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Dented water butt

GailReesGailRees Posts: 2
in Problem solving
We found our water butt had fallen off the bricked stand it was on, it was 3/4 full of water, so was heavy to be dislodged. Not sure what happened, but we are left with a dented water butt, it doesn`t leak as we have filled it half full, No leak... Our problem is that it will not stand up on its own because of the dent it has got when it fell over. It there a way that I can gently knock the dent out from the inside. Any suggestions most appreciated...Thanks 

Posts

  • lindylou54lindylou54 Posts: 23
    Is it a plastic water butt?

  • GailReesGailRees Posts: 2
    Yes, It`s one of those big green ones that you see on allotments.....
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Have you got a photo @GailRees? That would let us see how bad the damage is.  :)
    The difficulty might be in knocking out the dent without cracking the plastic...
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Don't try to knock out dent in plastic,use a hair dryer to warm the plastic and push it out. MAKING sure you are safe water and electricity of course,don't want anyone suing me.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Or maybe just upend it and leave it in the sun for a while on a hot day to get warm.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    It won't get hot enough in the sun,if they did they would go out of shape in a heatwave
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I had a dent at the bottom of a green plastic water butt which also caused it to be unstable on its stand.
    I found a long bit of wood, put the wood on the dent and gave it a whack with a hammer - dent gone and butt still in use many years on :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Nanny Beach said:
    It won't get hot enough in the sun,if they did they would go out of shape in a heatwave

    I once had one that did exactly that - but only the one that was empty, was moved supposedly out of the way and then got knocked during some DIY work when it had been empty in hot sun. The guilty party reached inside and pushed out the dent that he'd made, no cracks or leaks resulted.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited August 2021
    I'm with Nanny Beach on this one. Empty out the water and play a hair dryer over the area to soften the plastic slightly. Less likely to crack when you try to knock it back into shape. It's a technique I've used for other plastics.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
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