On Wed, 18 May 2005 07:10:47 +0100, MM wrote:

~On Tue, 17 May 2005 08:18:30 +0000 (UTC),
(jane) wrote:
~
~On Mon, 16 May 2005 07:10:38 +0100, "Brian Watson"
wrote:
~
~~
~~"martin" wrote in message
...
~~ On Sun, 15 May 2005 19:02:36 +0100, MM wrote:
~~
~~On Sun, 15 May 2005 17:09:43 +0100, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:
~~
~~ Of course, you'd get about 150 cubic
~~metres of Anglian water for that kind of money instead, but it's the
~~idea of getting something for nothing that appeals.
~~
~~ Have you worked out how much 20 cubic metres of water weighs?
~~
~~Or how much the petrol will cost to get it home? Or how much the container
~~to hold it will cost?
~~
~~Waste of time and money, I call it.
~~
~
~Yes, but in a country which is heading for hosepipe bans due to a
~shortage of clean water this summer, surely getting water directly
~from a dyke will be much greener, as it's not been expensively
~purified, saves using drinking water and is in any case gradually
~making its way to the sea?
~
~If it's not far away, and therefore not much in the way of petrol,
~then surely it's a good idea? Especially if it's fun!
~
~jane, who had a lot of fun wiring up her lottie shed to a water butt
~the other week. Course it's hardly rained since... typical!
~
~Ah, Jane, butts! I am thinking of getting one and piping it into the
~downpipe from the guttering around my house. Apparently B&Q do a
~contraption to redirect the rainwater into the butt which one can fit
~into the downpipe somehow. What sort of a job is it? I am a very
~effective DIY person!

I found it fairly easy - the only downside to the diverter I got was
that it was one that requires only a very slight downward gradient to
the butt. If no gradient, the butt wouldn't fill, and if too large the
excess came out the butt lid. Took mm precision and a roll of duck
tape. Which I can recommend for anything involving guttering...

I've also got two types of diverter - you'll need fixed pitch font
here! One's

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where the sloping bit can be set upright by a lever to let water go
into the drains. You attach a hose to the outpipe, and it will work
over quite a distance but does not automagically redivert to the drain
if the butt's full

The other's more

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so once the butt is full, the water backs up the pipe and any more
water is forced over the inner ring and back down the drain. As I said
above, the outflow pipe has to be very precisely positioned for this
to work! I have two butts wired to this one (they're space savers, ie
narrower and so don't block the path at the front of the house as a
full diameter one would. More expensive per gallon than bog standard
butts and you need two for the same volume of water, but they look
quite good. I've got a window box balanced across the lids of mine).
erm url...
http://www.gonegardening.com/xq/ASP/...op/product.htm
I didn't get mine from them - this was just a google to illustrate.

Both of these diverters are round cross-section - I've seen square
ones but have no idea how you make the seal properly for normal
circular drainpipes.

Good luck






--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!