Disconnecting Water butt

calleyw

Dumb question. I want to disconnect my water butt to do some work and then reconnect, it is connected directly in to a down pipe.  I know a piece was cut out but how do I remove the water butt connector with out water running all over the place when it rains.

Thanks in advance

Yours

Calley x

Ebe_Scrooge

Is it really connected directly into the downpipe ?  Usually there's a length of hose coming out from the downpipe into the water butt - this can just be pulled off and temporarily plugged with an old cork cut to fit. A pic may help?

The usual way it's done is the downpipe is cut and special connector inserted that diverts the water via a corrugated pipe into the butt - is this not how yours is set up ?

Black_Cat2

Same as what Ebe said but wanted to add there is never a "dumb question" 😊

calleyw

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Is it really connected directly into the downpipe ?  Usually there's a length of hose coming out from the downpipe into the water butt - this can just be pulled off and temporarily plugged with an old cork cut to fit. A pic may help?

The usual way it's done is the downpipe is cut and special connector inserted that diverts the water via a corrugated pipe into the butt - is this not how yours is set up ?

Yes there is a length of hose coming out of the pipe as you say.  I didn't really know how else to describe it. It looks like similar to this one https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Water-Butt-Rain-Diverter-Kit/p/543003.  I don't have any cork but would it be ok to keep the hose connected and tie it to the down pipe so its facing upwards?

Yours

Calley x

Ebe_Scrooge

calleyw said:

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Is it really connected directly into the downpipe ?  Usually there's a length of hose coming out from the downpipe into the water butt - this can just be pulled off and temporarily plugged with an old cork cut to fit. A pic may help?

The usual way it's done is the downpipe is cut and special connector inserted that diverts the water via a corrugated pipe into the butt - is this not how yours is set up ?

Yes there is a length of hose coming out of the pipe as you say.  I didn't really know how else to describe it. It looks like similar to this one https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Water-Butt-Rain-Diverter-Kit/p/543003.  I don't have any cork but would it be ok to keep the hose connected and tie it to the down pipe so its facing upwards?

Yours

Calley x

Yep, that's exactly what I thought you would have - a bog-standard diverter kit :-)

And yes - as long as the open end of the hose is higher than the end that's attached to the downpipe, that'll be fine.

If you're at all interested in how they work, it's very simple.  In an ordinary downpipe, the rainwater will cling to the inside surface of the downpipe, it doesn't just gush straight down the middle - which seems a bit counter-intuitive, but that's what happens.  So all these diverter kits do is effectively make a hole in the side of the downpipe, and the water will come out of the hole when it hits it.  Then of course it runs through the hosepipe and into your water butt.  So if the water hits the hole and can't escape (either because the outlet of the hose is higher because you've tied it up, or because the water butt is full), then the water will just carry on down the downpipe as normal.

trickydicky14

At this point, can I butt in

Please excuse the pun.

Can you purchase additional hose connectors to link up two or more water butts?

I don't want to have to purchase several kits only to use the hose connector part.

Thanks for any help.

Ebe_Scrooge

trickydicky14 said:

At this point, can I butt in

Please excuse the pun.

Can you purchase additional hose connectors to link up two or more water butts?

I don't want to have to purchase several kits only to use the hose connector part.

Thanks for any help.

Something like this might do the trick? :  

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Washing-Machine-Dishwasher-Drain-Hose-Y-Piece-Joiner-Connector-Splitter-Kit-17mm/313183012776?hash=item48eb2987a8:g:K4IAAOSwE6dfA3wT

If you Google for "Y Hose Splitter" you'll find loads of options - you'll just need to check that the diameter is suitable for the hose itself, and you probably want to look for a simple push-fit version rather than one than needs a Hoselock-type connector.