Need help connecting your water butt? On this page you will find helpful tips for both the preparation and the actual installation. In addition, this article will introduce two methods that you can choose from depending on your requirements and manual skills.

It makes sense to set up the rain barrel right next to the drain of the rain gutter

preparation

Before you can connect your water butt, two measures are required:

  • Assemble rain barrel
  • build pedestal

Assemble rain barrel

Fortunately, a purchased rain barrel usually comes with the right accessories to make the water tank functional. These steps are usually required for setup:

  1. Screw the outlet tap tightly to the designated place.
  2. You may have to punch out the pre-punched hole.
  3. Insert the barrel tube here.
  4. Drill a hole in the lid to route the downspout into the bin.

build pedestal

Use dry bricks for your pedestal. Wood is rather unsuitable due to its low longevity. When stacking the stones, ensure that the ground is level. Complete your platform with a paving slab. Before you set up the barrel, you should check the stability again and make improvements if necessary.
Detailed instructions on how to build a base for the water butt yourself can be found here.

Connect rain barrel

You have two options for installing your water butt, which differ slightly in terms of difficulty:

version 1

  1. Choose a location immediately next to the gutter.
  2. An attachment pipe is required, which directs the rainwater from the rain gutter into the bin.
  3. Drill a hole in the gutter to connect.
  4. Mount the detachable tube.
  5. Make sure your rain barrel is protected against overflowing.

Variant 2

  1. The following method allows the water butt to be set up five meters from the gutter.
  2. It also protects against overflowing.
  3. In this case, the detachable tube has a connection for the garden hose.
  4. Drill an exact hole in the downpipe here as well.
  5. Mount the detachable tube at this point.
  6. Connect the connecting pipe and water butt with a garden hose.
  7. The water butt inlet and outlet of the hose on the downpipe must be at the same level to prevent the water from flowing back.
  8. The distance to the inlet of the garden hose must be at least 10 cm from the upper edge of the water butt to prevent it from overflowing.

Category:

Garden design