Water butts in da shade

Last year I lost 2 full water butts due to the sun heating them and had algae/scum on the surface.
So this year I’ve protected them with a frame and Louvre covering from spare fencing feathered edge boards, hoping that will keep them cool.

 

Tell me, do you have a lid on them?
You only have to exclude the light to stop algae growing.
I prefer the water in my butts to be warm.

 

I don't understand why you "lost them" the water was still there, the algae would be in the top part of the butt so you could have drawn off from below via the tap or a siphon. I've used water from tanks with algae on the surface and it's not hurt my plants.
I'd fit lids as Pete suggests to keep the light out, probably more important than keeping them cool.
If it does form then treat with either potassium permanganate or an algicide from an aquarium/pond supplier.

 

And if you put a couple of drops of cooking oil in the top it tops the Gnats breading.

 

They do have lids on them.The water was really warm, the scum smelt terrible and frothy, take off is from the bottom. Did have a few drops of oil covering the surface. They are in the sun from dawn till early afternoon (east facing). Now have put some crushed Charcoal in some mesh submerged which I’ve read it helps.
So far its ok

 

We have some water butts which area fed off a roof with overhanging trees. We’ve had problems with the water getting very smelly and scummy and when we emptied the butt and investigated we found that slugs had passed into the butt and we’re (obviously) drowning and rotting

 

Since last years issue, although I had a mesh filter in the take off from the downpipe, like yours fed from my shed gutter with overhanging trees.
I now have a piece of my daughters tights over the inlet into the butts to filter the rain water which the mesh missed.
But did not any slugs etc in the butts when I cleaned them out.

 

Just cleaned ours out. It's filled from the drainpipe from side of the roof with no overhanging trees. I was surprised to find a couple of dozen worms in the bottom. All I can think of is that birds dropped the worms on our roof, I'm 100% sure they didn't jump in. Good idea about the tights, might try that, thanks.

 

My main water butt collects from the roof below the starlings' nest - I made a filter by drilling small holes in the end of a food tin, it fits nicely in the top of the pipe - as does half a tennis ball, which can also be drilled, and stringed, so you can pull it out to clean it.
My water butts get really hot in summer, but I never get stuff on the top of the water, just the usual deaders in the one without a top.

 

I have water butts with no lids, in the sun and I have no algae, I add a couple of drops of Eco-friendly a couple of times a year to deal with mosquito larvae.
As algae could be the food of the future I'm obviously doing something wrong.

 

I have water butts that are clean and I have some that a totally rancid. The bamboo like the rancid stuff.
I think sometimes, us gardeners can molly coddle our plants too much. A lot of stuff we grow quite like all the extra 'protein' they find given to them...they like it so much, we apply it as a granular feed or top dressing. Put a few spoonfuls of BFB in water and leave it for a couple of days. The smell can make your ears bleed
That reminds me, I must stake the dracunculus

 

I think its probably rotting vegetation if its smelly, I've never known algae to smell and algae wont grow in the dark.

My Butts have a deposit at the bottom as I've never cleaned them out in years.
I dont have any taps, I just dip the watering can in from the top, so rarely let them get low enough to be using the sediment in the bottom as I refill in the summer with the hosepipe, which allows the water to warm up before watering my plants.

I have lids on all of mine which are scattered in various parts of the garden.

 

Yeah, I never keep the lids in the right place, either!

 

I've inherited three butts in our new garden. Two have lids, but one doesn't - and that's within bushes. I imagine it'll need cleaning out each year. Mind you, if it continues to rain as much as it has been doing over the past six months, I can't imagine us needing to draw from them very often. Except for the plants under cloches.

 

We used the small slug water when we emptied the butt out, but it didn’t half whiff for a few hours. We dont have problems with our main waterbutts which are in sun most of the day so must get quite warm, but then they collect off the greenhouse roof so no vegetation or wildlife getting in.

Must suggest to OH using an old pair of tights on the slug prone ones, @welshone