Connecting waterbutts together at the bottom

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Hi there,

I have two waterbutts - an 250L amphora urn style from Garantia (impossible to access the inside of this one) and a regular Ward 210L from B&Q. I want to connect them together at the bottom so I only need a tap the urn style, with the other sitting behind it, water levels rising and falling together.

On the urn there is a screw-in drainage plug socket I can use, on the regular one I can take out the tap and use that socket, they have the same dimensions so guessing it must be a standard size - apx. a 9cm circumference, there is eventually a question on this!!

I bought a connector kit from B&Q (see first picture), but this is designed for new holes, I cut off the flange (intended for inside) on them, screwed into both waterbutts, but only a couple of turns for the urn - which increases my concern that without washers/flanges they are going to leak with all the pressure they will have to bear.

I think I need to buy something better suited to the job, such as the brass ones in second picture, however there is a variety of size options, any advice on what size required for these connectors? Any other advice also would be much appreciated.
 

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I have three that I'm going to connect together. What I've seen done is to just loop then together with some stiff pipe from butt to butt but you must fill the pipes first. The water level will always equalise.

8C92079F-B4D3-4F34-90D9-3AF9078F04B0.jpeg
 
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I have three that I'm going to connect together. What I've seen done is to just loop then together with some stiff pipe from butt to butt but you must fill the pipes first. The water level will always equalise.

View attachment 269969
And the outlet tap must always be above the end of hoses level otherwise you will loose the syphon effect
 
Don't forget you need the tops of the barrels to be level, not the bottoms. Those fittings from B&Q are quite possibly non standard threads, I have the T-shirts.

I use standard overflow pipe for the job.
1652965934492.png
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I happened to have enough bits in hand to create this (supposedly temporary installation) but if purchasing new I'd have probably gone all plastic.
Ignore the vertical pipe and Tee piece, that's for the overflow.
 
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Have also gone for CBW's link thanks for the Ward kit, they fit a treat and much better than my hacked B&Q ones. A shame B&Q dob't sell the Ward kit since the water butt I bought there is Ward!

How close to level do the tops need to be, and if one is slightly higher I presume better to be the first in the chain ?
 
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How close to level do the tops need to be, and if one is slightly higher I presume better to be the first in the chain ?
I don't think it should make any difference as when they are joined, the water level in all joined butts will be the same.
 
My method was to buy one of these double taps.

Put it in one of the waterbutts.

Leave the old existing tap in the second water butt.

Connect a short length of hose between the rear tap on the first water butt and the old Tap on the second waterbutt.

Open both those taps (and I normally keep them open) to level water in both waterbutts.

Use front tap on new Tap on first water butt to now get water from both water butts at same time (they will drain equally).

Sfk
 
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Have also gone for CBW's link thanks for the Ward kit, they fit a treat and much better than my hacked B&Q ones. A shame B&Q dob't sell the Ward kit since the water butt I bought there is Ward!

How close to level do the tops need to be, and if one is slightly higher I presume better to be the first in the chain ?
The point is the water will be the same level in both butts, so the taller will not fill to higher than the top of the lower. You will of course have to put the tap in the lowest point ie in the bottom of the tallest butt.
 

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