| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Stacey |
Diverter for bath water?We have a butt, we have the bath water but we can't seem to find a diverter that will fit the pipe that the bathwater comes down. All of them seem to be for drainpipes, hence they're the wrong mm. The pipe the bath water comes down is around 40mm. Any ideas? |
| Fee |
Sorry, no, somebody will though, eh 
In the meantime, we use one of these jobs for watering the garden after a bath in the summer: http://www.droughtbuster.co.uk/ At £20, you can probably make one yourself, mine was a pressie  In fact, it;s time it came out again, the butt's empty already!
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| marigold |
I used to siphon my bath water directly onto the garden via a hosepipe by first filling the hose from the sink cold tap using one of those rubber attachment thingys, then yanking it off the connector, putting my thumb over the end and shoving it in the bath as quickly as possible. There was a bit of an art to the procedure, but I usually got it in the bath fast enough to keep the siphon going up about 5ft to the bathroom window then down into the garden.
Not quite as elegant as Fee's gadget, but it worked and cost nowt but a few moments of my time. |
| James |
If you cant find one, here’s how to make one:
You’ll need: 1 x 40mm T-piece 4 x 40mm 90 degree elbow pieces Some epoxy putty (“Milliput” or “Araldite” epoxy putty) A little extra 40mm pipe Position the water but in its final location on a stand high enough to fit a watering can underneath 1. Cut your down-pipe at a level 2 or 3 inches below the top of the water but. Put the cut piece to one side to be used later. 2. Attach the T-piece to the down-pipe, with the “T” facing away from the water but. 3. Using one of the 90 degree elbows and some 40mm pipe, connect the bottom of the T piece to the water but. Secure the pipe to the but with epoxy putty 4. using the 3 remaining 90 degree bends and short lengths of 40mm pipe (to join these together), create a ‘dog-leg’ to bring the overflow (the “T” facing away from the water but) back into the original line of the down pipe. Then attach a length of pipe to pass this to the drain. The idea is that the bath water will flow to the lowest point in the pipe, which diverts into the but, until the water reaches the level of the T piece. At this point, the water overflows and passes down the pipe to the drain. I've done a sketch, but I'm having trouble uploading it. If you need any further explanation, let me know & I'll try again with the sketch or could email it. |
| Chez |
This is great, James. Could it go in somewhere as a little article? |
| sean |
If we could get the sketch and/or some photos it would make a great mini article. |
| James |
I've got the sketch saved as a jpeg of an A4 sheet I scibbled the plan onto. I'm busy for the next day or two, but if someone could let me know how to upload an A4 jpeg, then people could download it.
Oh...and I have to confess, whilst I figured out how to do this recently, I havent actually done it : my water butts already have diverters. So no pics, sorry I've been thinking a little more about how to reduce the number of elbows you need. Instead of three 90 degree elbows on the outflow, you need only buy one 90 and one 60 degree. Actually, I'll redoo the scetch showing both ways of doing it. One would be neater, one would be cheaper. |
| sean |
If you email it to me then I can whack it into the articles section. |
| James |
okey dokey |
| Stacey |
Thanks James - I'll pass that onto my husband 
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