Realistic fill time for a water butt?

[gadgetman]

We've had some quite short but heavy rainfall. yet the new 210L waterbutt only has the smallest amount of water in it - just about coating 1/4 of the bottom.

It's fitted to a double garage, with pyramid roof and only 2 down pipes on the whole garage (i've tapped the southern most as this is on my property, other isnt). Using Marley rain diverter.

Pipe is straight, and level, overflow on diverter is above fill pipe, but well below top of water butt.


I'm guessing it will be useless until next summer? Not expecting it to have been full, but the very small amount gathered I feel deflated at my green efforts.

[Snadger]

Something wrong there! I dragged a barrel under a leak I had in my gutter and it filled in one night!

[Two_Sheds]

My butts running off my 7x5 shed don't fill very much in the growing season, or very fast, because I use the water quicker than they fill up. (However, the ones running off the house (3 bed semi) fill up in just half an hour of heavy rain...it's a huge roof)

You will be filling it up over winter (when you aren't watering) and will probably feel you need another one linked up to it.

[rana]

Most of the water could be running down the other downpipe - depending on the gradient of the guttering. When it next rains (today according to the forecast) try creating a dam of damp newspaper to limit the flow of water down the other pipe. Your gutters will either overflow or if the gradient is favourable the rainwater will divert to the downpipe feeding the water butt.

[sweetiepea]

If you are just experiencing showers then you might not get that much water. I gathered very little over the weekend despite some torential down pours. We had sunny spells in between, and a combination of heat and sunshine dried things up very quickly. However, it's been raining solidly since 10pm last night and I now have two and a half connected barrels full, another full at the gable of the shed, and the one attached to the greenhouse approx. haf full (very small roof).

If the amount of rain isn't the issue, check your gutting. You might be surprised by the amount of debris that ccan gather there, and this may be restricting the water flow. Also check the levels of the gutter. They may not be angled properly.

[taff]

check in your pipes for snails too, mine didn't fill at all a couple of weeks ago when it rained heavily all night. I checked the pipes, nothing in there, some silt in the original downpipe hole, but it was only when I took the pipe off the connector to the barrel top, I found two empty large snail shells in there that were blocking all the water.

[teakdesk]

It's fitted to a double garage, with pyramid roof and only 2 down pipes on the whole garage (i've tapped the southern most as this is on my property, other isnt). Using Marley rain diverter.

You can calculate the amount of water being collected from the roof quite easily.

The pyramid roof is not important; you only need the floor area of the garage in metres. Let's say 5 metres wide by five metres deep = 25sq metres.

Then put a glass outside in the rain (a straight-sided glass, not a wine glass - a beer glass is fine) and measure the depth of rain collected - lets say 5mm (about a quarter of an inch).

Now multiply the square metres by the millimetre depth = 25 x 5 = 125.

This is the litres of water that have run off your garage roof = 125 litres.



In the heavy rain we have had recently 5mm of rain easily falls in an hour or so and my butt connected to my garage (single fall pipe fitted directly into the butt) will be overflowing after a heavy night's rain.

If you can't access the second fall pipe then try blocking the gutter to limit the rain that goes that way.

[Snadger]

I left my wheelbarrow out in the last downpour we had and even the wheelbarrow was overflowing!

[Madasafish]

My 210 litre barrel was 1/4 full a week ago. After one night's very heavy rains, it was 3/4 full. And by the next day, full.


That was exceptional..- we had 2cms of rain in a day.

[gadgetman]

Thanks folks. Will examine the sections of guttering I have access to and ensure they are clear of spiders and other rubbish.

Thanks teakdesk for the calculation method. I shall place a marked glass outside and monitor.

[Skotch]

As others have mentioned, its all about gradient. Also, check that the pipe from the diverter to the barrel isn't blocked - a common occurence especially if there is crud in the guttering that will be getting washed down with the rain.

I always wrap a length of wire around the downpipe by the barrel and on occasdion use it to 'rod' the filler pipe. Amazing what gets trapped in there

[gadgetman]

I think the gradient wont be/isnt an issue.

Perhaps we didnt have as much rain as I though it was, or something in the guttering's stopping the water reaching my down pipe.

As said, there are only 2 (either side of the garage doors) on the whole garage unit so I should be getting quite a bit.

[rana]

To test the gradient and blockages in downpipes just pour a watering can full of water into the gutter and watch where it goes (and how it gets there).

[gadgetman]

Did the water test today, and everything seemed fine from the parts I could access.

So perhaps although we had some heavy rain, it was far too short, or hitting the garage the wrong side for my downpipe to see any action.

[bobleponge]

I do have a long roof but only guttered on one side currently. However from empty in the summer, on one good nights rain I will fill the 1200 litres of water butts I have.
Maybe there just wasnt as much rain as you thought there was.