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Saving Water - Tips

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  • Queenie
    Queenie Posts: 8,793 Forumite
    Miss-spent wrote:
    Syphon water from full water butts into empty plastic milk containers, especially four litre ones, and store. This allows your water butts to collect more rain and provides you with easy to carry 'watering cans'. It may help if you have a hose pipe ban or it may save you money if you are on a water meter.

    You may need to boil that water first and then let it cool/chill before you use it. It doesn't take long for insects/bugs/nasties to creep into a butt and make it "home".
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    PMS Pot: £57.53 Pigsback Pot: £23.00
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  • jaybee
    jaybee Posts: 1,568 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic
    We've just got a water meter - last week, actually, so I am very conscious of saving water now! We already have a water butt which provides pretty much all water needs for the garden (not keen gardener but like it to look nice!) That's a good idea to collect / drain off some water (especially if rain is forecast!) I'll start keeping milk cartons now.
  • Miss-spent_2
    Miss-spent_2 Posts: 572 Forumite
    Miss-spent wrote:
    Syphon water from full water butts into empty plastic milk containers, especially four litre ones, and store. This allows your water butts to collect more rain and provides you with easy to carry 'watering cans'. It may help if you have a hose pipe ban or it may save you money if you are on a water meter.


    Its a while since I put this tip on so thought i would bring it to peoples attention again. We have now got about 20 four pint containers that we keep topped up from the water butts. Have not needed to use hose. We don't have a ban but I am aware how precious water is.
  • hardpressed
    hardpressed Posts: 2,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    How do you syphon the water from the water butt? Do you have to suck it up the pipe or is there a better way, don't fancy swallowing the water from the butt.
  • thriftlady_2
    thriftlady_2 Posts: 9,128 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    Brilliant tip Miss-spent, we've got a water butt on order from our council - just waiting now. I will start saving my milk cartons.

    Reminds me of when my mum used to syphon the bath water out of the bath for watering the garden in the drought of 1976 (?).
  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    How do you syphon the water from the water butt? Do you have to suck it up the pipe or is there a better way, don't fancy swallowing the water from the butt.

    They usually come with a tap fitted. Mine was simply a plastic storage barrel and it was easy enough to fit a tap into it, honest. :)

    I raised it up on blocks (while empty) so that I can fit bottles or my watering can underneath it with no trouble.

    I have a set of small ponds in the garden and I always top these up from my barrel when we're promised rain. Not too often here in Sunny Suffolk!
    Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
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  • ET03
    ET03 Posts: 264 Forumite
    couldn't you just dip the bottles into the water butt until they fill up ?
  • fizzel81
    fizzel81 Posts: 1,623 Forumite
    i must admit im terrable where water is concerned i probably waste far too much one day well 4 years time we are going to have to worry about things such as water rates so i need to learn how to use mine better. we dont have plants in the garden as last year the kids pulled them up plus are patch of grass is tiny, however i would l;ove to find a use for the water that collects in the condensor of my tumble dryer (sorry it usually go's down the sink) plus any other water saving tips would be great
    DFW nerd club number 039 :p 'Proud To Be Dealing With My Debts' :money: i will be debt free aug 2010

    2008 live on 4k +cb £6,247.98/£6282.80 :T
    sealed pot 2670g
    2009 target £4k + cb £643.89:eek: /£6412.80
  • Miss-spent_2
    Miss-spent_2 Posts: 572 Forumite
    How do you syphon the water from the water butt? Do you have to suck it up the pipe or is there a better way, don't fancy swallowing the water from the butt.

    Sorry I meant syphon as in draw water off. The barrels come with taps and we just turn them on, nothing dramatic
  • hardpressed
    hardpressed Posts: 2,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    The reason I asked is I want to syphon the bath water to use in the garden. We have a ground floor bathroom so the waste pipe is too low down to get a can under, I was thinking of a hose out of the window, but would have to syphon it or buy an electric pump.
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