Your plants will certainly thank you for installing a butt, as rainwater is much better for plants than tap water. A water butt can be fitted to any downpipe where there is space to sit a container either directly underneath or nearby. They are easy and cheap to fit and can be an attractive feature in the garden. Choosing a Water Butt

You can either cut off the downpipe and place the water butt directly below it, with the cut-off pipe going through a hole in the lid, or you can install a rainwater diverter. This is often a better option as it means that an overflow pipe is not required, and it gives more flexibility for sitting the butt. Using a rainwater diverter is a great way to save on utility bills, reduce your impact on the environment, and keep a store of free and clean water for use in your home and garden. Save money Want to get up to speed on rainwater collection read Which Rainwater Downpipe Filter, Diverter or Water Butt connector to find out more. Capture all’ filters come by many names, including downpipe filters, downpipe guards, downpipe leaf catchers, downpipe leaf traps, and downpipe leaf filters. These all capture coarse debris, leaves etc. In all of these maintenance of the filter is required to remove the debris.Do these features make this Strata model worth buying? Well, I put this water butt to the test and identified it as one of the best water butts if you’re after a great value model – read on to find out why! If space isn’t too much of an issue, water butts of between 250 – 300 litres are standard size. They’re the best water butts for most domestic small/medium gardens. The morning and evening are the best times to water your plants as the water doesn’t evaporate in the heat of the day before it can reach the roots Connect the hose: feed the hose through the hole in the water butt and secure it in place with a screw nut. Then attach the other end of the hose to the diverter. Pre-drilled holes – these make it a lot easier to set up the water butt. If holes are not pre-drilled, you will need to make a hole of around 25-30 mm to connect the water diverter. Given that most people don’t have a drill bit of this size, this can be quite a difficult process. If you want a water butt with pre-cut holes, try to find a model with several pre-cut, plugged holes on different sides of the water butt. This will give flexibility on where the diverter can be connected, and where the water butt can be positioned.

Thanks to its beehive design, it certainly looks impressive, but how does it compare to the more traditional designs out there? I put this water butt to the test to find out. Of course, with each brand the installation process may vary slightly, but the process still remains simple. At first glance, the Strata 100L Slimline Water Butt Set looks near-identical to some of the other slimline designs available on the market. However, dive in a little deeper and you’ll notice that there are a few subtle differences that set this model apart from its competition. Using a spirit level, measure directly across from the hole and make a mark on the downpipe. You will need to make two marks, parallel with the top and bottom of the hole you have created.

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This water butt comes with all of the necessary accessories – three legs and a rain diverter kit. Unlike some of the other water butts that I reviewed, this one had a full set of instructions too, which made setting it up a breeze. After initially setting up this plastic water butt, it felt a little wobbly. Mine was standing on rough ground, and even though I had levelled this out before setting the water butt up, the legs didn’t quite seem as though they would hold up to the job. Water butts are not the only way you can collect the rain. You can get an estimate of how much mains water could be savedin a typical garden by following this link and pledging to make the switch from mains to rains. Water butts come in a range of sizes. Naturally, having a small water butt is better than none, so even a 100 L model can be useful, especially in small gardens.

Basic diverters, also known as water butt connectors. These offer no filtering capability. This type of diverter can often throttle the flow of water and does not offer a high capture efficiency. However, the basic diverters we offer do not suffer from these problems. If it doesn’t come with a base you should consider buying one separately. Not only will it help with filling a watering can, it will also help retain the shape of the water butt. In rainwater harvesting systems water flows from the roof down a downpipe (drainpipe) to the water butt , where it is stored. Diverters are the pipes used to connect the downpipe to the water butt. The most basic are used to divert water only only, whilst others also filter the water they divert. Water butts with rain water diverters are designed to collect water from the down pipe and still let the overflow enter the drain or soakaway. The two main benefits of a water butt are that they keep your water bill down by making use of recycled water, and they benefit plants because the water is free from chemicals like chlorine.Large capacity water butts can take up a fair bit of space, which is why the Charles Bentley Ward 210L Round Plastic Water Butt Set, which promises a compact and easy-to-use design, may catch your eye. But is it worth buying? Keep reading to see why I’ve chosen it as the best medium water butt. Water butts come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny storage devices that hold 36 litres to tanks that can store up to 2000 litres. There are many different styles. Most are plastic, but if looks are important, choose models made from metal, slats of wooden cladding or for an attractive feature, try an ex-distillery oak barrel that has been converted to store water. Where can I install a water butt? It is prudent to alternate containers used for wastewater and mains or rainwater, to prevent build-up of potentially harmful residues and bacteria. It is also sensible to avoid using grey water on salads and other produce to be used without cooking. On the plus side, this water butt comes with its tap already connected (not the case for most water butts), which saves a couple of minutes.

There are some things that you can do to help to make the water you collect in your water butt go that little bit further: While the space-saving nature of slimline water butts is great, those of you who are looking to collect larger quantities of rainwater will need a water butt with a larger capacity, which is where the Harcostar 227 Litre Water Butt Kit comes in. It was designed to channel rainwater from the roof of a house, so this is exactly what I did with it. Here’s how it performed: Water butts offer an eco-friendly way to keep your plants hydrated. Instead of using fresh water from the tap, water butts collect and store rainwater ready for use. Use collected water in a watering can or a coarse spray setting on a hose;a fine spray setting will generate fine aerosol particles which can be carried on the wind and breathed into the gardener's lungs and cause infection.Using a pump to transfer water encourages aerosols which are best avoided You can avoid the water becoming smelly or carryingdiseases if you clean water butts annually. Collected water can be used on established plants rather than seedlings, because of the risk of fungal plant diseases. If multiple butts are used, rotate the use of each one to keep stores fresh. They can be joined together by either a water butt connector kit or a siphon.A rainwater diverter is really easy to attach. One option involves the downpipe being simply cut in the desired place, with the rainwater diverter fitting in place of the cut out section. The shoe or hose that is attached to the rainwater diverter can then be fixed to the side or top of a water storage tank or water butt, where the diverted rainwater will then be stored. The results in the all too common hosepipe ban restricting water usage in your garden. Installing one or more water butts to save rainwater is the best way to create a ready supply of free water for your plants, protecting you from having to go without when there is a ban in place.