Best value water butts before water tax kicks in?

onekeano

Wife is putting the pressure on to finally get my act together on this :eek:

Need to get my hands on one of these so need help with:

- where can I get a kit (includinging connection to downpipe / stand / tap etc)
- is 210L the largest that is available?
- bets place to purchase one?
- anything else I should be looking out for?

Roy

NIMAN

250litre one in Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ward-GN340-Slimline-Water-including/dp/B00CRE5ZQG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1408808295&sr=8-5&keywords=water+butt

magicbastarder

that is STG£45, but woodies are selling a 240l one for €45:
http://www.woodiesdiy.com/Product/210lt-proplus-large-water-butt-kit/16652/4.7.4#.U_i2iWMXOKQ

NIMAN

Thats 210l, unless I need to go to Specsavers.

onekeano

Thanks guys - think shipping from Uk would be prohibitive so looks like Woodies for me tomorrow - need to get this boxed off before the United game :-)

Roy

NIMAN

Let us know how you get on, as plan to get a butt soon myself (oh er missus).

dozy doctor

For anyone looking for a water butt and want to get one as cheap as possible consider this option to make a water butt from an old disused wheelie bin... http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057262471/1/#post91878264

CJhaughey

A clean IBC would be the best value, you might need to do some prettification but 1000l is 4 x what a drum will hold.

magicbastarder

NIMAN wrote: »

Let us know how you get on, as plan to get a butt soon myself (oh er missus).

the main question i'd ask is what your downpipes are like.
i was able to attach one to a shed roof with standard plastic downpipes with no bother, but the downpipe coming off the roof of the house is a metal one (60 years old) and it's rusted into place.
you have to be able to loosen and move the bottom section of downpipe down to get the diverter in.

onekeano

Went around to Woodies earlier today - they have the 210L for €45 (well had, they'll be back in stock this week). Not sure if you can get the 20% off with link below

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/205727.../#post91862383

Even came across this short video in my research https://www.aldi.ie/fileadmin/fm-dam...ter_Butt_1.mp4

So the evil day is put off - or at least postponed for a few days :eek:

Roy

NIMAN

That Aldi link ain't working.

onekeano

https://www.aldi.ie/fileadmin/fm-dam/products/product_photos/2014/Specialbuys/W12/Thursday/Water_Butt_1.mp4

The Garden Shop

Hi All

Before you buy your waterbutt there are a few things you should check:
The size & shape of your downpipe
Most are square these days, but make sure the downpipe diverter will fit your downpipe

Make sure that the waterbutt you are getting includes the full kit:
Downpipe diverter
Tap
Stand
& Lid

You can certainly find cheap waterbutt online & in shops but make sure you are getting the full packing

Lastly, you could consider a water butt pump & waterbutt linking kits if you want a extra water storage

Happy Shopping!

CamperMan

1000 L IBC tanks are cheap, get ones that have been cleaned., we have 4 of them for collecting rainwater

iainBB

About to get an IBC myself in September and put it on the garage roof for water supply to the garden veg, washing machine and downstairs toilet. It is much better value for money if you have the room for them.

lgk

iainBB wrote: »

About to get an IBC myself in September and put it on the garage roof for water supply to the garden veg, washing machine and downstairs toilet. It is much better value for money if you have the room for them.

Make sure you upgrade the roof structure to handle the extra tonne+ of weight there. I presume you're going to pump water up to the tank from a lower tank then if it's on the roof, or what are you thinking of?

Also, how much roof area do you propose collecting from? 1m sq will collect 760l per annum on average, and as little as 30l over the course of a month in the summer in Dublin. A washing machine will use 50-60l per wash, toilet flush 3-8l depending on type.

You will need a mechanism for topping up the system with pump, water level valves, etc. for when demand outstrips rainfall, so ensure you factor all that into the value for money calculations.

iainBB

cheers LGK.

the garage is 2.5m wide and is attached to the side of the house with wooden rafters. The roof structure is standard flat roof. i was thinking of putting some wooden beams going against the current direction of the rafters and putting the IBC on a pallet on them.

Would I have to reinforce the original rafters also ?

I was not going to pump the water up to the tank just yet as that tank water currently feeds the shower and taps on the second floor. so did not want to do that until phase 2 ( next years project)

I was planning to simple connect the IBC water connection to the washing machine which is in the garrage and run a second tap to the garden.

The roof suface area is around 10m sq at first and will be upgraded to another 10m sq (other side of roof) later on this year.

With your calculations (thanks by the way ) that would be min of 270L a month in the dryest time of year.

I was thinking of skipping the topping up method and was going to hope that it would be enough

Other plans:
Clad the IBC with plywood to protect from light
Put a large hydrometer in it to montitor the water level from the ground.

lgk

You'll almost certainly need to bolster the original rafters. Those designed to support a flat roof aren't specified to hold over a tonne of extra weight, even spread across a few of them.

Ah, ok, so your house two-story and the garage is single story. So you'll be able to put a diverter on the downpipe above garage roof level. That'll work, many of the showers designed to be fed from a tank can run from a head of as little as 80mm (height difference between base of tank and shower).

You could clad the tank with shiplap (like they use on timber sheds), and cover with felt. Would make it more attractive and weather resistant.

magicbastarder

i have a reinforced concrete flat roof on my garage, and had pondered a 500l tank on it to plug into the downpipe.