water butress

Hi there,

does anyone have any good ideas about where to find a cheap water butress for collecting rain water?

I've tried the B&Q angel, council etc but �£50 all in for the fittings (taps / connectors / drain pipe) seems a bit ritch.

Must be a good idea around.

 

Hi McGardiner,

Have you talked to your local council? Ours have advertised subsidised composting and water butt stuff this year - I got both, but still waiting for my water butt to be delivered after all the panic buying this year! Got a huge compost bin for a tenner, and a water butt with full kit (stand etc) for about �£28. Worth a phone call!

Cheers,

Dave

 

yup, tried the council.

They only do composting bins. Guess we're expecting another wet summer here in scotland!

 

McGardiner,husband rigged me one up using a(think its a 10gallon) drum and some guttering.i always end up with flaky blue bits floating in my watering can where he cut the hole but im not complaining.

 

Interesting - any idea where the 10 gallon drum came from?

 

Worth talking to scrap yards, but there is always the problem of what was in it before.. sometimes more hassle than it's worth trying to clean it.

How about your local water company? again, they are usually quite keen on (or at least being seen to be keen on) saving water and often subsidise.

The water butt kit I'm getting is similar to this one - 2nd row down on the left:

http://www.recyclenow.com/buying_recycled/in_the_garden/index.html

It's only �£35 anyway - any good?

 

Try the Tank Excahange - they do recycled clean water butts and price includes tap and delivery.
Water butts do cost abit to set up ,but will last years.

 

Its a bit cheeky and involves a little white lie, but, use a wheelie bin. Phone up for a new one telling them its gone astray. They get nicked all the time i've had at least two. The council just raise an order and one appears on your drive! Drill a small hole if you want to tap it and get your self a bung to block it. It even comes with its own lid!

 

Like the idea - but i've been trying for 1 year to get another garden refuse bin from edinburgh council. Your land needs to be over 1 acer officialy - and we're about 5/6s of one. Typical eh.

Thanks for the ideas - guess i'm going to go with the tank exchange.

 

No its the little scallys that run off with them and the bin lorries that eat them. I have only ever requested a new one for legitimate purposes, but have often thought they would make good water butts. :D

Cheeky webmaster!

 

the drum i use is a 45 gallon drum not 10 and it was given to us but you can buy them out of the yellow advertiser for a fiver.

 

now this sounds just right

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/4989104.stm

"Barrels rolled out for water cuts

Surplus whisky barrels could be used to store water
An Aberdeenshire whisky merchant plans to sell unwanted barrels to ease drought problems in south east England."

think I'll give them a phone and see how much I can get one for.

 

In view of the threatened drought conditions I have thought about whether to save the bath water via the down-pipe into a tub but wonder - if it was not used for a day or two if the soap, shampoo etc in the water would make it smell as it was stagnant. Also would the soap, shampoo etc be harmful to any of the plants?

Has anybody saved and used their bathwater in this way?

p.s. This is assuming we will be allowd to have enough water to bath.

[ 18. May 2006, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: jjordie ]

 

I know its no good to you but Essex and Suffolk Water are doing the whole water butt think for 34.95 free postage, so if you went on line and checked your local water authority you might have some joy