Down pipe / water butt question

[singleseeder]

I'm guessing the answer will be no, but................

if I'm using a down pipe from some ground floor guttering to feed a water butt, via the proper 'cut off' thingy, could I just cap the bottom of it, or must it continue to a proper drain? If so, I'm looking at a 280cm diagonal run from the butt to the drain.

The guttering is on my neighbour's kitchen extention and does have another downpipe to a drain further around her property. I was hoping that if the downpipe fills to the level of the guttering and the feed to the butt is shut, the water would continue along the guttering, but I have a feeling there is a fatal flaw in this idea somewhere. Oh, and ................ she's fine about me doing this.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I presume you mean cap the rainwater downpipe, 2 problems.

1, There is no purpose made cap that will do this so you would have to make something up.

2, Rainwater gutter is usually installed with a 'fall' to each downpipe, so there should be a 'highspot' between the two downpipes. Therefore there is a chance that the gutter would reach its overflow level at one end before the rainwater could escape down the other downpipe.

Hope that makes sense Colin

[singleseeder]

Thanks Colin. I couldn't find a purpose made 'cap' for the end of the downpipe either, so that would be a huge challenge for me.

Regarding the fall, I would be breaching the guttering at a high point I think. We both have kitchen extentions across the back of our garages, mine stops short of my neighbours', so the water butt would be against her kitchen (side) wall. There is a gulley between our garages and then the pitched rooves of the kitchens continuing to guttering around my neighbours longer extention; her downpipe is at the back of her kitchen. The new downpipe would be just as the guttering begins along the side of her kitchen. Phew, sorry that was so complicated.

What I wasn't sure about was, if the downpipe was full of water, would the 'cut off' thingy that feeds the water butt still be effective?

[Bigmallly]

Sorry SS, I cannot imagine what you are trying to do at all but would a simple drainpipe diverter not do the trick?..........something like this.............

[singleseeder]

Drainpipe diverter!!... that's what I meant by 'cut off thingy'.

Basically, I'm going to pinch the water from my neighbour's guttering at the side of her kitchen extention and I wanted to try to get away without having to have the downpipe continuing nearly 3m to my drain. I thought if I could cap the end of the downpipe after the drainpipe diverter, the water would continue along the guttering to my neighbour's downpipe once the downpipe was full.

The question really is, would the downpipe diverter still work or would the downpipe being full of water compromise it and cause the water butt to overflow?

[Potstubsdustbins]

So you want to put a new down pipe in to fill your butt? In the nicest possible way of course. Then you want to run the excess water to the back inlet gully?

If I am right maybe you could use something like this. It is 3/4inch solvent weld overflow pipe much cheaper than rainwater and much easier to cut etc.

Colin

[veggiechicken]

Being a naive female, this is my version of what you want to do, I think!!. Take water from your neighbours guttering into your water butt. When the butt is full you would seal off the diverter and hope that the water would back up, up the down pipe and back into the guttering and out into your neighbours downpipe.
Does that make sense?

[singleseeder]

Yes, that's the plan, but I thought that I would need the diverter to shut off the water from the butt when it was full. The example in your photo appears to be just a pipe into the water butt with no diverter.

[Potstubsdustbins]

One of the problems is that rain water fittings are not truly water tight. They don't leak when the water is free flowing but if the water where to back up a down pipe to a joint it would 'wee out'. Techie term that.

Colin

[singleseeder]

Being a naive female, this is my version of what you want to do, I think!!. Take water from your neighbours guttering into your water butt. When the butt is full you would seal off the diverter and hope that the water would back up, up the down pipe and back into the guttering and out into your neighbours downpipe.
Does that make sense?

VC, much more sense than me

[Potstubsdustbins]

I am afraid that which ever way you go you will either (a) have to let the excess water run to earth or (b) conduct it to a back inlet gully.

If you can post a pic tomorrow I may be able to make some suggestions.

Colin

[singleseeder]

Will try to get a piccie sorted tomorrow Colin, cheers.

[singleseeder]

Here ya go. A picture is worth a thousand words.....



Taken by standing on a chair and hanging my head out of the living room window to avoid going out in a deluge.

The downpipe in the foreground has a hopper at the top, taking grey water from the bathroom as well as rainwater from my roof. I didn't want a second downpipe and the water butt just outside the french doors.

Rain has stopped, so here's a closeup.

[Potstubsdustbins]

OK, The easiest/cheapest way I can think of from your pics would be as follows, all stuff available from your local plumbers merchant.

3/4" solvent weld from the gutter down into the butt. From what I can see you would need, 1 of 3mtr length of pipe, 4 of obtuse 135` bends, 2 of 22mm plastic stand off clips, 1 of gutter connector (I have posted pic of this as these connectors are called by different names). Can of solvent weld.

Overflow from butt to be conducted from butt to 1 1/2" sink waste pipe. You will need , 1 of 3/4 straight tank connector, 1 of 90` elbow, 1 of 135` obtuse bend, 1 of 3mtr pipe, 3 of 22mm plastic stand off clips, 1 of 1 1/2" push fit tee, 1 of 3/4 to 1 1/2" rubber bung reducer.

Approx cost. £17-00p.

DON'T GLUE ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ARE SURE IT ALL FITS TOGETHER.

For the feed. Drill correct size hole in bottom of gutter above water butt and fit connector. Fit pipe clips into position. Dry fit a short ends of pipe into the connector and the pipe clips. Using 2 of the obtuse bends marry up the two, then use the other 2 to step the pipe back out into the top of the butt.

For the overflow. Drill correct size hole at high level in the side of the butt facing the wall and fit straight tank connector. Remove waste elbow where it exits the kitchen wall and replace with tee piece. Eye up how the pipe will run and fit clips to wall. Using short ends of pipe to get your measurements cut pipe to length.

When you are happy it all fits glue the joints, be aware the glue is almost an instant set and the joints are unbreakable once made.

Hope this helps Colin

[singleseeder]

Colin, that is just brilliant, thank you. So the black pipework etc and downpipe diverter can go back and I will buy all you suggest.

Do I have to buy, or better still borrow, somesort of 'hole cutter' for the guttering and butt or is there another way?

When this is all fitted, will there be access to the inside of the butt for cleaning? I will probably put some netting/filter at the top of the downpipe.

I feel I'm getting a bit carried away now and might even get a second butt to go next to this one,

Thanks again Colin.