterbutt - it turned out to be a missing seal on the tap fitting (i think it was on the inside of the butt) My other half tried fixing it with plumbers tape round the tap thread (which we thought was the prob) which was better, but still dripped. In the end we bought a new tap which was cheap and solved the problem.

[seasprout]

I have the same problem at the mo, for now untill I can get a new tap I have stuck a bit of hose pipe on to it and then clamped the hose.

Not pretty but it works.

[shirlthegirl43]

I was in Wilkinsons today and noticed that they sell replacement water butt taps. Not expensive as they were own brand.

[Alison]

Thanks Shirl, have got a butt I'm not using at the moment as the tap leaks, it seems to keep coming unscrewed whatever I do.

On a slightly different subject, the designer Wayne Hemmingway was on the TV yesterday morning marketing his latest design, a water butt in the shape of, well, a butt............ Apparently they will soon be seen in B&Q.

[SarzWix]

That's a good idea Seasprout, will try that as a temporary measure - got loads of random hose-fittings! Will have to look in the DIY shops for a replacement tap - we haven't got a Wilkinsons here...

Thanks for advice everyone

[SarzWix]

Update to the water-butt problem;
My really clever OH has just decided to set up the air-rifle targets next to said butt... So of course, there's now a flipping hole in it...!! I could say a lot of things about men, common-sense & brain cells, but I'll just go and count to 2000...

[MURFE 18]

Had same problem with dripping tap, got replacement from one of these pound shops, works great now,

[seasprout]

Update to the water-butt problem;
My really clever OH has just decided to set up the air-rifle targets next to said butt... So of course, there's now a flipping hole in it...!! I could say a lot of things about men, common-sense & brain cells, but I'll just go and count to 2000...

Quick get your OH to buy you a new water butt. Threaten him that you will get another OH if he dont. (Might Work)

[SarzWix]

Hahahahaha, that'd probly make him shoot at it some more....

[bufflettuce]

Buy Quality

I was in Wilkinsons today and noticed that they sell replacement water butt taps. Not expensive as they were own brand.

I tried a Wilkinson tap but it was a problem from the start. The tap handle had to be sawn shorter to be able to use it - the handle had a long and a short side to help you see the off position but this was a 'fail' on the barrel shaped butt. The long piece was too long.

It is a very simple spindle spigot with a hole in it that you rotate to get an on/off effect and is not watertight. I improvised with some tape to tighten the seal. This made it hard to turn on and off. Needless to say my kludge failed after a few days and it is dripping again.

I bought a cheap and effective plastic tap from the gardening section of Poundland. This has a standard garden hose bore so is not suitable for the main water butt outlet. However I made an additional hole halfway up the butt and installed it to let me manually fill a cheap plastic dustbin.

Note that the Poundland tap does not come with a nut to help attach it - so do look out for this if you see something similar. I luckily found a couple of old plastic nuts of the right bore lying around at home.

[WendyC]

I wonder if they have changed in the last 9 years since shirlthegirl posted?

[MadMackem]

I wonder if they have changed in the last 9 years since shirlthegirl posted?

I know MY butt has - and not for the better

[Bigmallly]

Note that the Poundland tap does not come with a nut to help attach it -

That's because they are sold for water butts with pre threaded holes..................p.s Welcome to the vine.