Gungy water in water butt

KittyBoo_2

My water butt has filled up nicely but the water smells awful.
Is it OK to use it?

ruffmeister

yes should be unless its totally rotten, just add a hnadul of lime into the water every month to cure the issue

MoaningMyrtle

My water butt is right by my back door, every time you opne the door you get a nasty smell of damp, I've looked inside it and there is black mildew on the inside, is there anything I can add to it that won't harm the plants? I don't fancy scrubbing it when it's empty. It is full at the moment.

Many thanks

Solomon_Broad

You can buy a product that you dilute and put into the water, called something like "waterbutt clear", but I don't know what chemicals are in it.

There is a cleaning product called Citrox that is plant based, which you can use in small doses to keep it clean. It's based on citrus peel, I think.

hardpressed

A few pieces of charcoal, the stuff you use on a bar-b-que is supposed to keep the water clear, and it's best to have the water butt covered.

Solomon_Broad

hardpressed wrote: »

A few pieces of charcoal, the stuff you use on a bar-b-que is supposed to keep the water clear, and it's best to have the water butt covered.

Thanks! Must try that.

MoaningMyrtle

Thanks for those suggestions, I'll try them.

gartcott

Another tip - add a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the chemist or whoever. It's has only one extra molecule of oxygen than water!

torbrex

Try a handfull of straw, it supposedly soaks up all the impurities that cause the odours, you can scoop off the floating straw and add it to your compost when it has done its job.

PhilCCFC

Hello everyone, I have just got myself a water butt and connected up to some guttering on my shed. Quick question on keeping the water fresh, I have seen some organic liquid that you can put in but that costs around £5. Would fresh water pond plants do the same job of keeping oxygen in the water and stop it from going off?