Rain butt fill problem
 

I wish to place a rain butt the other side of a door to the gutter down
pipe. This means the feed will need to be higher than the butt to get
over the door.
If I install the rain diverter higher than the top of the door, connect
a hose from this, over the door to the rain butt feeding it through a
float valve would this work? Once the float rose and shut the valve the
pipe would fill with water, then backup operating the rain diverter.

Would this work, or has anyone a better solution?
TIA

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
I wish to place a rain butt the other side of a door to the gutter down
pipe. This means the feed will need to be higher than the butt to get over
the door.
If I install the rain diverter higher than the top of the door, connect a
hose from this, over the door to the rain butt feeding it through a float
valve would this work? Once the float rose and shut the valve the pipe
would fill with water, then backup operating the rain diverter.

Would this work, or has anyone a better solution?
TIA

It should work, but the problem is that the float valve will restrict the
filling of the butt to a mere dribble as there will be very little 'head',
so it will be difficult to keep the butt topped up. These divertors are
relatively inefficient as they cannot cope with a large flow due to the
typically 1" diameter pipe. If possible arrange for the down pipe to go
into the butt with a suitably large overflow into the drain, I've used 40mm
waste pipe for my overflow, and it's very rare that this doesn't cope. You
might be able to get 40mm across the bottom of the door to the existing
drain/soakaway?

Peter

I'm presuming the problem is that the rain butt is vented to the
atmosphere at the
top?
Simply replacing this style of "cistern" with a sealed "tank" would
solve your
problems?

Or perhaps do as I did: sat the water butt on a high wooden platform to
make use of
the wasted upper space and to give me lots of flow pressure.
If anyone wants the dreaded photos, drop me an email!

Mungo :-)

Broadback wrote:
I wish to place a rain butt the other side of a door to the gutter
down
pipe. This means the feed will need to be higher than the butt to
get
over the door.
If I install the rain diverter higher than the top of the door,
connect
a hose from this, over the door to the rain butt feeding it through a

float valve would this work? Once the float rose and shut the valve
the
pipe would fill with water, then backup operating the rain diverter.

Would this work, or has anyone a better solution?
TIA

Rain supply will contain grit and muck, ballvalve needs clean water
otherwise it fails to close sometimes.

You could heath robinson it with a float operated guttering diverter:

: (___________) ---- pivoted piece of gutter
: | ^ \ / ---- hopper on downpipe
: | \ /
: |
: | | |
: | |_| | -- float
: | | -- tank.
: |_____|


NT

wrote in message
oups.com...
Broadback wrote:
I wish to place a rain butt the other side of a door to the gutter
down
pipe. This means the feed will need to be higher than the butt to
get
over the door.
If I install the rain diverter higher than the top of the door,
connect
a hose from this, over the door to the rain butt feeding it through a

float valve would this work? Once the float rose and shut the valve
the
pipe would fill with water, then backup operating the rain diverter.

Would this work, or has anyone a better solution?
TIA


Can you not take the feed from the diverter down via hose under the door
step and then bottom feed into the bottom of the barrel ?
If you get the diverter level right, your barrel will not overfill.
No valves etc. necessary.
You could alternatively have the diverter higher and fit the barrel with an
overflow that returns via a separate hose under the step to your drain.

I have both systems that work satisfactorily.

Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

Peter Stockdale wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Broadback wrote:
I wish to place a rain butt the other side of a door to the gutter
down
pipe. This means the feed will need to be higher than the butt to
get
over the door.
If I install the rain diverter higher than the top of the door,
connect
a hose from this, over the door to the rain butt feeding it
through a

float valve would this work? Once the float rose and shut the
valve
the
pipe would fill with water, then backup operating the rain
diverter.

Would this work, or has anyone a better solution?
TIA


Can you not take the feed from the diverter down via hose under the
door
step and then bottom feed into the bottom of the barrel ?
If you get the diverter level right, your barrel will not overfill.
No valves etc. necessary.
You could alternatively have the diverter higher and fit the barrel
with an
overflow that returns via a separate hose under the step to your
drain.

I have both systems that work satisfactorily.

Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

clever!

