Water butt

iashem

Im not sure if this has been asked before, looking at my water bill it costs £3 per cubic meter of water including sewerage so i would need to fill a 200 litre water butt 5 times to save 1 cubic meter of water, looking around it costs at least £35 for butt and stand so i would have to fill butt 60 times to repay my purchase price, in east anglia our rainfall is so bad my in laws butts never refill butts more than twice from rainfall during summer. with that in mind it could take in excess of 10 years to recoup cost of butts if they were to last 10 years.
Is my maths correct or am i missing something

Ectophile

I think you're on the right lines.

If it's £3 per cubic metre, then it will be 3p for a 10 litre watering can, or 60p for a 200 litre water butt full.

So it could be a good many years to pay off the cost of a water butt.

DaftyDuck

They are difficult to justify on cost basis. I use them to get soft water for azelias and rhododendrons, and to feel a bit green. But, your math is along the right lines....

forgotmyname

I put a few trays out when its raining and bottle the water for my cactus and blueberries when i had them in pots.

Just thought would chillies prefer rainwater?

Ken68

I collect rainwater (and laundry water) in butts and tanks collected over the years from boot sales, freecycle and the Council Recycling Centre. Also from the classified section of the newspapers, and my Anglian water bill (SoLow tariff)is £3 a month.
Flushing the loo using rainwater isn't for everyone but is great MSE.

iashem

thanks for your replys, I will look on freecycle and car boots better than buying new

mansars

Make your own

Aquire/Buy a food grade plastic or metal drum (like this one)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Water-Barrel-water-butt-205-litre-plastic-blue-drum-/281159801356?pt=UK_Home_Garden_GardenEquipment_HandTools_SM&hash=item41766e1a0c

Then buy the connectors and a tap for about £10 all in.

If you dont want it near the house (as they are not the most atractive things) then I have used an old garden hose to connect the down pipe of my house to the barrel....I also grow some bushes round it to cover it.

hth

Leif

Reasons for collecting rain water include avoiding hard water for Camellias etc, being eco friendly, and having a supply of water without having to connect a hose to an indoor tap assuming you do not have an outdoor tap. This year I was able to use nothing but rain water, and I got down to the last watering can full before rains hit. I have three butts, giving 600 litres in total.

no1catman

I've got four water butts, all different shapes, neither of them at full price.
Two, were from, DIY closing sales, one from Wilkinson's end of season sale, and another from Homebase relocation e.g. £10.00 + £5.00 for base.
I bought them not just to save on the water meter, but also to stop water from the garage downpipe flooding the patio & pond.

Ivana_Tinkle

It depends... If it's just a conventional garden with a lawn and a few flowerbeds then, yes, a water butt is unlikely to pay for itself for a very long time. It's more of an advantage if you have polytunnels/greenhouses which need watering pretty much every day, rain or shine, in which case the butt(s) can end up being be emptied and and refilled many times a year. We use the water from one of ours for cleaning out our chicken coop, so it's being emptied and refilled all year round and shouldn't take long to pay for itself.

Leif

Ivana Tinkle, a classic user name.