The Garden Community for Garden Lovers
 

United Kingdom Gb

Do you need to empty and cleanse water butts over winter and re-site in spring? If so how do you cleanse the butts especially the algae that seem to cover the inside

Dave
Darwen




Answers

 

Never deliberately emptied ours for cleaning. And winter is when they get filled for Spring use.

29 Sep, 2013

 

The algae usually only occurs in water butts without lids, or where the sun's been able to get inside the container somehow. The advice is to clean out water butts yearly or bi yearly, depending on conditions, and cleaning out usually just involves swilling it out. In your case, though, it sounds as though you need to give it a good scrubbing with soap and then rinse it out when it's clean. Filters over the drainpipe help to keep the water clean, and you can also use non chemical treatments such as Biotal Refresh Rainwater Treatment.

29 Sep, 2013

 

Useful question and answers...
I've added to GoYpedia :o)

29 Sep, 2013

 

Clean ours out every five or ten years, if necessary. No lid and I use it to soak clay pots before cleaning.

29 Sep, 2013

 

Do you need to re-site for practical reasons?
If you do then it would be preferable to do so before the winter rains so that it fills up again before you need the water. May be worth holding on for a couple of weeks - we could still get an Indian summer and you'd have no water stored.

29 Sep, 2013

How do I say thanks?

Answer question

Related photos

  • ♬ MAY YOUR DAYS BE MERRY AND BRIGHT ♬
    Terratoonie
  • one of my barrel
    Mossy
  • Barrel to store water
    Treesandthi..
  • waterbutts
    Paulsgarden

Related blogs

Related products

 


Related questions

Not found an answer?