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Water butts connection

• Message 1. 

  Posted by anothergardener (U14387447) on Tuesday, 3rd April 2012

  We have a water butt connected to the greenhouse gutters and space for a second one beside it.
  
  I've seen pictures and descriptions of butts connected together and this is always at the top, so that the second butt will fill when the first overflows, and each has its own tap.
  
  When I talked to my OH, who isn't a gardener apart from lawnmowing and hedgecutting, he assumed that they would be connected at the bottom, so the butts would fill up at the same time and only one tap would be needed.
  
  Can anyone come up with a logical explanation of why the usual way is better?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by lovespumpkins (U14259050) on Tuesday, 3rd April 2012

  Could it be that they'd be too much pressure if connected at the bottom, as opposed to the top ?!?!

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Tuesday, 3rd April 2012

  With the transfer connection at the top, could be that any muck and rubbish off your guttering would 'settle out' be left in the first butt leaving only clean water in the second. There would be only the first butt to clear out from time to time. Cheers, Tony

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Tuesday, 3rd April 2012

  I can see where OH is coming from and that is; by joining the barrels at the bottom you have effectively formed a " U" tube and the barrels will fill and empty simultaneously.
  
  That is the water level will always be the same in both barrels.
  
  So far as filling them or emptying them is concerned you will only need one inlet and one outlet.
  
  Whereas if you connect them at the top you will need two outlets( taps)
  
  Does anyone agree?
  
  
  
  

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• Message 5

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  Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Wednesday, 4th April 2012

  I have a large garden shed with two long gutters, one on each side of the roof, which discharge into two large water butts, one on each side of the shed. I have the butts connected by a hose, at the bottom, as suggested.
  
  This means that water is automatically distributed between the two butts.
  
  The advantage, for me, is that one butt is nearer to the garden than the other, so I can draw all the water from the more convenient butt.
  
  The only disadvantage that I know of is that you can't use the taps at the bottom of the butts. But that doesn't matter to me, because I always fill a can by dunking it into the top. It's a lot quicker.
  
  A siphon is another way to connect two butts. You could take a hose out of the bottom of one butt. Let the hose fill with water, then keeping your thumb over the free end, place the free end into the top of the second butt. Make sure that the free end is below the water level in the first butt, and release your thumb. Make sure the free end stays below the water level in the first butt. That would also balance the water levels. In that way you could use one or both taps, if you really wanted to.

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Global_Worming (U14532104) on Wednesday, 4th April 2012

  I made my linked water butt system out of big blue barrels from the food industry.
  I put a tap in each one so I can drain them for winter otherwise they will split.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Wednesday, 4th April 2012

  ".............The only disadvantage that I know of is that you can't use the taps at the bottom of the butts. But that doesn't matter to me, because I always fill a can by dunking it into the top. It's a lot quicker.............."
  
  Gary, you must have lots of rain, small butts or long arms.
  
  Joe
  

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Tattianna (U14833264) on Wednesday, 4th April 2012

  We have 3 water butts at the side of the house at varying levels and they all fill from the top.
  
  The back one, being the highest, fills first then overflows into the middle one which then overflows into the lower one.
  
  Each butt has a tap at the bottom enabling me to fill 3 watering cans simultaneously which saves me lots of time.

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• Message 9

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  Posted by BaraGwenith (U14257539) on Wednesday, 4th April 2012

  Perhaps I am missing something, but why can't you use the taps at the bottom of the butts.
  
  It is bad practice to dip watering cans in butts unless they are pristine clean, or you will get dirty water.
  
  I suspect most butts are connected near the top because, depending on the shape of the butt it can be difficult to get to the bottom to fix up the connecting pipes. I have some large ex-juice containers with a smallish hole at the top, so if I wanted to put tanks in tandem it would be impossible to fix pipes at the bottom.

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