Water Butt Query

Antibac

Do you need to connect these to a pipe or can you just leave free standing? Also if there is enough water can you run a power washer from it? Thanks!

Oldtree

I think that you mean:

water butt needs to be elevated somewhat depending on how high the end of the output pipe will be. eg. I put my one up on concrete blocks as I passivly fill 5 litre bottles from it.

I have mine directly under a down pipe from the gutter, with an overflow from it.

I would think you would have no problem running a powerwasher from a butt, after ensuring that the butt is raised up above the height of the powerwasher unit and the butt has enough capacity to meet the demand for a wash or two.

An agricultural filter (€17 for the unit and €7 for the filter (1 micron) plus connectors) would be a good addition ensuring no gunk would get into your powerwaasher. i use a bit of mesh to stop any detritis getting into the butt from the down pipe.

Antibac

Oldtree wrote: »

I think that you mean:

water butt needs to be elevated somewhat depending on how high the end of the output pipe will be. eg. I put my one up on concrete blocks as I passivly fill 5 litre bottles from it.

I have mine directly under a down pipe from the gutter, with an overflow from it.

I would think you would have no problem running a powerwasher from a butt, after ensuring that the butt is raised up above the height of the powerwasher unit and the butt has enough capacity to meet the demand for a wash or two.

An agricultural filter (€17 for the unit and €7 for the filter (1 micron) plus connectors) would be a good addition ensuring no gunk would get into your powerwaasher. i use a bit of mesh to stop any detritis getting into the butt from the down pipe.

I've no downpipe. We are in the middle of a group of houses and the pipe is only on the end houses. Do I need to install a down pipe?

Oldtree

Depends on where you intend to set your water butt, but it has to be filled somehow.

Antibac

Oldtree wrote: »

Depends on where you intend to set your water butt, but it has to be filled somehow.

I was thinking of leaving the lid off and jus letting rain in that way? Or is that ridiculous? Am new to it sorry for the stupid questions!

Oldtree

I am sure it would fill if just left open but may take a while between refills. There is a huge runofff from any sort of roof even a shed which makes things a bit easier.

Alkers

You can run some power washers off them yea (all of the Karchers anyway).
It will probably take a long time to fill just with the lid off, we have a 4foot shed which we put guttering on and that's more than enough to keep ours full so you don't need a big roof at all. I'd say installing a downpipe from your guttering could be an option but with the set up you have described I'd say your butt would overfill quite frequently (several roofs would be draining into your downpipe) so you need to consider an overflow set up as well as a means of filling the butt.