NT

In article ,
"Peter Andrews" writes:

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
I wish to place a rain butt the other side of a door to the gutter down
pipe. This means the feed will need to be higher than the butt to get over
the door.
If I install the rain diverter higher than the top of the door, connect a
hose from this, over the door to the rain butt feeding it through a float
valve would this work? Once the float rose and shut the valve the pipe
would fill with water, then backup operating the rain diverter.

Would this work, or has anyone a better solution?
TIA

It should work, but the problem is that the float valve will restrict the
filling of the butt to a mere dribble as there will be very little 'head',
so it will be difficult to keep the butt topped up. These divertors are

The ball valve will jam up with muck which comes down from the
roof, and most likely fail to shut off.

relatively inefficient as they cannot cope with a large flow due to the
typically 1" diameter pipe. If possible arrange for the down pipe to go
into the butt with a suitably large overflow into the drain, I've used 40mm
waste pipe for my overflow, and it's very rare that this doesn't cope. You
might be able to get 40mm across the bottom of the door to the existing
drain/soakaway?

The other advantage with this is the regular changing of water in
the butt, which means it's always fresher.

--
Andrew Gabriel

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm presuming the problem is that the rain butt is vented to the
atmosphere at the
top?
Simply replacing this style of "cistern" with a sealed "tank" would
solve your
problems?

Or perhaps do as I did: sat the water butt on a high wooden platform to
make use of
the wasted upper space and to give me lots of flow pressure.

We did that too - but so that we could put a watering can under the tap to
fill it. It was a bonus that we could run a hose down the garden from it.

Another solution is to have another one - or more - butts round the gaden,
all connected. That way the level in each is equalised.

The water we get from the roof is so clean I'd be prepared to drink it raw.
If there are any solid deposits they must fall to the bottom of the butt
because we never see any - nor do we from the water we collect in another
butt from the greenhouse roof.

Mary

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

We did that too - but so that we could put a watering can under the tap to
fill it. It was a bonus that we could run a hose down the garden from it.

Another solution is to have another one - or more - butts round the gaden,
all connected. That way the level in each is equalised.

The water we get from the roof is so clean I'd be prepared to drink it raw.
If there are any solid deposits they must fall to the bottom of the butt
because we never see any - nor do we from the water we collect in another
butt from the greenhouse roof.

Mine looks clean too. However, I wouldn't drink it as I suspect
the salmonella (and doubtless other things) will have washed out
of the bird **** into the water.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

We did that too - but so that we could put a watering can under the tap
to
fill it. It was a bonus that we could run a hose down the garden from it.

Another solution is to have another one - or more - butts round the
gaden,
all connected. That way the level in each is equalised.

The water we get from the roof is so clean I'd be prepared to drink it
raw.
If there are any solid deposits they must fall to the bottom of the butt
because we never see any - nor do we from the water we collect in another
butt from the greenhouse roof.

Mine looks clean too. However, I wouldn't drink it as I suspect
the salmonella (and doubtless other things) will have washed out
of the bird **** into the water.

Is salmonella in bird ****, necessarily?

I pick up our hens' droppings to throw them on the garden (they do it a lot
on the paths, idle things). by the time I get back in the house I suspect
I'll have forgotten about washing my hands ...

Look, if I were thirsty I'd drink anything. I've drunk water from a burn in
the Lowlands and nasty brackish water from the fens. Sea water is something
I've had lots of mouthfuls of but it's not good to drink. I must have also
swallowed pints if not gallons of swimming pool water and we all know what
goes into that. And it wasn't always loadedwith anti whatevers.

I really believe you can be too fussy. I once visited a friend who washed
grapefruit before peeling and eating it ...

Mary

In article ,
"Mary Fisher" writes:

Is salmonella in bird ****, necessarily?

I believe it's very common. It's very easily spread between birds,
and it's harmless (to them).

I pick up our hens' droppings to throw them on the garden (they do it a lot
on the paths, idle things). by the time I get back in the house I suspect
I'll have forgotten about washing my hands ...

