Rain water butts

Finding it, filtering it, treating it all in here!
grenfell
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by grenfell »

whenfires wrote:I am looking at adding some guttering and a water butt to my shed. The standard 150mm guttering seems overkill so I was looking at the 76mm instead with 50mm downpipe in place of the standard 68mm.

The shed is a 14' x 10' with lean-to roof so it's not huge. Anyone see a problem with using the mini-guttering?

Only problem might be smaller down pipes cog up quicker than a larger one but that again might only be a problem if there are deciduous trees nearby. Actually saying that my workshop is surrounded by trees , principally for camouflage , and has 4" gutters and 3" down pipes and as yet the pipes have only blocked one in ten years although the gutters fill up fairly quickly.
featherstick
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by featherstick »

There's a sort-of filter thing available that sits in the top of a downpipe where it meets the gutter to block leaves from going down it. Also, I'm sure the handy prepper could cobble-together a removable in-line filter for the down-pipe, perhaps out of an old pair of tights or something.

It's surprising what gets stuck in downpipes - our gulley, shared with the neighbours, started overflowing a year ago. I scrambled onto the "conservatory", dismounted everything I could, and removed the blockage - the bone from someone's leg-of-lamb roast dinner!
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Brambles
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by Brambles »

I find a scrunched up ball of chicken wire stuffed into the top of the downpipe works to keep the big things out, including a leg of lamb bone! :D
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain~anon
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Jamesey1981
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by Jamesey1981 »

Don't know if you've got your guttering yet, but I ordered some for my shed from this lot https://www.guttersupplies.co.uk yesterday, it's just arrived and it's all there, didn't shop around much as it seemed cheap enough and I wasn't ordering much, so can't say if they're the cheapest, but I just thought I'd share it as I was pretty happy with the service that I got from them.
Prices on their website don't include VAT so factor that in if you're comparing.
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shocker
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by shocker »

My dad recently installed something to keep his gutters clear. Actually his house gutters, not his personal ones. Its a kind of continuous spiral brush, cut to length. Not seen that before and dont know how effective it is but I will check and report back sometime.

Here it is...http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-gutt ... 29...seems bloody expensive !
*** NOW 30% LESS SHOCKING!!!***
grenfell
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by grenfell »

Interesting that shocker. I've cleaned out a few gutters in my time and a customer had asked me if there was such a thing to stop the buildup . I wasn't aware of this stuff but I have to say I'm not fully convinced it would work. It might keep out big leaves , although they could still catch in those bristles but smaller particles would still build up and I don't think it's a replacement for regular cleaning . I'm not sure if I'd like to be removing a four metre length of that clogged with mud standing on a ladder.
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Jamesey1981
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by Jamesey1981 »

The hedgehog stuff does work, but you're right, it is horrible to clean, you can do it with a jet washer if you don't have the pressure too high, that'll knacker the gutters.

I just finished fitting guttering and a water butt on my shed, I have a 100 litre one on my extension because that's all that would fit on that downpipe without getting in the way of me taking my bin out, but I've fitted a 190 litre one on the shed because there's room, and because









wait for it









I like big butts and I cannot lie.
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
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Deeps
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by Deeps »

Jamesey1981 wrote:The hedgehog stuff does work, but you're right, it is horrible to clean, you can do it with a jet washer if you don't have the pressure too high, that'll knacker the gutters.

I just finished fitting guttering and a water butt on my shed, I have a 100 litre one on my extension because that's all that would fit on that downpipe without getting in the way of me taking my bin out, but I've fitted a 190 litre one on the shed because there's room, and because









wait for it









I like big butts and I cannot lie.
:lol:
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Plymtom
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by Plymtom »

Brambles wrote:I find a scrunched up ball of chicken wire stuffed into the top of the downpipe works to keep the big things out, including a leg of lamb bone! :D

Seagulls mate we live not too far away from the club scene and associated fast food joints, when I went on the roof to fix an aerial there were loads of chicken bones in the valley, my daughter has her ceiling taken out and the rafters insulated and boarded for more space, she hears them bouncing as they drop them from time to time.
I have a strategy, it's not written in stone, nor can it be, this scenario has too many variables, everything about it depends on those variables, being specific is not possible.
grenfell
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Re: Rain water butts

Post by grenfell »

Going just a tad off topic but the subject of muck in the gutters does remind me of a discussion on another forum. Given that the accumulated stuff in the gutter is generally quite fine (chicken bones aside) and free from stones etc and has a high level of rotted leaves a poster talked of using it as a pretty decent potting compost. Ok so the amounts aren't huge but if you clean out a few for other people as well...