Use expensive tap water for watering flowers? Why not use collected rainwater as an alternative? Many plants even tolerate this extremely well. Of course, it takes a little effort to install a necessary overflow for the water butt. But once you've done this, you'll save an enormous amount of money. With the instructions on this page you can easily set it up.
An overflow is important to drain excess water
building instructions
material procurement
You need:
- large plastic barrels (capacity at least 200 liters)
- a 3/4 inch faucet
- a 3/4 inch coupling with a suitable screw connection
- a 3/4 inch screw-in adapter with hose connection
- a 3/4 inch nut
- four metal sealing rings
- Teflon sealing tape
- silicone sealant
- an S-shaped downspout (same material as the one you already have)
- Aluminum fly screen
- concrete blocks
Note: You can obtain the plastic barrels either on the Internet or on request from numerous companies at low cost. In the case of discarded specimens, you must ensure that there are no oil or lubricant residues in the containers before use. Rinse them thoroughly with soap.
Prepare location
So that there is no loss of water. because your water butt tips over, you should erect a stable pedestal. At best, this is right next to the downpipe on the wall of the house. You can find detailed instructions at this link.
Mount the overflow
- Drill a hole 10 cm apart under the top of the water butt.
- A 3/4 inch connection is recommended here.
- Draw a circle of silicone around both the inner and outer edges.
- Put a sealing ring on the adapter.
- Slide the adapter through the hole from the outside.
- Insert a sealing washer into the hole from the inside.
- Wrap Teflon tape around the threads.
- Screw the nuts onto the thread and tighten them.
- It is now possible to connect a garden hose to the adapter from the outside.
complete construction
In addition to overflow protection, a functional water butt also includes an outlet tap and a lid. You may also want to connect two rain barrels (€53.99) together to store even more water. We have also put together instructions for you for these procedures.