DIY: How to make a rain barrel tutorial.

[spasmo]

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...YjU1ZC00YzYzLTgwNjMtZjg1ODA2MjYxMzdk&hl=en_US

I think everyone should be able to see that. It's not my document. I just happened to have stumbled upon it. If you can't see it, let me know.

*** On a side note *** if the SOPA bill passes, things like that will be removed and you won't have access to them any more.

 

[4sarge]

Thanks, I can see it but I had to log in to Google

 

[GrumpyUnk]

I've made a couple of rain collection barrels but none of them looked as nice as this. I like being able to remove the lid and clean it out when needed.
This setup could be converted to drinking water pretty easy with a few minor alterations.
Thanks!

 

[PriestEG]

thats brilliant!! would have saved me on watering my garden last summer. what is the likelyhood of that barrell becoming a mosquito birthing facility tho?? id imagine they would be able to find a way in and then multiply like crazy

 

[GrumpyUnk]

thats brilliant!! would have saved me on watering my garden last summer. what is the likelyhood of that barrell becoming a mosquito birthing facility tho?? id imagine they would be able to find a way in and then multiply like crazy

Skeeters are always a concern with anything holding water, but this looks pretty tight and would keep out most of them.
A little olive oil poured on top of the water will smother the larvae and not hurt your garden plants.

It would be easy to daisy chain several of them together for more storage too.

 

[pirate]

"Sorry, we are unable to retrieve the document for viewing or you don't have permission to view the document."

Im even logged into my gmail and it still tells me to **** off.


Google hates me today.

 

[PriestEG]

Skeeters are always a concern with anything holding water, but this looks pretty tight and would keep out most of them.
A little olive oil poured on top of the water will smother the larvae and not hurt your garden plants.

It would be easy to daisy chain several of them together for more storage too.

olive oil huh.. never thought of that but i think this will be my early spring project after i get my seeds started and ground tilled!

 

[westfork]

this is a good start, but using a diverter on your downspout is a much better idea. it will allow the barrel to fill until full, then backpressure from the plumbing feeding the barrel will allow the surplus water flowing through the downspout to follow its 'normal' path out into your yard, into a french drain, or whatever drainage controls you have around your home. you definitely don't want the excess water overflowing from the rain barrel right there by your foundation - it needs to be sent away somehow for proper drainage. simply lengthening the overflow hose on this design might work, but i have my doubts as to whether or not that garden hose can keep up with a heavy downpour.

it doesn't take long for a 55 gallon drum to fill to the brim and overflow during a moderate rain shower. our home is pretty sensitive to drainage issues around the old laid limestone basement - even clogged gutters cause unnecessary moisture in our basement during heavy rains.

the diverters are commercially available, relatively inexpensive, and most come with options for winterizing your setup. the one we currently use came from menards and works well.

oh on a side note - we use a food grade 55 gallon drum with the snap ring lid. we've never had mosquitoes or any other insect problems. we pop the lid open a few times a season and inspect and then scrub it clean for winter storage in the barn. pretty rewarding collecting your own water for the garden!

 

[churchmouse]

This is what I was looking for in the thread I started. Most cool. There are many different ways to approach this design. The overflow is a bit small but again, many ways to do this.
Thanks.

 

[paddling_man]

Very cool. I'm interested in doing this but am curious... what the heck do you do in a typical Indiana winter? Having lived one solid year in a class A rv with an uninsulated belly, I know a bit about full plastic tanks swelling when frozen and cracking.

I would imagine the whole system would need to be removed and a normal drainspout used in the wintertime?

 

[westfork]

I would imagine the whole system would need to be removed and a normal drainspout used in the wintertime?

we simply unhook ours, drain it out, scrub the inside clean, and stick it inside the barn for the winter. the diverter we use can be removed from the downspout during the off season and replaced with a plug that was included in the kit.

i wish i could remember the brand name of it so i could supply a link, but they are becoming more and more popular and widely available so i'm sure there are better out there. i've used two different setups and both have worked well. the one i picked up at menards even came with a spigot for the barrel with some pretty handy rubber gaskets and such for getting it all rigged up.

 

[churchmouse]

Very cool. I'm interested in doing this but am curious... what the heck do you do in a typical Indiana winter? Having lived one solid year in a class A rv with an uninsulated belly, I know a bit about full plastic tanks swelling when frozen and cracking.

I would imagine the whole system would need to be removed and a normal drainspout used in the wintertime?

Not a winter deal. Any water trapped has to be stored in a safe environment.
As you can read in some of the threads about this, everyone cleans up and stores the catch container until spring.

 

[westfork]

here is a link to the kit that we used on our current rain barrel. i have no complaints about it how it functions. easy to install and maintain.

 

[HighStrung]

Skeeters are always a concern with anything holding water, but this looks pretty tight and would keep out most of them.
A little olive oil poured on top of the water will smother the larvae and not hurt your garden plants.

It would be easy to daisy chain several of them together for more storage too.

One thing I found when my parents use to have a rain barrel (big ole 50+ gal wooden monster with the old steel rings even) was that without a lid, you for sure got Skeeters. What we did was went fishing, brought home what was essentially a small bass or a couple small blue gill. They ate the skeeters, the excrement is actually good for a flower or veggie garden. They would survive all summer in that barrel usually with zero maint. We always saw the larve (or whatever they're called when they're tiny) but never had an actual mosquito problem. I wouldn't suggest it for my potable water supply, but for general watering why not utelize nature. Many bio systems are set up using fish excrement for nutrient suppliment to water supplies for gardening.

 

[Double T]

It wouldn't be too hard to stack this and a water filtration barrel to get some backup water supply.

I might make one of these in the spring. Do you have to sterilize it? Or can a soaped out/rinsed old can work? Our city just forced us to use "their" dumpsters for a one man truck with forks to lift it into the truck. I now have 3 or 4 junk trash barrels.

 

[churchmouse]

It wouldn't be too hard to stack this and a water filtration barrel to get some backup water supply.

I might make one of these in the spring. Do you have to sterilize it? Or can a soaped out/rinsed old can work? Our city just forced us to use "their" dumpsters for a one man truck with forks to lift it into the truck. I now have 3 or 4 junk trash barrels.

I am going to bleach mine out just because. May end up drinking the water if need be....

 

[Cpt Caveman]

Yeah, the overflow is way too small in the OP's link. Good setup though otherwise.

 

[Kmcinnes]

That is almost the same setup I am working on. After alot of research on rain barrels I settled on this design! Thanks for posting!