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Water Butt Issues
Keith Francis
Posts: 2
My water butt is about 3 years old and has worked well. Suddenly recently it has started to overflow. Any ideas why and how to correct it?
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Posts
What usually happens to excess water when the butt is full? If there's an overflow pipe it must be blocked
In the sticks near Peterborough
I take it that it's filled from a down pipe via a diverter kit? Has the height of the butt been changed or has it been moved, even slightly?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'd empty it out and clear the overflow and tap connections. Rubbish gets into the butts and they need a clear out every so often.
You might need the water that's in there in the next few weeks - you never know, we might have a heat wave. Rather than empty the whole lot out now, I'd clear out the overflow pipe and if that doesn't solve it, rig up a temporary system (old groundsheet?) to divert the overflow into the drain. Then, come the autumn, when you won't need it any more, empty, clean and overhaul it.
Is there a leaf guard on the gutter?
Add another butt to the overflow pipe once you have cleared it. Probably dead leaves or other debris blocked it. We run 2 together and it works well.
I agree with Dove it sounds as if the height/level of the butt has changed and the overflow is not going back to the down pipe.
Thanks everyone. Very helpful.