In message
,
Jonathan writes
On 10 Aug, 15:36, Lee Nowell wrote:
Hi All,

Just wanted to get your thoughts on this one...

I am looking to install 3 water butts on a down pipe to capture as
much rain as possible. *Question is, how best to connect them??

My initial thought was to...

1. Install a rain water diverter and feed the water into the first
butt
2. cut a hole a 3rd of the way up the first butt and connect this to
the bottom (ie where the tap usually goes) of butt 2. *Ensuring the
pipe is horizontal. (i.e. butt 2 is higher than butt 1)
3.connect butt 3 to butt 2 again at the bottom (i.e. butt 2 and 3 are
at the same height)

In ASCII art *if it makes it any clearer!!......

* * * * *1 * * * * * 2 * * * * 3

* * * * * * * * * * [ * *] * * [ * *]
* * * *[ * * ] * * *[ * *] * * [ * *]
* * * *[ * * ]------[ * *]-----[ * *]
* * * *[ * * ] * * *------ * * ------
* * * *-------

My thought process was that this should leave a good depth in butt 1
to fit a pump to pump the water to the garden.

Is this the best way to do it?

Thanks in advance for your help

Lee.

You will store more water if they are level and joined as low as
possible.

Yeah, but presumably he wants to have a bit of a reservoir in no. 1 for
the pump. a taller butt there maybe.

I don't bother joining up buts together with proper pies anymore. I just
connect them with a siphon. Basically a bit of hose pipe dangled into
each butt, down to the bottom . Once primed, all the butt will hold
water at the same level. (just like connecting them at the bottom)

If you want to move the butts then just put the hosepipe back after
wards. The butts can be any distance apart, so easy way to move water
from once place to another in the garden.
--
Chris French