Two waterbutts off one downpipe?

[d000hg]

Us and next-door share a down-pipe at the back of our houses, it comes down basically on the boundary line. They already have a waterbutt fitted and we're keen to fit one too, but this is the only downpipe.

How exactly do the connection hoses get water from the drain - is there some sort of funnel which opens inside the main drain? Do you have to cut the drain or just drill a hole - it's a metal drainpipe.

Is it possible to have two connected, maybe 6-12" vertically separated, or would this cause problems?

ps: in terms of pipe ownership, we're good freinds with our neighbours since before we moved in, either of us would happily 'share' the pipe in fact they'd prefer we collect rain as they're a bit eco-mad

 

[big-all]

a pipe about 1" up from the bottom between the butts
then both fill up to the same level so you both have exactly the same capacity but will run out at the same time

 

[d000hg]

Doh, sharing one pipe between the butts never crossed my mind! Are the pipes pretty standard that we could find fittings?

 

[wrathkeg]

alternatively use a length of hose as a siphon.

 

[Deleted2797112]

Doh, sharing one pipe between the butts never crossed my mind! Are the pipes pretty standard that we could find fittings?

 

[d000hg]

While I'm happy to alter the pipe setup to split one diverter to two pipes, or fit a 2nd diverter, I don't really want to drill holes in my neighbour's butt in case either of us ever wants to move or get rid of the butt.

 

[nickjb]

In that eventuality you can always buy a butt plug. Just Google it. Seriously though blocking hole will be easy. Use a cistern blank or similar

http://m.screwfix.com/p/fluidmaster...acking%20url&gclid=CKr246ylwb0CFWbLtAodP08A9A

 

[d000hg]

I think I'd rather not google "butt plug"

Thanks though, that could be an option especially if I set it so mine is the one with the extra hole feeding into his.

Although I do rather like the splitter idea, gives us a way to make our supplies independent rather than linked

 

[wrathkeg]

or use a siphon and don't drill anything.

 

[d000hg]

Won't a siphon stop working the moment the level in the source barrel gets too low, and have to be "reset"?

How are you proposing a siphon is set up, more specifically? If Butt A is the one already plumbed in, and mine is Butt B, would the pipe go from the bottom of A to the top of B? Or bottom-bottom, or something else?

 

[wrathkeg]

No problem with the levels so long as the hose goes all the way to the bottom of each butt.

Fill the hose with water, and submerge it in the water in the full butt. Put your thumb over one end of the hose, lift that end out, put it in the empty butt as far down as you can reach, then remove your thumb. Gravity will take water from the full butt to the empty one, until the water level evens out in the two butts.

I've had two water butts connected like this for about 3 years and have had no problems and haven't needed to reset it even when the butts have been pretty much empty.

 

[d000hg]

Thanks, as long as they've no problems combining our water supply this seems a great option. Which should be fine as it is more efficient to maximise how much is used.

 

[wrathkeg]

Also, you need to make sure that the butts are roughly level with each other otherwise one will overflow before the other is full. But since yours will presumably be next to each other that shouldn't be a problem.

You can use the same method to transport water between butts longer distances apart (say from one end of the garden to the other) so long as the butts are at the same height as each other.