Where do you empty your buckets? - Tile Advice

[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.