Water Butts Freezing

[Hysteresis]

Hi,
I have just installed a couple of Plastic Water Butts with diverter in a down pipe. (B&Q Specials)
My question is that when the weather deteriorates into freezing conditions, is it advisable to drain down the Water butts during the freeze to avoid the possibility of them rupturing due to ice formation?.
Maybe the plastic construction is satisfactory to withstand the expansion caused by ice formation.
Have other users just ignored the problem and got away with it or am I being over cautious?.

 

[imamartian]

I got three water butts and never had this problem.... and if it did all freeze, wouldn't the expansion just pop the top off?

 

[JohnD]

it might cause a "waistline" crack at the water level line... but i don't bother draining them. make sure you have a well-fitting lid to keep cold winds out. Keep it well-filled so there is a large body of water which will take a long time to chill.

Down here, we're too near the equator to get much ice.

 

[bernardgreen]

Some small plastic drinks bottles weighted so as to float vertically and half submerged will, if the surface freezes, be crushed by the pressure of the ice as it forms thus preventing the butt walls from being damaged.

 

[Thermo]

the plastic should give, but a tennis ball floating in the butt will more than suffice.

 

[Hysteresis]

Thanks everybody. Some great ideas there.