water butt tap?

[Stephen]

Hello,

I read some old posts about connecting water butts and there seemed to be some concern about the taps running too slowly. Has anyone tried to replace the taps that are supplied with brass bib taps? Are these any faster and would there be a big difference between using the 15mm pipe and 1/2 inch tap or 22mm pipe and 3/4 inch tap?

The hole in the water but looks as though it is slightly smaller than a 22mm tank connector so a hole saw might be needed to shave another millimetre off. The inside doesn't look too smooth though, there seems to be a lip around the tap outlet. Still, I guess the rubber washer will take care of that.

Thanks.

[Jim]

I'd go for a quarter turn tap for the added convenience since the pressure is so low.

[Donwill]

Probably because they block up with crud off the roof, when they are empty you should take the opportunity to flush and clean them out thoroughly, it's surprising how fast the crud builds up. Don

[Andy Cap]

Enlarge the cut out at the top. Insert an old sieve - if it has a couple of loops to support it, they can even be bent down so the sieve is level and feed the incoming water through it. It will catch most of the debris off the roof and can easily be cleaned out every few weeks.

Andy C

[oldhenwife]

Not if you have something at the top of the pipe to stop the crud coming through.

The tap on a butt is a couple of inches at least from the base of the butt, it takes quite some time for crud to build up. None of our gutter-filled butts has had a build up of crud for the ten years they've been installed.

Mary

[Dave Liquorice]

between

tap?

I tried a bib type tap but the plastic of our butt is to wibbly really and you have to turn it full on (turn turn turn...) to get a decent flow. What has been there for a while now is a lever operated

15mm 1/4 turn valve.

Easy to use, quick on/off, good flow rate (which could be improved by using a full bore valve but isn't necessary. IIRC it's a normal 15mm tank connector, short bit of tube, valve, then a bit of tube with an elbow to direct the flow down. I think 22mm would be a bit too fast.

[Calvin Sambrook]

You can get "fast flow" taps which are, well, fast flowing. Just like a normal water butt tap but around 22mm OD. I also use them as connectors between butts as you can push fit 20mm ribbed plastic tube onto them if you heat it first and you get the advantage of being able to isolate a butt from the system when needed.

Try here at £4 each plus a bit of P&P:

[Dave Liquorice]

Our butt came with something similar but it siezed up within a year or so and was never very good in the first place. The 1/4 turn lever valve "just works".

[Andrew Gabriel]

Yes, my little local hardware store keeps both, and whenever I take one to the till, they are sure to ask if you have picked the right one for your application.

They have limited life as eventually fine grit gets in the sliding bits. I guess I've replaced mine about every 4 years.

[Calvin Sambrook]

I've had mine for varying lengths of time between about 10-15 years (ie. so long ago I can't even remember doing the job but not too long after we moved in) and 1 year. That said my application is slightly unusual in that they don't get turned on and off too often as they are mostly used for linking butts. We take water automatically into the pond and by pushing a container in the top when filling watering cans etc.

[Stephen]

Thanks. That is interesting. I thought 15mm plumbing might be too slow because I had read threads here about the flow from the tap being so poor. I realise now I must have made a mistake: these posts must have been about the supplied taps rather than 15mm bib taps. (What is a bib BTW?)

Quoting back-to-front:

Is there a way to reinforce the butt. Since it would be submerged, I guess it would have to be brass. Could a brass plate be put inside behind the tap? Where could you buy a suitable square of brass from?

[Dave Liquorice]

Thats down to the restriction at the valve. If you are worried get a full bore 1/4 turn lever valve.

Thing babies/toddlers wear around their necks when being fed or feeding themselves to protect their clothes from food that misses the mouth.

In the context of a tap, donno...

Remember that this plate may well have to be curved to fit the round side of the butt and maybe in the other direction as well. ie be part of spheroid shape. If the threaded part sticking into the tank is long enough you might be able to fix/seal that then have another nut to hold the plate in place. But bear in mind you are probably going to be fitting it 4' down an 18" dia tube, not the easiest of places to reach, particularly as you may need to be at both sides at the same time...