The plastic drum we use as a water butt on our allotment had a hole in it that was a relic of its previous life. This obviously meant that it didn't store as much water as it could have, and it overflowed inconveniently. Any repair would need to be waterproof. Inspiration came in the form of a SUGRU build night at our makerspace, so on a dry day we set to fixing the hole.

Step 1: Preparing the Repair Area

We picked a dry spell and emptied some of the water from the container. The area around the hole was dried, cleaned and scuffed a little to help the SUGRU to adhere better. A patch for the hole was created from some scrap plastic that we had saved.

Step 2: Patching Up With SUGRU

The hole was patched with the scrap plastic. The surrounding area both sides of the drum was covered with SUGRU to create a seal. It was then left to cure for a couple of days.

Step 3: The Fix Is Complete!

Once the SUGRU had cured, the drum was put back into service as a water butt. We estimate that it now holds around 60l extra of rainwater since being patched.