GB2366831A

GB2366831A - Interconnectable water storage units

Info

Publication number: GB2366831A
Application number: GB0022262A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donald David Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-09-12
Filing date: 2000-09-12
Publication date: 2002-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2020-09-12
Also published as: GB2366831B; GB0022262D0

Abstract

A water storage butt (10) comprises a hollow body having a bottom which, in use, engages with an elongate base (20), preferably by means of a groove (14, Figure 2) or ridge on the bottom of the body and a corresponding groove or ridge (21) on the base. Each end of the body may be formed with apertures (17, Figure 2) or cut-outs to a allow adjacent water butts to be interconnected and a system may be provided to allow water to overflow into adjacent butts (Figure 6). A system of interconnected water butts may be arranged to form a wall or fence.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> WATER BUTTS The present invention relates to water butts and particularly to water butts arranged to form a dividing wall or fence. It has been proposed previously to form a dividing wall or fence from a series of water butts. However, such arrangements have suffered from various drawbacks. We have now devised arrangements which have several advantages.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a water butt which comprises a hollow body forming a receptacle for water, the body having opposite ends arranged for a number of said water butts to be positioned end-to-end, and the body further having a bottom formed for locating engagement on an elongate base.

In forming a wall or fence, firstly the elongate base is laid down then the water butts are positioned on the base, one-after-another along the base. The bottom of each water butt makes a locating engagement with the base, to prevent the water butt being displaced sideways. The water butts thus form successive units of the wall or fence.

Preferably the water butt engages with the base by means of a longitudinal groove, formed either along the bottom of the water butt or along the top of the base, receiving a longitudinal ridge, formed either along the top of the base or along the bottom of the water butt. Preferably the water butt is arranged for overflowing into an adjacent water butt.

Preferably each end of the water butt is formed with an aperture or cut-out adjacent its top edge, for use in coupling the two adjacent water butts together, preferably using a clamp-like coupling. Preferably the coupling is tubular in form, to provide for the overflow of water from one water butt to the other.

Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a water butt which comprises a hollow body forming a receptacle for water, the body having opposite ends arranged for a number of said water butts to be positioned end-to-end, and each end of the body being formed with an aperture or cutout for use in coupling adjacent water butts together.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a wall formed of a number of water butts in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 2 is an enlarged isometric view of one of the water butts forming the wall shown in Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the water butt shown in Figure 2; FIGURE 4 is an end view of the water butt shown in Figure 2; FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the water butt shown in Figure 2; and FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view of a coupling arrangement between two adjacent water butts of the wall shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown a dividing wall erected in a garden, for example, and comprising a number of water butts 10 positioned in a line. Each water butt 10 comprises a generally rectangular, hollow body which forms a receptacle for receiving and storing rain water.

Referring particularly to Figure 2, each water butt 10 comprises a body which includes parallel side walls e.g. 11 joined by end walls e.g. 12 and by a bottom wall 13. The bottom wall is formed with a longitudinal groove 14. The top of the water butt 10 is open but a separate lid 15, formed with

a pitched top, is provided. At least one of the side walls 11 is provided, adjacent the bottom, with an outlet port 16 for water contained in the water butt, the port 16 being provided with a tap or other closure. Each end wall 12 is formed, in its top edge, with a cut-out 17, to receive a coupling between two adjacent units.

As shown in Figure 1, the dividing wall is formed by firstly laying down a base strip 20 which has a raised ridge 21 running along the centre of its top surface. Then the water butts 10 are placed in position on the base 20, with the groove 14 in the bottom of each water butt locating over the ridge 21 of the base. The water butts 10 are placed in end-to-end contact with each other. As shown in Figure 6, each pair of adjacent water butts are coupled together by a coupling 24 engaged in the cut-outs at the top edges of the respective end walls. Thus, the coupling 24 comprises a tubular member formed with a hexagonal head 25 at one end and externally threaded at its other end, to receive an internal ly- threaded, hexagonal member 26: the member 26 forms a nut for tightening onto the threaded end of the coupling 24 in order to clamp together the respective end walls of the two adjacent water butts 10. The coupling 24 thus forms an overflow pipe between the two adjacent water butts.

The water butts 10 may be used to form a wall or fence of any desired length. Typically, and as shown in Figure 1, a downpipe 30 from a building is positioned to discharge into one of the water butts 10, at one end of the wall. When this water butt becomes full of water, further water overflows into the next water butt, via the interconnecting overflow coupling, and so on. Water can be obtained from any of the water butts via its outlet port 16.

Claims

CLAIMS 1) A water butt which comprises a hollow body forming a receptacle for water, the body having opposite ends arranged for a number of said water butts to be positioned end-to-end, and the body further having a bottom formed for locating engagement on an elongate base. 2) A water butt as claimed in claim 1, arranged to engage with said base by means of a longitudinal groove, formed either along the bottom of said body or along the top of said base, which groove receives a longitudinal ridge formed either along the top of said base or along the bottom of said body. 3) A water butt as claimed in claim 1 or 2, arranged for overflowing into an adjacent water butt. 4) A water butt as claimed in claim 3, in which each end of said body is formed with an aperture or cut-out adjacent its top edge, for use in coupling the water butt to an adjacent water butt.

5) A water butt as claimed in claim 4, provided with a tubular coupling for coupling said water butt to an adjacent water butt and allowing the overflow of water from one said water butt to the other. 6) A water butt which comprises a hollow body forming a receptacle for water, the body having opposite ends arranged for a number of said water butts to be positioned end-to-end, and each end of the body being formed with an aperture or cut-out for use in coupling adjacent water butts together.

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7) A water butt substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 8) A wall or fence which comprises a plurality of water butts, each as claimed in any preceding claim, arranged end-to-end.