Help with home made waterer PLS!

[kdcolorado]

My husband and I made a waterer from a 5 gallon bucket and purchased a 21 inch bottom, the kind you put under plants.
We got instructions that said to put two 1/4 inch holes approximately one ince from the bottom of bucket. Place in the plant holder and wala!
Well the water doesnt stop running out. This was suppose to work lol Anyone have any suggestions.

 

[WalkingWolf]

The top of the bucket is not sealed, so air comes in the top. If you can plug the two holes on the bottom drill the holes 1 inch from the top and then turn the bucket over in your base.

 

[kdcolorado]

the top of my bucket has a lid with a seal on it. They are difficult to open so i know its closed tightly

 

[clairabean]

Are the holes above the water level in the bottom saucer?

A lid closed tightly does not always mean air tight. Any air leak will cause gushing.

 

[ailurophile23]

Get a deeper base so the holes in the bucket are below the water level in the base. You can get a cheap plastic pan for changing oil - they are deeper and plenty big around. Good luck!

 

[mangled]

We had a bucket waterer that worked fabulously until it froze and cracked last winter.

I had the same trouble with the water gushing out, so I got a new bucket, put the holes at the top near the lid, filled it, sealed the lid and flipped it upside down in a oil pan.

The water seals it airtight.

Good luck.


Blessings-
Em

 

[WalkingWolf]

Air leaking from the lid is pretty much a problem with bucket waterers, even when the lid is tight. And if not initially the seal will sooner or later fail if you are taking the lid off to fill. Putting the holes at the top not only ensures a proper vacuum it makes the bucket easier to handle when moving to and from the pan for filling. I do not even remove the lid to fill, just cut a hole big enough for the hose, it will be on the bottom when flipped. Done in this fashion only one very small air hole is needed to get the proper water level. Considering you have already drilled holes at the bottom you could use sealer on the lid and put a fill hole in the bottom and it should work then.