How to Connect Multiple Water Butts Together (Without a Plumber)

One water butt is rarely enough once you start relying on it seriously — a single 200-litre butt can empty after a couple of days of watering pots and borders in dry weather. Linking two or more together fixes that, and it's a job most people can do themselves. The bit that catches people out isn't the DIY — it's picking the right kit, because a lot of the generic, universal connector kits sold for this job cause more problems than they solve.

Two ways to link water butts

Overflow linking connects the overflow outlet near the top of the first butt to the inlet of the second, so water only flows into the second butt once the first is completely full. It's the simplest option, but it's inefficient — the second butt sits empty until the first has overflowed, so you're not making full use of your combined storage until after a decent downpour.

Low-level linking joins the butts near the base instead, so water finds its own level between them as it rains — both butts fill and empty together, like a see-saw. This makes far better use of your total capacity, and it's the method a proper connection kit is built around.

Why a lot of generic connection kits let you down

If you search for a "universal water butt connector kit", you'll find plenty of cheap options — but there's a reason they generate so many one-star reviews about leaks and poor flow. Common issues:

• Narrow, low-flow hose. Many generic kits use standard 3/4" garden hose, which bottlenecks how fast water can move between butts compared to a proper 1" bore.
• Mismatched threads. Water butt taps and outlets vary between brands, and a "one size fits all" push-fit connector is exactly where leaks tend to start.
• No isolation valve. Want to clean or move one butt? With most basic kits, you have to drain the whole linked system first — there's no way to shut off a single butt on its own.
• Doesn't scale. Most are designed for two butts at most, so if you add a third or fourth later, you're often starting again with a different kit rather than simply extending what you've got.
• Guesswork on sizing. You're left estimating hose length and connector count yourself, which usually means a second order once you realise you're a metre short or a fitting out.

What a properly engineered kit gets you instead

Our RAINPOD Water Butt Connection Kits are built to avoid exactly those problems. Every kit includes a 1" premium hose for genuinely fast flow, BSP-threaded fast-flow bends with a proper washer and backnut for a watertight seal (rather than a push-fit that can work loose), and an isolation valve so you can shut off and service one butt without draining the rest of the system. They're built to scale too — the same kit design links anywhere from 1 to 8 water butts, so you're not starting from scratch if you expand later. And if you're not sure what you need, our free fit check means you send a photo of your downpipe and butts, and we tell you exactly which kit and hose length to order — no guesswork, no second delivery.

Best of all, the connection kit is included free with every RAINPOD system — so if you're setting up multi-butt storage from scratch, it works out cheaper and far less hassle than buying a generic kit separately and hoping it fits.

Step by step, whichever kit you use

1. Position the butts close together, ideally on the same level base, so the connecting hose stays short and neat.
2. Mark the connection points on both butts at roughly the same height, low enough to use most of the butt's capacity but above the tap outlet.
3. Drill the holes to the size specified by your kit — go slowly, plastic can crack if you rush it.
4. Fit the connectors from the inside of each butt, with the washer seated properly against the plastic to stop leaks.
5. Run the hose between the two connectors, then top up the first butt (or wait for rain) to check both fill evenly with no weeping at the joints.
6. Feed the downpipe into whichever butt is easiest to reach — with a low-level link, it doesn't matter which one, since they'll equalise automatically.

A few things that trip people up

• Keep the butts roughly level with each other — if one sits noticeably higher, it'll always drain into the lower one rather than sharing evenly.
• Fit a lid or debris filter on whichever butt takes the downpipe, so leaves and grit don't clog the connecting hose.
• Check your overflow route once everything's connected — a full chain of linked butts still needs somewhere for excess water to go.

Starting from scratch?

If you don't have a butt in place yet, it's worth sizing your storage properly from day one rather than adding butts piecemeal later. A RAINPOD system arrives with the connection kit included, so you get engineered, leak-free multi-butt storage in one order — no separate parts to source, and no risk of the fitting compatibility issues that come with generic kits.

More storage means fewer trips to the tap, less time spent troubleshooting leaks, and more water in reserve for the next dry spell — or the next hosepipe ban.