[MrsWeed]

Hi all, this is probably going to sound really dumb...we inherited two water butts on our allotment. One of them is half full and would be good to start using it.

However, it looks like the previous owner has made two holes in the water butt and fed two seperate bits of hose through the butt and sealed it , about 3/4 of the way up. We're guessing that this is some sort of suction contraption to get the water out  but I really don't fancy sucking on the end of a dirty hose in front of other allotment holders, just in case we're totally wrong. Can you imagine the looks?! 

Any ideas?

[fatcat1955]

More likely he had a number of water butts connected together. To siphon water you place a 3ft length of hose under the water till it is full , place your thumb over 1 end and lift it out of the butt, lower it below the height of the water butt, remove your thumb and the water flows.

[mobilekat]

If that was my father the hose would be linked to a keg of beer, kept nicely cool in the water.

But as Fatcat says its more likely that the butts were linked so that when one was full the next one filled...

Try asking the neighbours as they might know (and you never know the beer theory may be right!)