I've got 2 water butts on the go which are ok but I feel i could do better.
I'm looking at IBCs [forget what it stands for] but they are those large cubes [black or off-white] that sit on pallets.
I have seen them on ebay for around £50 but the delivery is usually another £30-£50.
Firstly does anyone use them or have any comments on them before I spend any more time looking into them?
Secondly would anyone hazard a guess at a good source of them for free. They look very well made and I presume require a deposit for most people so they are not left lying around.
we can get free blue barrels from patak's for water butts, just have to pick them up,lots of factories have them..don't know about the cubes, sorry
The blue containers were going to be my next choice - probably easier to handle a few of them than a massive cube!
we've got 8 interconnected alongside the big shed ;D
Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs)
I know they have been discussed on A4A before.
You could always trawl the yellow pages and do some *Ringing and Begging* calls ;D.
OR
You could always put out a *Wanted Plea* on Freecycle
Quote from: manicscousers on January 05, 2009, 14:22:51
we've got 8 interconnected alongside the big shed ;D
:o EIGHT :o
Any hints or tips on how to fill them/hook them/empty them?
I had thought of Freecycle. I face a slight problem as I run the London one and my local "branch" and always feel arkward posting WANTEDs!
Ray drills a hole and puts a piece of pipe through, as one fills, it overflows into the next, some are covered so we just dip our watering cans in it..I think it's spices, vinegar and stuff that comes in them, we're lucky, Patak's has a person in charge of recycling ;D
by the way, it's a communal shed so everyone can use them, there are also 6 on the other side, all fed by guttering and drainpipe
Have you considered baths?(ex-bathroom)
I'm quite sure if you contact your local plumbing contractor he might oblige you with an old bath/s he has on his hands from a bathroom renovation.
I was thinking about a blue barrel or something similar as I would like to make a black jack. I read about it in Joy Larkhams book & then saw it on The Victorian Kitchen Garden DVD.
Janet.
We have three of the "blue barrels", we collect the rain of the house roof into two of them, also have a huge water tank.
Hubby has put taps into the barrels near the base.
We also have a large blue barrel that collect water off the chook house too.
Take care
Gill
Re IBC's: black ones are best - water doesn't go green. Metal base is much better than wooden. You can get hose fittings for the tap. I like them, big advantage over a line of barrels is no leaky joins which can be messy. They shift easy enough when empty - roll it. Where to get one cheap I dunno, if you could borrow a van and pick it up yourself it'd be worth it. Try looking in autotrader, the miscellaneous bit, for a local source. If you get one make sure it's perfectly sited, for watering can access etc, before you fill it up. 1000 litres = 1 tonne.
grannyjanny what's a black jack please?
Hi JJT. A black jack is a barrel of rain water with a bag of manure steeped in it. After 2 weeks it can be used as a liquid feed diluted so it resembles weak tea.
HTH.
Janet.
I've got three IBCs now - I think mine had glucose in originally. I have no water supply on my field area and the last thee months of 2007 were so dry I was having to take water butts up on my trailer to the polytunnels and animals. So I invested in 3 IBCs. Have one outside each polytunnel which take raintwater from the gutter of my small barn. The second and third ones are connected and I just take from the third one. I should never run out of water now. I have them on concrete blocks to a height so that the tap comfortably fills a watering can. They are brilliant and I can't recommend them enough.
I've found a place that sells fairly near by. £40 each which sounds reasonable.
Just have to measure it and see it fits in the back of the Zafira.
How heavy are they? Would it be feasable to put it on the roof rack and avoid low bridges...
Good point about raising it up on something.