Financially, using a water butt to collect rainwater from your house, garage or garden building doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Tap water is fairly cheap, and it takes a lot of rain to fill the average water butt, meaning it could be many years’ before you see a positive return of your investment.
On the other hand, if you care about the environment, don’t like the idea of pouring tap water onto your plants or the nearest tap is far away (you may own an allotment or very large garden), using a water butt to store rainwater to feed the plants in your shrubbery, borders or vegetable plot makes a lot of sense.
And the good news is, they’re very easy to fit and it won’t take you very long to do the job.
What to look for in a water butt
Water butts come in a range of sizes and typically start at around £20-£25. Bigger is usually best as they hold more water, but if you don’t have enough space, you may prefer to choose a smaller one.
Water butts are usually made from rigid plastic, but you can get wooden water butts too. Over time, wooden butts may need more maintenance and are more likely to leak.
It’s kind of a no-brainer, but make sure your water butt comes with a cover to keep out leaves, debris and animals.
If you don’t already have a something to stand your water butt on (bricks, step etc), you’ll need to make sure your kit includes a stand, otherwise the tap will be too close to the floor and you won’t be able to get your bucket or watering can anywhere near it. (The ‘how to’ instructions below assume you’re using a stand, rather than bricks or a step.)
The typical water butt is green and cylindrical in shape. They’re not exactly ugly, but if this style isn’t quite right for you, take a look at Water Butts Direct, they offer a wide range of decorative alternatives.
Tools needed to fit a water butt:
- Water butt
- Water butt stand
- Water butt connector kit
- 25mm drill bit
- Utility knife
- Spirit level
- Power drill
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Saw
Method for fitting a water butt:
- Place your new water butt stand on firm, level ground. It should be no more than 500mm away from the downpipe you’re connecting it to.
- Place your water butt onto the water butt stand.
- Screw the tap into the hole provided at the bottom of the water butt.
- Using your drill, make a 25mm hole at the top of the water butt. This is for the hose.
- Attach the hose connector to the water butt using the washer and nut provided.
- Using a spirit level, mark out the section of the downpipe you want to cut out to accommodate the connector. This should be level with the hose connector on the water butt.
- Before you start cutting, check the manufacturers instructions and follow the recommendations for cutting out a section of the downpipe.
- Cut the diverter lid to the shape of the downpipe and install before connecting the diverter.
- Make sure the diverter is connected to the downpipe at the same height the hose enters the water butt.
- Cut your hose to the correct length, and connect the downpipe to the water butt.
I’m sure you’ll agree, the process for fitting a water butt is really very simple and something the typical DIYer can easily manage in an hour or so.
Check out this water butt on Amazon. There are more to choose from if you don’t like it.
Video courtesy of Woodies DIY.
