Rain Diverter Kit

[stevec46]

Hi, I have just bought a Sankey Water Butt, Stand and Rain Diverter kit.How do you fit the diverter kit? The instructions are fairly clear, Place the water butt next to down pipe,measure across from the lid, drop down 30mm, then cut out 30mm section.

This is simular:-

http://www.getcomposting.com/instructions/rain saver.pdf

I have done all this BUT the diverter kit doesn't fit in the 30mm gap where I have cut out the section,so I realsed one of the wall clams, still no good,so I cut of more until it fitted,so it now fits, the guttering is now a bit loose, I might be able to get around that with a clamp near the butt, as the others are far away, but how EXACTLY is it supposed to go together? The Square part of the Diverter has to go up, in the wall of the square part of the diverter is the outlet to the Butt, withing the Square bit of the diverter is a round bit of pipe (very simular to my down Pipe), I presume that the down pipe MUST not go onto the round bit of pipe with in the Square bit, as otherwise I don't see how the water would ever get into the square bit to fill up the butt,but if I had left it at 30mm and managed to get it all to go together, I am sure the down pipe would go onto the Round pipe with in the square bit.

Any Idea's?

[Androcles]

Hi Steve,

I've just installed one myself - not easy.

The measures are intended so that the lip on the inside of the diverter collects water running down the inside of the pipe and sends it to your water butt. When the Butt is full up to the pipe, it fills back up the pipe to the diverter and sends the excess down the drain, hence the need for the cut in the drainpipe to be lower than the top of the butt, so it won't overflow, but be higher than the input so it will run in, when raining.

So when you identify the position, you need to cut 30mm out of the square downpipe. You then acnnot fit the diverter without releasing the brackets which hold the drainpipe (dp for short) in place pull the dp above the cut away from the wall and push on the square piece of the diverter until it is as far home as it will go. Then pul both sections of dp away from the wall and slide the circular bit of the trap into the bottom piece of dp (I fould this quite difficult so as not to break the dp especially if it is elderly. When it is in push the whole lot back into position. You may find that the whole dp has dropped down, so push it back up until the marks where the brackets were are back in their original position and screq back into place. Connect up the tubing to the butt and the butt and you are ready.

As you have cut out more dp than necessary you may have a problem, so it might be a good idea to get a new section of dp and fit it below, so you can push the top dp back up to its original position, as you may find it flaps around in windy weather.

My installation went ok but after finishing, we had rain andI went to check the butt. It had not filled! The drain pipe maybe blocked above, or the guttering is actually on a gradient to send it to another dp, not the one I connected. So, test by chucking a bucket of water onto the roof !

Best of luck!

[stevec46]

Thanks for that. I got a new secion of down pipe at lunch time, so I will have a look tonight,although as you say, Its going to be difficult.

I did phone up Sankey (0115 927 7335) as there web page is being upgraded, BUT the don't have a technical department, that sort of supprised me, any way spoke to some one there taht said they had no idea why I was having a problem, and they said that I should not need to loosen bracket's, but I don't see any other way.

Will let you know how I get on.

Thanks

Steve

[Androcles]

Hi Steve,

The instructions I have say definitely to loosen the brackets...and there is no way it will go in without - another case where the so called expert has never tried to do it!!!

Will be fascinated to find out how you get on!

Best wishes

A.

[stevec46]

Sucess..

But not easy to do! I was suer that at any momment the guttering that was in place was going to go BANG and fly off in all directions, it was NOT easy, I loosened the brackets that I could (1 I could not loosen), tried to fit it, with the new piece of Pipe that I had bought, so that there was only 30mm gap,initially I could not get it to go, I thought 'I MUST be doing something wrong',anty way I presisted, first of all I managed to bend the down pipe so that I could get the Diverter on the edge of the bottom part of the down Pipe,then I managed to slip the rest of it in place.

I would NOT Suggest the SANKEY kit to anyone else, a lot of them are very simular-BUT, There MUST be an easier way.

Thanks for help and advice..

Steve

[MrO]

Hi

Just read through the Q&A's. I installed a Sankey slim line water butt last night and is indeed a difficult task to slot the diverter into the 30mm gap. I actually bought the rain diverter from Screwfix (�4.99) which follows similar guidelines to the sankey kit and is a matter of removing the lower segment of the down pipe to slot everything together. Just wanted to add this as most of these kits are the same (something the designers need to address I think!) and is very frustrating!

[maria2000]

Does anyone know where I could get a diverter kit to fit a 70mm square downpipe? I've searched and any I've seen only cater for 65mm.
Many thanks!