In today's video, I show you how you can install a water butt in your garden. You don't need loads of fancy tools or experience, just an hour and a bit of patience!
I liked this video mainly because you didn't automatically assume we'd have a drill bit for the right size of the hole and also because you added a few of your own touches such as blending it in with your garden and the extra problem of getting the pipe through the fence.
I also used a Jubillee clip on the pipe carrying the water from the downpipe as it developed a leak and I applied silicone around the tap to avoid leaks there too.
Well done. We did the same this year and also naively thought it would take ages to fill! With the rainy summer we're having it was full up in no time. So much so we have now daisy chained another butt to the first one. In hindsight I prob should have just gone for the larger one but we didn't really have the space as our is in a narrow walkway, so daisy chaining another one also works. Both are full to the brim! Roll on sunshine when we need to actually use them! I know you said you didn't want to buy a specialised drill bit but someone recommended a cheap step drill bit from Lidl for a fiver so that's what I used. Quite handy. Your garden is looking great though. Really in awe of your retaining wall. Nice job!
When you drill the butt for the pipe remove the lid and turn it upside down so it doesn't fill up with the plastic debris which could block the tap if you dont clean it out
Good easy to follow video, especially if you have just the basic things at home. I wondered with hindsight, if those that installed, would now opt for the bigger water butt. I am toying with the idea of the larger one. If I am going to go to the 'trouble' of installing one, I may as well get my monies worth :-D
I have the exact same water butt!! It fills incredibly fast like you said. I have installed a overflow on the opposite side to avoid the water overflowing the butt
Providing you fitted the diverter correctly at the right height, you don't need to fit an overflow at the other cut out, the diverter is the overflow also, so once the butt is full, the water then overflows in the diverter and continues down the gutter down pipe, but if you find that is not happening, then you must have fitted the diverter too high in the gutter downpipe, so instead the water is overflowing out the top of your full butt.
Nice one NG. Just a thought...you could put this one the other side of the fence? and get another one on your garden side? A green one would also blend in?
A green one would have been a good shout. I did think about putting it on the other side at one point, but it would have got in the way of the garage door a tad.
If you find you need more water there are companies on the net that do narrow square ones as opposed to the usual round ones that may protrude etc. ATB Gav@@NoviceGardener
Hi where did you get your diverter from please? We also have a standard round gutter pipe and the only one I seem to find is the square one made by floplast . Cheers
I have a 100 litre and thinking of upgrading to a bigger one. It doesn’t last that long when we don’t have any rain. Watering can is 10 litres so it’s only 10 fill ups.
I made the same mistake first, bought a ward 100l slimline butt, and found it wasn't enough, so then went out and bought a bigger 200litre one, and put it next to my 100l one, and connected the two together, so now have 300litres, surprising how fast both fill up, from empty to full usually only takes one day of heavy rain, reason being I live in a terrace of a total of four houses, but mine is the end terrace, and my house is the only one with a downpipe, so I get the rain from the roof and guttering of three other houses🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳have kept it quiet though, in case my neighbours find out I have two butts and start asking me for some free water, as it is getting collected from their houses also🤣🤣🤣🤣
