water butts: last question

[Stephen]

Thanks for all your help with the water butts. Just to finish things off:

I've followed the advice I have received here and rather than use a diverter, I have connected the drain pipe to go into the butt. There is even a template on the lid that says "cut here for pipe".

Does it matter how deep the pipe goes into the butt? One post mentioned taking the pipe almost to the bottom but with a small gap to allow for any sediment. Is this the best solution? is there a reason that the pipe has to be submerged? Why not just have a short pipe that finishes nearer the top of the butt? This would disturb the surface of the water when it rains; I don't know whether that makes any difference?

People have mentioned being able to dismantle it for cleaning out every couple of years. I think I need to solvent weld the elbows onto the down pipe otherwise they will fall off. I made the mistake of spraying them with silicone spray so that I could insert them easily and now they keep falling off! Should I leave one un-glued so that I can pull it off for servicing?

I thought the lid needed to be turned to remove it, which would be a problem with a pipe going through it, however, it looks as though there are just four clips. If these were all pressed in, I imagine it could be lifted straight off.

Thanks.

[David in Normandy]

I rigged up my 500 litre water butt so the guttering down pipe went straight into the barrel. I've cut a piece out of the lid to take that. And for overflow I've simply used a piece of waste pipe pushed into a hole I made near the top of the barrel. To seal the hole I've simply used some mastic. The arrangement works well. Every Spring I empty the barrel and tip it up washing out all the smelly sludge at the bottom. The overflow pipe has remained attached during this process without falling out. However if it did so it would be a minor job to seal it again with more mastic.

[Keith W]

I have drilled a small hole in the side walls of the elbow connectors and inserted a self tapping screw. They hold the pipe and bend together fine and have been in for some years now without rusting too much. Stainless steel would last longer but these are just plated and have done well with plenty of life left. And of course I just unscrew them to dismantle.

[OG]

What happens when the butt is full? Won't you have to take the overflow back into the drain, so I don't see the benefit. Ours takes water from half our roof and was full after just 1 heavy downpour - 1/4 inch of rain on the roof will fill a 200 litre water butt, so far more goes down the drain than is kept!

[The Medway Handyman]

No diverter to block up.

You can link several butts.

[JTM]

If that was the one from Mary, I think she was talking about the #outlet pipe# . . .

. . . and ISTR someone suggesting a strainer to collect debris

[snip] John