Water butt - those 200L ex-commercial barrels question

[Why Not Indeed]

it was allowed to freeze

Is it expected that one drains down one's water butts at the start of winter? I would have to disconnect mine if they're not supposed to have water in in winter, that's going to be a bit of a faff.

 

[scbk]

I never empty any of the water storage. So when it's really cold an ibc will freeze entirely, 1 tonne ice block!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Is it expected that one drains down one's water butts at the start of winter? I would have to disconnect mine if they're not supposed to have water in in winter, that's going to be a bit of a faff.

I heard said, that floating tennis balls on the surface, helps.

I have just fired up, the automatic water-system, which I installed last year, to irrigate the garden border.

 

[Blokky27]

Here's another use for the drums, you make the 'pockets' by cutting a slot, heating it, ramming a glass bottle in

This looks great - what do you heat the plastic with to make it soft enough?

 

[camerart]

Hi,
This is great for recycling.
I found one of these drums in the road, and it will store cement and other 'keep dry' bags for a long time.
C

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This looks great - what do you heat the plastic with to make it soft enough?

Easy, carefully, with a hot-air gun.

 

[scbk]

This looks great - what do you heat the plastic with to make it soft enough?

As above, heat gun, each hole needs a lot of heat, a gas blow torch would be faster if you had one.
Cut the slots with a circular saw, or angle grinder if you were really stuck.
Sometimes easier to start with a small prybar before the bottle.
You want bottles with a tapered neck, I don't drink wine so it was glass irn bru bottles for me! The bottles need to be left in until the plastic cools, so the more the merrier, and I used water to aid cooling.
Mine have 40 pockets each, 5 high, 8 per row, evenly spaced. First drum took ages, second one was half the time once I had it sussed.