Connecting more than one water butt together

[IndigoElectron]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, I wasn't sure where to put it.

Ages ago I asked on here about getting a water butt, and I was advised to get the biggest one possible. I didn't listen, and bought a slimline 100 litre butt, this one:

Wickes Compact Water Butt Rain Saver Kit 100L | Wickes.co.uk

Needless to say it is nearly empty and no sign of proper rain forecast for some time

I want to buy another water butt and link them together, this one looks good:

Cloudburst 200 litre Water Butt Kit | Outdoor Water Saving | evengreener.com

which I am pretty sure is the same as this one:

Wickes Water Butt 200L | Wickes.co.uk

We just about have room for it, but I'm having a bit of trouble working out how I will link them together. Here is our current set up:







There isn't space for the new water butt where the current one is, so I can't swap them round and the new one would have to go to the left of the current one. The current butt is attached to the drainpipe on the left, so I would need to drill a hole in the right of the current butt and attach the rainwater diverter to that side instead. This would allow me to connect the two butts together with a connector kit. The problem is that the hose on the diverter kit isn't long enough to come round to the right, so I would have to use something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/25mm-Corruga...ref=pd_cp_lp_3

Would I be able to attach this to the rainwater diverter that I currently have?

Also, am I right in thinking that the level where the water enters the new butt would need to be slightly lower than where it leaves the current butt? Otherwise it won't fill up properly. This is a problem because I won't know the height of the hole until the butt is delivered. Alternatively could I fit another rainwater diverter to the drainpipe, so I don't have to connect them together at all? It would be higher than where the water enters the butt though, I don't know if this would cause a problem (e.g. the butt overflowing).

How I wish I'd got a bigger one in the first place

Oh, and they need to have lids, because we have a 2 year old.

Anyway, any advice would be gratefully received, I don't know if I am overcomplicating things as usual

[Bren In Pots]

There's a few ideas and links on this thread :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ons_62847.html

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Bren. I did see that but there wasn't anything that answered my specific questions.

[IndigoElectron]

I also had an idea that I could use a lidded bin to store some water (I'd need to transfer it manually but that's okay). I've seen bins with lockable lids on Amazon, but I would need to ensure it was completely watertight. I tried using a plastic bin that the previous owners left behind but there must have been tiny holes in it because all the water leaked out. Any ideas how I could waterproof a bin (e.g. with tarpaulin), or any recommendations for a watertight bin? Maybe metal would be better, but it might rust? Thanks - I am determined to find a solution.

[lottie dolly]

All other half done was,drill a hole in the collection butt,the same size as a bit of plastic piping,you could use blue water pipe,better use something bigger than a soggy hose pipe,it has to be a good fit,next,another hole in the no 2 butt to receive the other end of the pipe,and so on,until you got however many butts you wish for,what ever you use,you will need the water collection butt a bit higher,then it will flow better,some of ours will not flow as they are so many,what we do is pump it along to the next sett of butts,the pump is also used,with the help of a charged battery,to water anywhere you wish,depending on your length of hose,the one we got works well with a spray end on,for a gentle watering,
metal will rust,if you got some strong black plastic sheeting,you could look at trying to line any made up structure but it has to be solid,otherwise it will bulge,a wooden top will keep it and wildlife safe,

[snakeshack]

you can just set up a siphon using a piece of hose.
1.cut a piece of hose long enough to reach from the bottom of one but to the bottom of the other butt .
2.put one end in the old (full) butt,you may need to weight it down.
3.suck on the end of the hose until it fills and put your finger on the end.
4.reach down into the new butt and drop the hose end.
as long as the pipe remains full of water the level in the two butts will equalize,the pipe can go in through the top of the existing lid,no new diverter required and no bu**ering about with a drill,try it we all have a bit of old hose lying around anyway

[Martin H]

What snakeshack said, but personally I don't like to muck about with sucking. It always seems to end badly. So instead you can fill up the piece of hose by submerging it in the full waterbutt, then put your thumb over one end and transfer that end to the empty waterbutt. The water gushes out but stops when the two water levels are equal (or when the higher end comes out of the water, so don't let that happen or you have to start again and that's ten seconds wasted).

If I'm going to leave the hose there then I'll tie a stone to each end.

The only problem is if you've completely emptied both butts then it rains heavily only the first one will fill up until you re-start the syphon.

The upside is, you only really need a tap in the second butt!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Trouble is if the two butts are on the same level a syphon just won't work as soon as the water levels equalise the siphon action will stop.

If I am right the existing water butt as a 1/2bsp thread where the tap screws in, if the new butt has the same then a simple job with 15mm plastic water pipe and the correct 'T' piece will do the job if they are about the same level.

[Nicos]

Hi there- I've just moved this thread over to DIY Tips as it might be more handy in the future as a good reference for anyone else with similar problems!

[Nicos]

Had you thought of attaching the new one to the downpipe in the same way, just a bit lower /higher than the one already there???
Obviously the in/out tube would need to be horizontal.

I'm presuming the first one has water going into the butt, and out through the same horizontal tube?

Just check my physics, but I think that would work???

[Chippy Minton]

Lots of great suggestions here but maybe getting quite tricky and technical. I find connecting the 2 taps with a piece of hose and a couple of Hozelock (other brands are available ) connectors. Open the 2 taps, water finds a level so there's no need to fill from the top. You can then close the 2 taps and take the hose off for when you need to use the water. I manage to fill a 700l tank from a 270l butt connected to the downpipe. Just remember to keep the connection open when it's raining and the water fills both

[Bill HH]

Same as above

[broadway]

That's bloody genius! (Well to me anyway)

So you leave the taps open all the time or switch them off when not raining?

[Bill HH]

That's bloody genius! (Well to me anyway)

So you leave the taps open all the time or switch them off when not raining?

I leave them open all the time, it becomes just one large butt. The final outlet tap was a spray attachment but I found it too slow so now I have bought a tap off the net for £2 with a bigger output. I also have a pump in one butt to pump water into another butt higher up the garden.

[Printemps]

Great minds think alike Bill HH - I too have the same linked arrangement with 2 x 1000lts IBCs. They are about 4 metres apart with a 40cms drop between them (natural slope of garden), linked by a garden hose through their spigots.

	Feeder IBC: Receives water from shed guttering, which then flows into Lower IBC via single hose outlet.
	Lower IBC: When this tank is full, the Feeder IBC then fills and in doing so adds to the pressure of the outflow of the water to the garden.

With this week's summer storms the 'feeder' tank will soon be full again! The downpipe outlet from guttering into the top tank is fitted with a pair of 'pop socks' which acts as a filter. Easily washed out and are lasting well - not that I wear them at this time of year!!! Even though each tank is covered in black polythene, I add a teaspoon of J***s Fluid to keep the water bug free.