How to stop my waterbutts from freezing?

[Greenleaves]

Are we thinking it will be a hard winter then? If it is anything like last year it wont be a problem

[Potstubsdustbins]

In the broadsheet today coldest for 100 years. Maybe???

[Alison]

Are we thinking it will be a hard winter then? If it is anything like last year it wont be a problem

Not fussed either way, as I say they were fine through the previous bloomin' cold winters

[lottie dolly]

In the broadsheet today coldest for 100 years. Maybe???

[Knight of Albion]

I wouldn't worry about it. If, in the unlikely event, it ever got that cold, a cracked plastic water butt would be the least of one's problems!

As for a 'severe' winter. I wouldn't worry about that either. You can tell what sort of winter it's going to be by the behaviour of the wild birds and animals, and certainly the ones here aren't in the least fussed.

[Kristen]

In the broadsheet today coldest for 100 years. Maybe???

Like the predicted last autumn, and the one before, although in the Autumn before the 2010 winter they predicted it would be mild ...

Met Office struggles to predict anything 10 days out, any more than that is a pure guess.

[alldigging]

.

Met Office struggles to predict anything 10 days out, any more than that is a pure guess.

And worryingly they want to spend £100M on a computer to help them guess better.

[Kristen]

I don't know if it is good value for money, but I'm happy with the concept. I find that their forecasts 3 or 4 days out are good enough to take a decision on, and 5-10 days to get a Head's Up that I need to prepare to take some action. I presume that farmers do likewise and I expect if another day, or so, is added to the certainty period, or the "maybe" period, that would help.

[Snow]

Mine's been fine the last two winters. Not cold last winter but can't recall the one before. I just plan to drain a quarter to ensure there is expansion space should it freeze.

[skeggijon]

An open waterbutt won't split because the expanding ice will just go upwards, although if a full waterbutt or ibc freezes, then we have started entering the realms of 'The Day After Tomorrow'

[Kristen]

An open waterbutt won't split because the expanding ice will just go upwards

I don't think it will - I think the water at the top will freeze first, several inches thick, but then when the really cold weather arrives and the rest of the water starts to freeze it will expand both downward and outwards - and upwards as well but only if there is any "give" left.

This from 2010

Ice Water Butt demolition thread from 2010





Expanding downwards, because the top froze sometime before, can also cause the bottom of the butt to bow out and become curved where it was once flat:



wigton physics: Frozen water butt problems

But a decent quality container should be fine. A point raised in the earlier thread was not to leave a watering can in the butt over winter, as if the ice freezes the expansion may destroy the can.