[Anton]

At the side of the new vegetable garden I have started this season stands a large tin drum with a pipe running into it from the roof next door. The drum has been almost empty since I started digging in the garden, back in February,  so I presumed the neighbour must have disconnected it at some time. I have only ever seen him from afar and he didn't seem very friendly whenever I waved.

However, I bumped into him outside his house the other day and he turned out to be super friendly. He reckons there must be a hole in the drum (apparently he worked in the same vegetable garden quite a few years back).

So as there is no no way of me transporting a new drum to the site I wonder if I could line the drum with a plastic tarpaulin type cover!  When I lived in another part place, about 35 years ago, I took over another garden in which someone had created a duck pond using such a tarpaulin and it held the water perfectly well. The ducks had gone by the time I started gardening and the pond offered me a useful source of water.

Hence my idea of lining the drum. Feasible or not?

Anton

[Clactonite]

I think the thing you are thinking of is a butyl liner.  But, and this is a considerable but, this material can be easily torn by sharp edges, such as a rusty lump of steel, a ragged edged hole in a large tin, etc.  It would probably cost as much to repair as it would to buy a new water-butt.  Having said that, you call it a large tin drum so I have no idea of the actual size. 

[hasbeans]

You could always dig out a pond and let the pipe run into that.  Cheap, green and nostalgic solution

[Subversive_plot]

On this side of the pond, you would gave a few options.

1.
Drain and dry the barrel.

2.
Inspect the barrel. If the leaks are small, you may be able to seal from the inside with a) a spray adhesive sealant (products here are Flex Seal, Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal); b) fiberglass and epoxy, or just the epoxy.

3.
If the repair needed is extensive, would a plastic trash can with lid be a good replacement, can you work out a barter to have someone with a lorry to help you get it to the plot? Fresh produce in exchange, or buy them lunch?

[jezza]

Hello you could get a piece of carpet under lay to put between the tin and butyl liner   jezza

[Rob the rake]

On this side of the pond, you would gave a few options.

1.
Drain and dry the barrel.

2.
Inspect the barrel. If the leaks are small, you may be able to seal from the inside with a) a spray adhesive sealant (products here are Flex Seal, Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal); b) fiberglass and epoxy, or just the epoxy.

3.
If the repair needed is extensive, would a plastic trash can with lid be a good replacement, can you work out a barter to have someone with a lorry to help you get it to the plot? Fresh produce in exchange, or buy them lunch?

Would the same repair products seal a moulded pond liner, SP? It has a couple of small splits, none bigger than a few inches.

[Anton]

Thanks for all of these pieces of advice.

Anton

[Subversive_plot]

On this side of the pond, you would gave a few options.

1.
Drain and dry the barrel.

2.
Inspect the barrel. If the leaks are small, you may be able to seal from the inside with a) a spray adhesive sealant (products here are Flex Seal, Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal); b) fiberglass and epoxy, or just the epoxy.

3.
If the repair needed is extensive, would a plastic trash can with lid be a good replacement, can you work out a barter to have someone with a lorry to help you get it to the plot? Fresh produce in exchange, or buy them lunch?

Would the same repair products seal a moulded pond liner, SP? It has a couple of small splits, none bigger than a few inches.

A few inches is pretty big. I think you are probably needing a new liner in that case. If the "Gorilla" brand products are sold over there, you might see if they have patching products. Gorilla glue has a unique characteristic, it actually bonds better in contact with water.

[Rob the rake]

On this side of the pond, you would gave a few options.

1.
Drain and dry the barrel.

2.
Inspect the barrel. If the leaks are small, you may be able to seal from the inside with a) a spray adhesive sealant (products here are Flex Seal, Gorilla Waterproof Patch and Seal); b) fiberglass and epoxy, or just the epoxy.

3.
If the repair needed is extensive, would a plastic trash can with lid be a good replacement, can you work out a barter to have someone with a lorry to help you get it to the plot? Fresh produce in exchange, or buy them lunch?

Would the same repair products seal a moulded pond liner, SP? It has a couple of small splits, none bigger than a few inches.

A few inches is pretty big. I think you are probably needing a new liner in that case. If the "Gorilla" brand products are sold over there, you might see if they have patching products. Gorilla glue has a unique characteristic, it actually bonds better in contact with water.

OK, thanks. I know of someone else who successfully lined a similar moulding with a piece of thick polythene sheet. Given that I got the pond liner for free it's probably worth a try.