Linking water butts at great distances

**Jay-ell** · 25-05-2016, 09:38 PM

Water will always find it's own level. If you can connect the buts with a hose pipe and the water will flow from one to the other. You will need to get the tops of the buts level with each other not the ground otherwise the lower one will overflow when full and the higher one will not get totally full. Keep the hose as straight as possible without it rising and dropping, as these could trap air which could act like an air lock an stop the flow as the air wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

It you attach one of those adapters that split it into two or more taps you can then attach a hose or fill a can from either one and they will both drop to an equal level.

If the flow from the down pipe is greater than can go through the hose pipe then that butt will fill up quicker, but the water will eventually level itself out, although this butt may overflow in a heavy downpour.

The waterbutts don't need to be the same capacity either as it's the water level that matters not the volume (you could cap the bottom of the downpipe, install an outlet and run the hose from that - although I probably wouldn't recommend this)

**Jay-ell** · 25-05-2016, 09:42 PM

By the way, hello and welcome to the vine.

**Tripmeup** · 25-05-2016, 10:38 PM

As Jay says....but also consider using the fence for running the connecting hose along which might help keep it level?

**sagart** · 25-05-2016, 10:47 PM

Originally posted by Jay-ell View Post

Water will always find it's own level. If you can connect the buts with a hose pipe and the water will flow from one to the other. You will need to get the tops of the buts level with each other not the ground otherwise the lower one will overflow when full and the higher one will not get totally full. Keep the hose as straight as possible without it rising and dropping, as these could trap air which could act like an air lock an stop the flow as the air wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

It you attach one of those adapters that split it into two or more taps you can then attach a hose or fill a can from either one and they will both drop to an equal level.

If the flow from the down pipe is greater than can go through the hose pipe then that butt will fill up quicker, but the water will eventually level itself out, although this butt may overflow in a heavy downpour.

The waterbutts don't need to be the same capacity either as it's the water level that matters not the volume (you could cap the bottom of the downpipe, install an outlet and run the hose from that - although I probably wouldn't recommend this)

Hi, Thanks!

So I connect the hosepipe from tap on first butt to where, the tap on second butt?

Originally posted by Jay-ell View Post

You will need to get the tops of the buts level with each other not the ground

Is there a simple way to do this over long distances, or do I just gauge it?

**Knight of Albion** · 25-05-2016, 11:01 PM

A very welcome to the forum, dear Sagart.

A lidless butt?!

A lidless butt is a death trap! (And it also encourages algae to grow in the water ...)
Please, always keep your butt covered.

As for your question: I had a similar problem with a steel water tank, well away from the house.
A rain diverter kit and straightened hose pipe should get water from A to C without much issue, if the A to B to C system doesn't work out.

**Knight of Albion** · 25-05-2016, 11:14 PM

PS

Found this. Any good?

Connecting Water Butts - Water

**veggiechicken** · 25-05-2016, 11:15 PM

Hello sagart and welcome to the Vine

I'm sure someone will tell me I'm confused again but.............I thought you'd connect the butts by taking the overflow pipe out of the top of the butt, not the bottom. You want to keep both butts full to the top, not to the bottom.

**Tripmeup** · 25-05-2016, 11:25 PM

Originally posted by Tripmeup View Post

As Jay says....but also consider using the fence for running the connecting hose along which might help keep it level?

Top of the fence I mean obviously..

**Jay-ell** · 26-05-2016, 12:17 AM

Originally posted by sagart View Post

Hi, Thanks!

So I connect the hosepipe from tap on first butt to where, the tap on second butt?

Is there a simple way to do this over long distances, or do I just gauge it?

Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post

Hello sagart and welcome to the Vine

I'm sure someone will tell me I'm confused again but.............I thought you'd connect the butts by taking the overflow pipe out of the top of the butt, not the bottom. You want to keep both butts full to the top, not to the bottom.

Nope, I did mean the bottom as the system would still be closed and the water would be at the same level in both butts. You could connect them at the top but this would mean that the butt at the down pipe would have to be full to the top and there wouldn't be any buffer before the rain overflowed over the lid during heavy rain.

Its a bit like taking a length of hosepipe full of water and holding the ends in each hand - the water fills all the hose and finds its level, drop one hand below the other and the water will runn out that side till it has its level again. Think of the buts as really wide ends to the hose pipe, as long as there isn't any holles in the pipe or buttts and their connections it acts as one continuous circuit.

This is also how you can find the same level between two points even if you can't see them - by using a water level.

How to Use a Water Level: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

**Snadger** · 26-05-2016, 08:04 AM

I suppose it depends on whether you want both butts to have the same amount of water in them? Usually the second butt is used as an overflow but you may want instant water to both areas.
Joined at the top will allow only one of the two to overflow when both are full.(if first but is raised slightly) Joined at the bottom both will overflow together unless one is raised slightly. Joined at the bottom would also mean that the pipe in between was always under pressure and if it did leak, both butts would be drained. The upside is that a tap inserted along its length could give you easy access to water.

If you need loads of water (albeit in one place) do as I plan doing, and used to do, connect a 1000 litre IBC plastic tank to outlet from roof!

**ldsau93** · 26-05-2016, 11:10 AM

I do this all the time, connecting (bottom to bottom) butts that are many metres away from each other. It can be slow due to the internal friction within the hosepipe (i.e. not enough to get a decent flow for watering purposes, but enough to equalise the water level).

You do connect bottom to bottom. You could take it from top to top (for example if you had a vessel of water at either end without a tap) but you'd need to siphon or pump it. See here for pumps.

**ldsau93** · 26-05-2016, 11:14 AM

Also bear in mind that filling a watering can from a butt can be slow. A good option is to fill (via plunging) from a wide open container such as a water butt cut in half (or other old barrel) which is connected to an adjoining butt.

**MarkPelican** · 26-05-2016, 11:57 AM

If you want both butts to have the same amount of water, all you need to do is to put a syphon hose between them. It can go out of the top of both butts and providing you make sure that the pipe is below the level of the tap in each (so the pipe is always under water) the syphon will always work and the water level in each will be the same regardless of how the pipe wiggles up and down between them.

You can also use the pipe to level the butts. Fill one of the butts and fill the pipe by immersing it in the butt. Take the pipe to where the other butt is to be and lift it up and down. The point at which the water just comes out of the pipe is the water level in the other butt.

**ESBkevin** · 26-05-2016, 03:34 PM

Connecting the bottoms is correct. Also using your long hose as a level before you install it will enable you to get the slave butt (oo Er) at the same height as the master butt. fill the hose with water and get it just bobbing out at both ends will give you a level point at each location. Measure up from that point on the master (drainpipe end) butt to the overflow/rim and at the other end measure to the same height and jack up the slave butt rim/overflow to that point. Then install the hose at the bottom. Most butts have two places to drill/locate a tap and they are usually 180 degs apart so hose in one side and tap out the other on the slave butt.

I can't imagine why you don't just carry all that heavy water repeatedly over the distan...oh hang on.

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Linking water butts at great distances

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