Water Butts in winter

Hello everyone,

We're getting our downpipes replaced on Monday. I thought it opportune to get a diverter fitted for a water butt.

However, I've read you should keep water butts empty over winter because of freezing. I don't want to leave the tap open because water will just be running onto our patio instead of into the drains like it normally does.

I can't seem to find any details about what to do over the winter. I was thinking about disconnecting the diverter from the butt, and point it upwards, securing with a cable tie so the water just runs into the drains.

Do you have a water butt set up to a downpipe? What do you do over winter?

Many thanks in advance.

 

I put a small ball (Tennis size) in my Butts, it keep the water from freezing.

 

Only time we have ever had a problem was when the water refroze. Otherwise just take off about 10% of the water from the butt to give room for the ice to expand into.

 

I have 4 water butts - 3 outside my greenhouse and 1 close to the house.
In the 10+ years I've had them, freezing water has caused no problems.
As suggested above, a tennis ball would give added protection.

 

I've never had any problems with plastic butts, they give a bit when the water freezes, years ago I had a few of the metal oil drum type and when they froze right down it just deformed the bottom and bent it.
But that was years ago, never had one freeze solid since then, although they can freeze on the outside with liquid water still in the middle, if that makes sense.

 

The issue would be if the top of the water freezes then the bottom is forced to expand underneath, if its really cold you could just crack the top and stir it a bit and it should relieve pressure.

 

I have 5 water butts in total. 3 butts in a line with the first using a diverter with overflow connectors to another 2. No. 4 drains directly from a smaller roof and can be connected to No. 5 by a hosepipe to take any overflow.
All are sited along a wall which does provide some protection but have not yet encountered any freezing. Obviously depends on your location tho as to whether or not you get regular freezing weather over a prolonged period.

 

I’ve never had a problem with water freezing inside the water butts either. However, I do stop collecting just because I use less during the winter so the quantity stored does go down. For the traditional water butts, I just disconnect the hose and turn it up to the sky with a cork bunged in the end. I also have some 500 litre tanks with a 3P Technik diverter and filter device. They have open/close positions on them so they just get turned off. Excellent bit of kit, albeit expensive.

 

We have 5 butts and never left them empty over winter and never had any issues with freezing.

 

It should be possible to close the diverter manually. It will only be controlled by something floating in the water butt.

 

As said your diverter should have a lever on it to allow the rain water to bypass the diverter and continue its journey down the down pipe. Make sure your butt is not completely full and drop a tennis ball in as recommended above. If still worried wrap the butt in bubble wrap. If you are buying a new butt they come with all the fittings from B&Q and instructions plus a tap is fitted but you will have to drill out a hole in the marked area to fit the flexible pipe from the diverter into the butt.