Where do you empty your buckets?

[Tile Shop]

When doing a tiling job, DIY or otherwise, its inevitable that you are going to have cement-tainted water buckets either from grouting or cleaning tools/mixers, so where do you empty it out before the bucket goes back in the van or in the shed?

When I first started in our showroom 18 years ago, I was tasked with doing display boards and grouting them. After cleaning it off, I used to tip the water down the drain in the road at the front of the building. After a few weeks, it blocked and cost my boss (so he told me) about 750 squid to get it sorted by the council. Schoolboy error! I then just used to tip it in our skip after that.

So what do you do at customers or your own houses? chuck it down the bog? stick it in the drain? lob it in the bin, empty it behind the shed where you think no-one will see it (this is where mine went when I did my conservatory)? throw it over the plants, or the lawn? Over the fence whilst strategically guessing where next-doors dog might be standing when the water hits deck? Drink it? (can't be worse than the effects of a slightly off pint of Speckled Hen)

What do you do?

 

[Concrete guy]

I used to empty as much water out as possible then scrape the rest of the slop out into a builder bag that went to the tip.

That's if a skip wasn't available.

Mind you this was back when you didn't need a licence to take your empty lunch wrappers anywhere in your van and we could just rock up to the local tip and slip the chap a tenner to use the facilities.

 

[Spare Tool]

As Alan, leave the bucket or wasboy to settle for as long as possible, pour off water down a land drain, then scrape out what's left into a used adhesive bag or bin bag and throw it in the bin.

 

[One Day]

Normally sacrifice a BAL mixing bucket which is used to collect all the cack. Decant the water each day carefully down a drain and at the end of the job the bucket is mainly solids. Sometimes Chuck the buckets, if I've time I'll save them.

 

[Flintstone]

Down the drain on the street, unless it's a real bad one that I've been cleaning the mixer in, then I do as above, pour the top of and scrape the thick sediment into skip or alike

 

[Old Mod]

Pretty much the same as above, often just ditch the bucket along with the slops.
A £1 to throw away a bucket is a lot less than having to pay for drains to be unblocked.

 

[Andy Allen]

I find a thirsty bush to chuck it under. 🙂

 

[AndY mac]

In amongst the roses. Take that.

 

[Italy]

where it empties intestines, When he leaves the sh.t? and have no toilet?
put everything, same place, same as above.

 

[widler]

1st day of my apprenticeship, i emptied a dirty bucket down a drain, right next to a council suit, i got marched back to my boss , he got a rollocking , i got a bigger one .
Stuck in my mind to this day.
Gardens, bushes,spare land , full skips, but never ever drains 🙁

 

[Rookery]

With the customers agreement, I pour the water in the garden and let mother nature wash it in then scrape the solids into old addy bags. They go in the wheelie bin or skip if there is one on the job.

 

[andy8758]

All of the above....
1. The industry recognised stance. Leave to settle solids overnight if possible. Pour waste water into land drain and then scrap solids into bag/bin/skip.
2. Find plants that are not alkaline sensitive, and water them.
3. Into a badly maintained hedge (advantages of being a country boy).
4. Building site - pour it onto ground anywhere, solids and all. Nobody cares.
5. Eco-sensitive clients, allow to settle for two days, water lawn with clear water, send solids to recycling plant.
6. Posh folks - scrap back scalpings/gravel on drive, pour onto ground and cover scalpings back again.
7. Working at home - pour over fence into neighbours garden (he's a poison dwarf).
8. Rogues answer - drive down road and dump anywhere you aren't seen.
9. Skip hire - pour in skip (solids stay in skip, water ruins through rusty bottom).
10. Clever dicks answer - put muslin bag in bucket/washboy before use, after use pull out muslin bag (water drains and leaves solids in bag to dispose of - hessian works well too.

 

[LM]

We are all pretty much in agreement then if we're being honest 😉

 

[Time's Ran Out]

But who is going to be first to admit to tipping it down the sink!

 

[Italy]

But who is going to be first to admit to tipping it down the sink!

I, I admit it, even from the toilet.

 

[Kyle Knowles]

I just chuck it over the neighbours lawn or on the customers car usually 😀

 

[WetSaw]

I had a client who rented out a flat to an "Artist". He specialised in clay modelling. Unfortunately he used the sink in the utility room to wash things down. I got a call because the drain was blocked and ended up having to chase out the wall and floor to replace the pipe that was solid with clay!

 

[J Sid]

for me, I look for the local travellers camp and dump all waste in the entrance😉

 

[Paul Smith]

for me, I look for the local travellers camp and dump all waste in the entrance😉

Like...

 

[widler]

I emptied my buckets onto a concrete chipping area in a garden last year, bloke rang me after I'd finished
"Craig, you emptied your dirty water onto my the area I made for my wife's sculpture I have made her for her 50th, it is now solid exactly where I am putting my wonderful sculpture , so I'm knocking £200 of your bill to put it right"

Me" well to be honest if it's solid it will be perfect for said sculpture , and won't fall over , BUT, do not knock any money off, I will come around At weekend, with 2 bags of £2 concrete chipping and sort it, it will take me 5 minutes, then you can pay me full amount while I'm there"
He rang me the day after and Said he had paid me full amount and not to bother coming around .
He was all nicely nicely until he heard my lad talking about my Mrs new car and he asked what it was , when he found out it was nicer than his he was not happy at all. He stormed off mumbling " bloody charging to much to have that car blah de blah de blah "

 

[Rickm34]

I emptied my buckets onto a concrete chipping area in a garden last year, bloke rang me after I'd finished
"Craig, you emptied your dirty water onto my the area I made for my wife's sculpture I have made her for her 50th, it is now solid exactly where I am putting my wonderful sculpture , so I'm knocking £200 of your bill to put it right"

Me" well to be honest if it's solid it will be perfect for said sculpture , and won't fall over , BUT, do not knock any money off, I will come around At weekend, with 2 bags of £2 concrete chipping and sort it, it will take me 5 minutes, then you can pay me full amount while I'm there"
He rang me the day after and Said he had paid me full amount and not to bother coming around .
He was all nicely nicely until he heard my lad talking about my Mrs new car and he asked what it was , when he found out it was nicer than his he was not happy at all. He stormed off mumbling " bloody charging to much to have that car blah de blah de blah "

I chuck a few small stones in the bucket, swill it round, find something of similar colour eg gravel, mud lol

 

[Wishiwasatoptiler]

I find a thirsty bush to chuck it under. 🙂

In amongst the roses. Take that.

As above, just ask the customer, hate it when theres a yard only.

 

[Andy Allen]

As above, just ask the customer, hate it when theres a yard only.

Advantages of being a country bumpkin...there's always plenty of greenery about......must be a nightmare for those lundium tilers on here..🙂

 

[MW Smith Ceramics]

for me, I look for the local travellers camp and dump all waste in the entrance😉

Hilarious!.....good idea that Julian!

 

[Kyle Knowles]

I know a guy who scraped his bucket out into what u assuming was the kitchen bin when in fact it was a storage bin for rice the customer was very P'd off haha

 

[Ttt1601]

you just have to be creative, have used all of the above options, worst one ive ever seen, was on a full refurb of a flat i was working in salisbury city center, plasterer could figure out where to empty, so just put the plug in the bath filled it up and dissapeared. builder took me in to price for the tiling, and nearly exploded with rage when he saw it i couldnt help but chuckle to myself, dont think that helped the situation either