There's unlikely to be enough on your hands to cause you a problem
directly via ingestion, even if you immediately eat a sandwitch
without washing your hands first. Chances are you are regularly eating
small amounts of salmonella bacteria regularly without any problem.
However, if you handled any food which then sat around such that the
salmonella could multiply on it before you got round to eating it,
then you could be in real trouble.

Look, if I were thirsty I'd drink anything. I've drunk water from a burn in
the Lowlands and nasty brackish water from the fens.

Again, low levels won't do you any harm and I doubt it can multiply
in clean water. Your water butt might get filled in one rain storm
which washes the last 2 week's bird **** off the roof. If you drunk
a lot of the water, you might go over the harmless dose (which would
seem to be around 1 million bacteria for salmonella).

Sea water is something
I've had lots of mouthfuls of but it's not good to drink. I must have also
swallowed pints if not gallons of swimming pool water and we all know what
goes into that. And it wasn't always loadedwith anti whatevers.

Humans don't normally harbour salmonella AFAIK. There are other
nasties though.

I really believe you can be too fussy. I once visited a friend who washed
grapefruit before peeling and eating it ...

Yes, it's actually important to expose your immune system bacteria
and viruses to keep it working. I suspect the obsession with
cleanlyness which some people have nowadays is responsible for
the increase in a number of diseases in recent years, particularly
alergies. I just saw a scare tactic advert for Detol (IIRC) on the
telly saying "did you know your child's high chair has a thousand
times[1] more bacteria than the floor?". So what?

[1] actually I don't remember what the claimed figure was.
--
Andrew Gabriel

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
news:428d0786$0$38045

Is salmonella in bird ****, necessarily?

I believe it's very common. It's very easily spread between birds,
and it's harmless (to them).

I pick up our hens' droppings to throw them on the garden (they do it a
lot
on the paths, idle things). by the time I get back in the house I suspect
I'll have forgotten about washing my hands ...

There's unlikely to be enough on your hands to cause you a problem
directly via ingestion, even if you immediately eat a sandwitch
without washing your hands first. Chances are you are regularly eating
small amounts of salmonella bacteria regularly without any problem.

I'm sure I am. I'm sure we all are.

However, if you handled any food which then sat around such that the
salmonella could multiply on it before you got round to eating it,

Well, quite. I'm well aware of how salmonella spreads! In fact it's not all
that easy to get even a sub-lethal dose.

But the question was about drinking water from the butt :-) There's no
problem from salmonella even if does have bird **** in it.

Look, if I were thirsty I'd drink anything. I've drunk water from a burn
in
the Lowlands and nasty brackish water from the fens.

Again, low levels won't do you any harm and I doubt it can multiply
in clean water.

Quite.

Your water butt might get filled in one rain storm

It doesn't take a storm, I'm always surprised at how quickly it does get
filled.

which washes the last 2 week's bird **** off the roof. If you drunk
a lot of the water, you might go over the harmless dose (which would
seem to be around 1 million bacteria for salmonella).

There's no way I could drink a buttfull. What's more, the salmonella has to
be in the droppings - and capable of withstanding (in your scenario) two
weeks of being dried and blown about (into the air which we breathe,
incidentally).

I think that the poster who mentioned bird **** and salmonella might have
been confusing it with e-coli. I'm not worried about that either by the
way.

Sea water is something
I've had lots of mouthfuls of but it's not good to drink. I must have
also
swallowed pints if not gallons of swimming pool water and we all know
what
goes into that. And it wasn't always loadedwith anti whatevers.

Humans don't normally harbour salmonella AFAIK. There are other
nasties though.

I know that. I didn't mention salmonella.

I really believe you can be too fussy. I once visited a friend who washed
grapefruit before peeling and eating it ...

Yes, it's actually important to expose your immune system bacteria
and viruses to keep it working. I suspect the obsession with
cleanlyness which some people have nowadays is responsible for
the increase in a number of diseases in recent years, particularly
alergies. I just saw a scare tactic advert for Detol (IIRC) on the
telly saying "did you know your child's high chair has a thousand
times[1] more bacteria than the floor?". So what?

[1] actually I don't remember what the claimed figure was.

I understand your point though. And how did they know?

Mary
--
Andrew Gabriel