Fitting a water butt

Kashkai

Hi

With the advent of water charges, and due to the fact that I wash my car on a weekly basis, I want to set up a water butt to collect rainwater from the downpipes or I'll get fleeced with the bill for water.

How do I do set the water butt up as the ones I've looked at in B&Q don't have instructions. Do I have to drill into the down pipe? How does the water butt deal with overflows, ie if it gets full? Is there anything I can put in the gutters to reduce/eliminate leaves flowing down into the water butt? Is there a cheaper method of collecting rainwater for reuse? I already have a submersible pump that I use to pump out the kids paddling pool so I'll use this in the water butt to give me the pressure I'll need to wash the car.

Davy

Drill the downpipe, or cut depends on the adapter you get.

When the butt fills, the excess water flows underground as normal.

For the gutters, you need the mesh or 'hedgehog'. Its a length of bristle you sit in the gutters, which stops the leafs lying in them.