Leaking water butt

Brie

Not in my home obviously but in the garden 

One of the water butts has sprung a leak.  And I'm wondering what to do about it.  It seems to be a lot of effort to empty it and replace it - also rather wasteful too.

The leak comprises solely of a pin hole a couple of inches away from the spigot.  I've got a large (2 gallon?) watering can position to receive the water and it fills within a day

I'm wondering if there's a way (easily) to plug it.  

I considered duct tape or similar but think that will just peel off after a few days or that the leak will just continue dribbling under it.

any ideas??

maisie_cat

I used the really scary duct tape t rex or something to cover an old tap hole in a water butt, it's still fine a year later. it works better from the inside but might do you until the butt is empty. If it's really small a cocktail stick in the hole might work, it will swell with the water

Martin_the_Unjust

Empty it, dry it and then patch with something like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SZFREE-Waterproof-Adhesive-Kayaking-Swimming/dp/B07YJRFLP2/ref=sr_1_47?dchild=1&keywords=Leak+patch&qid=1629034560&sr=8-47

grumbler

https://www.toolstation.com/adhesives-sealants/grab-adhesive/c403?brand=CT1

It's better to do this from inside

Eldi_Dos

Tyre plug repair kit? check YT to see if suits.

victor2

maisie_cat said:

I used the really scary duct tape t rex or something to cover an old tap hole in a water butt, it's still fine a year later. it works better from the inside but might do you until the butt is empty. If it's really small a cocktail stick in the hole might work, it will swell with the water

+1 for that. Particularly in doing it from the inside. Or a blob of silicon applied on the inside might do it. Deends what you have to hand.

TELLIT01

Better done from the inside when empty but Duck tape or similar on the outside should stop a small leak temporarily.

Jeepers_Creepers

Hi Brie.

What's this butt made from, and how can it have a pinhole? How did it happen? Is it an inherent flaw, or did something mysterious cause it? Any chance of a photo?

How to fix it - at least temporarily - comes down to the above. If, say, it's a well-defined hole and not part of a larger crack or split, then whittle down a bit of wood (or the cocktail stick mentioned earlier), dip it in Stixall and tap it in. That will work.

Or, a more permanent version of this would involve a SS self-taping screw, also dipped in Stixall, and screwed into a drilled pilot hole. Obviously you'll be getting wet when the pilot hole is drilled

Or, does the butt have a large top opening? Cool - get a long-enough stick or bamboo pole, cut a low-angle bevel at the end, and put a large dab of Stixall on this. Get someone to hold a torch on the outside of the hole shinning in, and then guide the dab over the hole from the inside and smudge it on - it'll work under water,

During a prolonged dry spell - when the butt is empty, fix it properly from the inside. If you can reach the spot easily enough to abrade it, then a larger dab of Stixall should sort it.

Jeepers_Creepers

If you can guide something like a small piece of polythene over the hole on the inside, I wonder if the flow is enough to keep this in place to stop the flow temporarilly? (Good chance not...)

But, if you can stop the flow like this for a while, then there's all sorts of options then to seal it from the outside. Hot glue gun. Stixall ( :-) ), pipe solvent weld (used for plumbing), things like that. Abrade the surface first.

Brie

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Hi Brie.

What's this butt made from, and how can it have a pinhole? How did it happen? Is it an inherent flaw, or did something mysterious cause it? Any chance of a photo?

The butt is one of those green plastic ones - left behind by the previous owners.

No idea how it got the hole!   I guess something must have smacked against it somehow but I'm not sure what or how.  It is quite literally a pin !!!!!! size hole so even a toothpick is too big to fit into it beyond the tip.  Can't post photos unfortunately.

Thanks for the instructions and everyone else's advice.  If it stop raining for a couple of days I might get it mostly emptied but it's a monster size one so might take some time!

Eldi_Dos

If you are going to drain it down and can access the inside, a couple of rubber washers plus a couple of ordinary washers and suitable size bolt