Get a water butt!
Each year the demand for water rises as our standard of living improves. We now use 70% more water than we did 30 years ago and it is estimated that the average person uses 150 litres of water every day. On average a person in the UK uses three times more water per day in their home than someone living in Africa.
Almost 100,000 litres of water falls on the average rooftop every year. Using this instead of treated drinking water is better for your garden, its wildlife and the environment…… so grab yourself a water butt!
They are a quick and easy solution to collecting a good supply of water for plants, so that you don’t waste valuable tap water.
- You can collect and store rainwater in any watertight receptacle as it falls.
- Avoid the danger of small animals falling in and drowning by fitting a lid.
- For maximum impact, connect your water butt to the guttering leading from your roof. Many custom built water butts come with a simple connection kit which takes minutes to install.
- You can buy wooden or plastic water butts. Some have a tap in the bottom which makes it easy to fill a watering can or possibly fix a hose.
- If you have a simple barrel design you will need to scoop water from the top. Make a fine mesh lid to prevent debris and small animals falling in the water while allowing the rain to collect. If you don’t put a lid on, put a plank inside to act as a safety ramp.
(Taken from the BBC website ‘science and nature’ pages.)
If your water supply is provided by ‘Wessex Water’, you can apply for a free water butt trial (for 60 days). Even if it’s not, there’s lots of helpful information regarding water efficiency on their website
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30 Jul 2006
Have not been on website for ages, and am sposed to be doing other things now! We were talking about doing this only yesterday, so will start looking round soon – probably when I next get paid
Plaistow, GB , 01 Sep 2006
You can use a plastic rubbish bin with a hole cut out of the lid to accommodate the drainpipe, which is cheaper than buying a proper water butt. But you’ll have to dip your watering can in it to get the water out.
10 Sep 2006
I recently received the Water Butt that I ordered in May. I would just like to say that it was very easy to fit, my children helped, and it required a tiny bit of drilling, a bit of hacksawing and piling up some bricks to make a stand for it. No previous experience required and took about half an hour. I am now looking forward to it raining and checking I have done it right!
Bristol, GB , 10 Oct 2006
I got the water butt ages ago, but joining Generous spurred me on to actually get it connected! Firstly the instructions for the connector had dissolved in the water that had got into the butt, despite it not being connected. A look around the web site for the suppliers soon rectified that. there was a very print friendly version on-line. By he time I’d done that no more time to actually connect it. So a few days later got out the hack saw and cut the down pipe. unfortunately didn’t realise the phone/internet cable had been routed up the pipe! oops! the very kind Tele West people came and mended it yesterday, so today I hope to finally get the pipes connected to the butt! Only have to sort out the water butt in the back garden now.
Luton, GB , 14 Apr 2007
Yeah, I too have bought one and not yet connected it – will try in the next few weeks, and just hope I don’t have the same sort of tales to tell as Carla! Or is living generously about having more fun anyway?!
11 May 2007
We bought ours this weekend just gone and connected it on Monday (including breaking the brackets on the down pipe and having to go and get new ones!). It didn’t rain until Wednesday and it was filled up in that afternoon! (I’m well pleased it doesn’t leak where we had to drill into it for the connector pipe) I’ll have to get some guttering on the shed and a 2nd Water butt and connect up a whole string of water butts with the extra-sava (see link below). Total cost to us including new downpipe bracket was £44.53. I think we got quite an expensive connector as ours didn’t come with it’s own, we bought a rainsava http://www.raindrain.ltd.uk/Product.html
Newcastle, GB , 12 May 2007
There is a large one in my new house. Must now remember to use it when watering my newly installed hanging baskets.
Thrapston, GB , 12 May 2007
We got our water butt from Anglia Water, but I imagine most water companies have special offers. http://www.anglian2u.com/ < £40 for a complete kit.
Bristol, GB , 15 May 2007
Have done this at last! connected up the waterbutt in the back garden. it took me ages to get gather all the bits I needed to use an old plastic barrel. connector kit, tap, breeze blocks to stand it on. Fergus have grave misgivvings about the drainpipe sliding down and not going back. But there was no problem, possible due to some clever knot work that was meant to hold the pipe up while I sawed through it. It took two of us a good hour to set it all up.
Taunton, GB , 15 May 2007
I’m just waiting for the connector kit to arrive – then can install 3rd butt next to new greenhouse. I have 2 others already installed off garage roof and they are both completely full following all of the recent rain! I’d like a chance to start to empty them again now!
Croydon Surrey, GB , 30 May 2007
If you use a “rainsaver” device don’t forget to clear it of leaves regularly.
02 Jun 2007
have recently ordered 2, just waiting for them to arrive.
07 Jun 2007
I’m feeling smug about this one because we have had a water butt for a couple of years now. But since I am an aspiring but as yet not particularly proactive gardener (i.e. I just about manage to mow the lawn but tend to leave the rest of the garden as a natural woodland-style wilderness) I don’t have a massive need for the water as yet. But when I get my act together and start planting properly, there it will be, ready and waiting.
Luton, GB , 16 Sep 2007
I managed to get mine connected up before the last lot of rain so it filled up (sagged a bit doing that so the pipe didn’t meet up well – added a piece of bath edging to channel water down into butt; a bit ‘Hath Robinson’ but it works!!!) and I’ve been using it to water my veggies in this dry weather. Eating Swiss chard and the leeks are doing well.