[Weston grower]

Hi all,

I bought a couple blue barrels for water butts this year. They are currently both full of water.

Do I need to empty them for the winter - dont like to throw away water cos we dont have taps on our allotments. If I leave them full are they likely to split when they freeze?

Cheers, WG

[arugula]

I wouldn't empty them. You could float something in them to help prevent a sheet of ice forming.

[The Jones s]

Put a 2lt pop bottle with no lid in with enough water in it so it floats upright.

[8doubles]

The blue barrels are tough and unless the weather is really cold and they freeze solid they will be ok. A lot of the taps supplied for butts are cheap rubbish that split at the first sign of ice. Best to use metal taps or do not have a tap .

[savbo]

even if it does freeze I wouldn't worry...2 sankey butts and 2 blue barrels survived last winter without any signs of damage

[JayG]

I didn't have any problems last year despite taking no special precautions, although I can't help wondering whether as the plastic ages and becomes less flexible it might be more vulnerable. 

The floating plastic bottle idea is a pretty easy and effective idea unless the whole lot freezes solid!

[Weston grower]

Thanks for your info everyone. Thats just what I wanted to hear.

Cheers,  WG

[peterjf]

our water butts freeze every year ,

they are very thick and will not crack ,

you could put a couple of tennis balls in the water

[Goosegirl]

You could tie round some bubble wrap if you want to.

[The Jones s]

The floating plastic bottle idea is a pretty easy and effective idea unless the whole lot freezes solid!

It's what they throw in the swimming pools in Canada to allow for expansion of the ice.

[Babstreefern]

Our water butts were frozen solid.  But each time I went down, I would push at the ice until they freed themselves, and then I would grab the ice, and throw it on the ground.  It was never more than an inch or two thick

[prakash_mib]

just a question (sorry to hijack the thread) . do I need to drain my waterbutt at home?

[stompy]

I would always empty water butts, they will fill up again before you need to use them.
I always washed mine out too to get rid of any pests and disease buildups.
but as said by others, the blue types won't split.

[8doubles]

Damage to the butt and tap is more likely if the water is at tap level when it freezes. Empty the butt completely or leave it full.
If the butt is not filled from a downpipe diverter any overflow may well end up as an ice skating  rink.

[WilburDigger]

I have (I had!) two 120l butts.  I suppose it shows how little I check things, but - when I went to look yesterday, I was surprised to find they were empty, each with a plastic bottle lying in the bottom.

Both of them are split almost all the way round the bottom at tap level.  One is also split along the bottom moulding strip.

So floating a part-empty plastic bottle is not the solution, I am afraid