# Taps on Water Butts



## Smudger (27 Jul 2008)

A couple of years ago we were overcome with green-ness and bought a water butt (since when we have been deluged, of course). It's big, about 300 litres, but I have always had problems with the tap leaking. When I went to use it yesterday the lever simply snapped off. Great.

Question - should I be able to fit a standard brass garden tap if I make up a metal plate to strengthen the plastic of the butt in the area round the tap? I'd like to be able to attach a hose, and I am fed up with the damn thing leaking.
What do I need to do this job? Or isn't it feasible?


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## Raggy (27 Jul 2008)

I don't see why not. I have 2 water butts 1 has a horrible plastic tap on it and the other one has a brass tap on.


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## Smudger (27 Jul 2008)

Thanks, Chris. It looks simple enough, but then so do a lot of things!
Would a standard garden tap do the job, or do I need a special item, do you think?


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## brianhabby (27 Jul 2008)

Hi Dick,

Just make sure you don't introduce more leaks where your metal plate meets the plastic.

I'm not sure of the best way to seal such a joint but there's a Gripfill product I've used in the past that might do it. It is in a black tube rather than the normal green one and the adhesive is white.

It sticks to pretty much anything and when dry I think it is waterproof.

The number plates on my car are glued on with it :roll: 

regards

Brian


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## Jake (27 Jul 2008)

The best way is with a 'tank connector' fitting to the water butt, which has the washers to seal to the tank and a compression fitting the other end. You could fit a garden tap onto a tap connector fitting connected to the tank connector, but I'd fit the tap to something more solid, and connect between the two with some copper or hose pipe (depending on how your plumbing skills are) because the stress on the plastic is going to come from turning the tap on and off.


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## RogerS (27 Jul 2008)

Dick

It should be a doddle. Why not fit a tank connector first and then short length of plastic pipe (hep20 or hosepipe) to a 'floating' tap. That way you take the strain off your tank connection as you extract the water...ie no moving it.

We have two large butts and they are joined together with tank connectors sealed with PTFE tape. Oops...just remembered, our tanks are old whisky barrels but tank connectors are designed to do what you need.

This sort of thing http://www.screwfix.com/prods/14952/Plu ... ctors-22mm

I've even got a short bit of spare 22mm pipe and inserts you can have if you like.

or one of these if you want to stay traditional

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/47957/Plu ... r-650-22mm


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## Smudger (27 Jul 2008)

Thanks, Roger, that's a good idea.
My wife has suggested a short length of hose with a hose connector on it, so that she can fill watering cans without fiddling about under the fixed tap. May go with that. It would certainly be easy.


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## jasonB (27 Jul 2008)

Shouldn't need a tank connector, the majority of butts (barrel size) are threaded 1/2" BSP and will take a standard bibcock tap, though you may need to remove the check valve as the head of pressure in the butt may not be high enough to open it.

Take out the broken tap and take the threaded end with you to compare with the taps in the shop. A few winds of PTFE tape will seal any loose threads

Jason


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## Smudger (27 Jul 2008)

I'll try it. Just that 300 litres of water to deal with!


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## Raggy (27 Jul 2008)

Smudger":295jvcvk said:


> I'll try it. Just that 300 litres of water to deal with!



Lucky you, mine ran dry this week


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## Smudger (27 Jul 2008)

I'll post it to you...


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## cambournepete (28 Jul 2008)

I've got one of these fitted with a 3/4" plastic tank connector which in turn is fitted with something looking like this(followed by a quick connector and short hose). All bought from the Atlantic Country Superstore on the Suffolk-Norfolk border.
Since I installed in we've had hardly any rain... :roll:


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## ronhayles (28 Jul 2008)

why not invest in a immersible pump that will take your water via a hose to any part of your garden?


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## Smudger (28 Jul 2008)

I've got a tap for that!


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## ronhayles (29 Jul 2008)

but I thought you said it was broke!!!


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## Smudger (29 Jul 2008)

No, the tap on the wall, not the tap on the butt.

Thinking about it I could probably have expressed that better...


