Installing a water butt
For financial and ecological reasons it makes sense to have a rainwater butt for the watering of pots and flower beds. In her step-by-step guide, Helaine Clare plumps for a purpose-built oak butt to save up spare water and look the part.
Allowing rain to fall on the roof and run away down the gutters is like pouring money down the drain. Many households are now on water meters and water is expensive to treat so it pays to have a couple of water butts to store winter rain. Your garden shrubs and flowers will repay your foresight generously, should there be a hosepipe ban.
A water butt is good for plants too. They prefer rainwater and many object to the chlorine and chemicals used to purify tap water. They also like water of an ambient temperature and don’t take kindly to the shock of cold mains water.
From an ecological point of view energy is saved by not wasting treated tap water unnecessarily. And if all roofs had water butts in which to store water, the impact of flash flooding during heavy downpours would be lessened.
For this project I chose a beautiful oak water butt, handmade by Suffolk Barrel Products (01787 247600; suffolkbarrel.co.uk) from barrels, many of which began their lives as sherry casks in Spain and later went on to mature whisky in Scotland. It’s lovely to look at and with a unique and quirky sense of history too.
We installed a diverter that prevents the butt overflowing. The ingenious device diverts rain back into the gutter downpipe once the butt is full. My advice is to always invest in a genuine Rain-Sava diverter (raindrain.ltd.uk). In my experience, cheaper imitations can prove difficult to dismantle and clean if they become blocked with debris from the gutters. It can be fitted to a round or square downpipe and accessories are also available to enable several butts to be connected together. You can even site one in the greenhouse to save carrying watering cans.
You will need...
- Rainwater butt and plinth
- Concrete slab
- Spirit level
- Rain-Sava diverter kit
- Fine-toothed saw
- Drill and 25mm spade bit
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1. Prepare the base: Oak water butts are heavy, especially when they are filled with water so they need to be stable. Site the butt on a sturdy and level base. Excavate the soil to a depth of around 20cm, fill with hard core and pack with gravel or sand. Top with a 5cm thick heavy-duty paving slab. Use a spirit level to ensure it is level. |
2. Make it easy to fill up: The butt must be raised at least 25cm above ground level to fill watering cans. We used a purpose-built one from Suffolk Barrel Products; or lay bricks on both sides of the slab and bed in a second heavy-duty paving slab. It will need two strong people to lift it on to the plinth. Take care not to knock the tap as it’s lifted. |
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3. Measure for diverter: Lay a straight-edged piece of wood on top of the butt towards the downpipe. The top of the first paper template supplied should be level with the butt – this section of pipe must be cut away for the diverter. Tape the template to the pipe as a guide. Use a fine-toothed hand saw, then smooth ends with glasspaper. |
4. Put on the diverter: Slide the Rain-Sava top collar up the downpipe and insert the diverter body. Slide the body into the lower downpipe and then slide down the top collar. Push the rigid pipe on to the diverter to locate the correct position for the barrel fitting. |
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5. Mark barrel fitting: Use the second paper template supplied to mark the position of the barrel fitting. It should be 16cm from the rim of the barrel. Secure with masking tape and remember to mark the exact position for the hole by pushing a bradawl through the template. |
6. Drill through the barrel: We used a 2.5cm spade bit to drill a hole. If only all woodwork were so joyous to work with – the smell was glorious evidence of the barrel’s previous incarnations. To make drilling a bit easier and to prevent the bit jamming, try to hold the drill level. Smooth any rough edges with some glasspaper. |
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7. Seal the fitting: Slide the washer in place. Hold the coupling inside the barrel and push it out through the hole. Tighten the securing nut to compress the rubber washer and seal the fitting. Connect the diverter to the barrel with the narrow rigid pipe. Replace and secure any gutter brackets that were removed or loosened. |
8. Fill it up with water: Fill your butt with water within five days of receipt. Once in use always leave a little water in the butt so it never gets completely dry. To prevent harm coming to birds or animals keep the top on. Over the years the oak will weather, but if you prefer to keep a depth of colour apply a coat of raw linseed oil. |
Find out how to make a gravel path...
FEATURE HELAINE CLAIR STYLING AND ACCESSORIES GEORGINA WEST AT PRACTICALLY PERFECT INTERIORS (01379 788836; practicallyperfectinteriors.com PHOTOGRAPHS COLIN LEFTLEY
Featured in the July 2009 issue of Period Living
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