Dirty Water Butt question

[AngeB]

Hiya, I live in a rented place that has a kind of concrete box with no lid that collects all the water from the guttering, we haven't lived there long but it looks to me as though it hasn't been used for many years. It's full of water, but is very sludgy greeny brown. Do you think this is safe for using or should I clean it somehow?

[Green Aura]

I don't think I'd use it without cleaning it, but I'm not sure how you'd go about it.

A couple of suggestions, if you, or anyone you know uses a bokashi bin the EM liquid which comes off it is good for cleaning drains etc - the bacteria eat everything.
You can also buy a proprietary waterbutt cleaner - don't know how much it costs, but at least it's made for that purpose.

Either way, I'd probably empty it out and give it a really good scrub with a yard brush before letting it fill up again. A little EM liquid, or the bought stuff, added regularly thereafter would then keep it sweet.

[AngeB]

Thanks Green Aura, that was my initial thought, I'll have to ask around about the bokashi, perhaps someone on freecycle will have one. Any idea of what I could do with the water that's in there? It must be a good 600 litres in there (I think)

[Green Aura]

Does it have a tap or do you have to scoop it out with your watering can?

If the former, I'd put a hosepipe on it and put it down the nearest grate. If not, you'll be a lot fitter after than before you started

[Millymollymandy]

I would do as GA suggests and one more thing - I would cover it up. One, because I'd be scared that cats might drown in it and two, because you'll have loads of mosquitoes in summer and three, fallen leaves and anything like that landing in the water will turn it murky and it will smell. Right now it's probably raining a lot so the water is flushing through to a certain extent, and it's cold but come summer and it could start to fester and smelly waterbutts are vile (believe me!). Plus sunlight on the water will turn it green with algae (is that no. 4? ).

[AngeB]

Thank you both, I think that's my weekend sorted It'll be a bucket job so hopefully a chance to work off all those seasonal naughties I've been throwing down my neck! I'll see what I can find to cover it - don't fancy the idea of a boggy stench with mosquitos

[Thomzo]

If you've got a bit of spare hose you could set up a syphon to empty it. But it will probably get clogged up when you get near the bottom. At least that would save a lot of heavy lifting.

I would put the scummy yukky stuff on the compost heap. It'll be full of bacteria just waiting to start eating your compost.

Zoe

[AngeB]

This just gets better and better, I get my bank statements, shred them, cover them in half rotted veg, get my OH to wee on them and then shove a load of scum on top. What a great way to beat the January blues

[Millymollymandy]

This just gets better and better, I get my bank statements, shred them, cover them in half rotted veg, get my OH to wee on them and then shove a load of scum on top. What a great way to beat the January blues