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## ronhayles (29 Jul 2008)

I can only respond out of my own experience. I have a large garden and six water butts, not the commercial kind but redundant fruit juice containers which involved fitting my own taps. I have plumbing experiece. Unless you have long arms, fitting water butt taps will be a two man operation unless you have a long spanner to hold captive the inside nut. I favour the quarter turn ball valve taps. I fitted a tank connector with push fit connections to the tap. To seal the fitting, remembering that you are fitting a flat flange to a round container I put a generous beading of bathroom sealant on the inside of both flanges. The waterproof sealant has never let me down. Having brass threads you are able to add more weight to tightening the tank connector. Putting a hose onto water butts, I have found, to be frustrating as the water presssure fails at the slightest kink in the hose. When the butt is almost empty you get a dribble. I favour a submersable pump that you can take from butt to butt. This gives almost mains pressure to the hose however far you take it.


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## Smudger (29 Jul 2008)

Thanks, Ron, that is very helpful.

Do you mean something like this?


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## ronhayles (29 Jul 2008)

That is the one but I have found them in push fit rather than compression fittings. If you fit them straight out from the butt they can be a nuisence, I rather turn them at right angles to the tank connector. Don't know how much you know about such things. I've loads of copper pieces and fittings hanging around so its not a big issue for me.


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## BradNaylor (29 Jul 2008)

TAPS on water butts?

I thought this must be referring to an imaginative punishment for the stupid boys in your class!

Dan


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## ronhayles (29 Jul 2008)

why change a sensible discussion into comedy???????


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## dennis (29 Jul 2008)

Now you have met the forums chief authority on village idiots.



Dennis


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## Rich (29 Jul 2008)

Smudger, once you have drained the butt, use a 15mm tank connector as suggested by others, follow that with a short length of 15mm copper tube, 3" long, attach a 15mm ballofix valve (£1.50, screwfix ) another short length of copper, say 2" long and finally a washing machine valve (£1.00 screwfix) the bonus here is that the threads on your bib cock and the washmac valve are the same, so you can use your garden hose with both, also with a ballofix valve you use a screwdriver to operate it and put no pressure on the tank connector.

Rich.


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## Smudger (29 Jul 2008)

Cool. That goes on the list of possibilities. Did a Screwfix order yesterday and forgot it...

I don't mind people sending the thread up! It has its comic potential...


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## Rich (29 Jul 2008)

dennis":2xgzjtaq said:


> Now you have met the forums chief authority on village idiots.
> 
> 
> 
> Dennis



:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:  :lol: 

Rich.


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## cambournepete (30 Jul 2008)

ronhayles":2i6gfw6l said:


> Unless you have long arms, fitting water butt taps will be a two man operation unless you have a long spanner to hold captive the inside nut.


The fitting I used on my 6ft tall water butt has the nut on the outside, so the only fiddly bit is sticking the fitting through the hole in the butt using a long stick. Still a 2 person job on that size of tank. I used silicone sealant on all permanent connections.
Lots of good advice though.


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## BradNaylor (30 Jul 2008)

dennis":29zy8up5 said:


> Now you have met the forum's chief authority on village idiots.
> 
> Dennis



My expertise was gained through observation...

:wink: 

Dan


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## Waka (30 Jul 2008)

While we're on the subject of water butts, I have 6 of the 210 ltrs butts in my garden, I biought a 3.5 bar hozlock pump last week, its not the submersible type that they do for water butts but free standing.

The hose is long enough to go inthe top of the butt and away you go, so much easier than all those trips with the watering can and the pump can also be used for washing the car and all those other jobs.


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## ronhayles (30 Jul 2008)

lots of good advice particularly that given by Rich...there are obviously many different ways of doing a job. It's what strikes you as being the easiest that is the way to go. Hope it all works out for you.


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## dennis (31 Jul 2008)

Dan Tovey":2rpsw6nj said:


> dennis":2rpsw6nj said:
> 
> 
> > Now you have met the forum's chief authority on village idiots.
> ...



I should have realised that you used observation,on reflection you must see one on a regular basis to have gained the expertise that you appear to have.

Dennis


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