Rain Barrels

[Evolver]

Here is just one of the many ways to put your rain barrels together.

We have 4 barrels total, two at two corners of our house.





Lesson learned... On my house paints I use Glidden Gripper Primer and I swear by it... I had it on hand so I used it to prime the barrels for painting then painted two coats of Latex. It is holding up ok but I won't use it again on HDPE plastic. You can scratch it off with your fingernail quite easily so your better off using spray paint formulated for plastics.


The screen on the inlet stops large debris from getting in and keeps the mosquitoes out. The water from the down spout dumps into one barrel then when it's full the over flow fills the next one.





When its full the over flow is screened too keep the mosquitoes out then down spouted to the ground to control erosion.




I used a gutter to down spout adapter for the overflow.




They are manifolded and tied into the soaker hose system.




For every 10'x10' area 1'' of rain amounts to 62 gallons of water so if your house is 1,500 sqf you can collect 930 gals of water from 1''of rain.

[bacpacker]

Really nice work on the barrel set up. I hadn't planned the over flow on the set up I'm planning. I like the way you set yours up. The way you have your system set up to transfer the water to the garden in very clean and neat. I'm sure it works well.

I'm gonna set up a 2 way spigot on mine. 1 for the garden and 1 for the chickens.

[Evolver]

Thank you! What happens is the second barrel is a little cleaner due to the sediments like roof dust stays in the first barrel and settles in the bottom so if need be will use that one for our drinking water after filtering. We do have Asphalt shingles (not he best for harvesting drinking water) but in an emergence will be drinking it.

We're collecting water from 600 sq f and here in Florida one average storm will fill the four barrels.

[The Stig]

Has anybody else experimented or played around with a rain barrel setup like Evolver has demonstrated?

We have to seriously up the amount of water we have on hand for various non-potable activities like toilet flushing and washing. I think many us of underestimate the sheer volume of water needed to survive.

[bacpacker]

Not yet for me. I have plans in mind for the first one I plan on doing for the chicken coop but nothing to show so far.

[ladyhk13]

ok, i'm going to ask a stupid question. i hear people talking about having hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water saved so how is everyone keeping it fresh? I have one 55 gallon barrel and in the summer i have to use the water quickly in my garden. there is no way i would use that water in my house though. is there some secret?

[Evolver]

ok, i'm going to ask a stupid question. i hear people talking about having hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water saved so how is everyone keeping it fresh? I have one 55 gallon barrel and in the summer i have to use the water quickly in my garden. there is no way i would use that water in my house though. is there some secret?

We use all the water in the four barrels at least once a month and the untreated water is still clear. Some people add a cup of vinegar or 1/8 cup bleach to treat the water.

The key to keep algae from growing is to limit the amount of sunlight inside the barrel by ether painting the outside or a small structure built around them (also good for concealment).

Mosquitoes larva can be controlled by netting or Mosquito Dunks found at hardware stores for fish ponds and rain barrels. I found the active ingredient on the label and it's Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis) Bt is the Organic Food Growers main go to for controlling caterpillars and is ORMI approved and is not harmful to pets, people, fish, non leaf eating insects and the beneficial insects.


As for drinking water harvesting, The safest drinking water before filtering/treating is collected from plastic tarps, non asphalt or gravel roofs like steel or aluminum construction. Water collected off a asphalt/gravel roof is not recommended for human consumption. We have an asphalt roof and believe me if in a life or death situation we will be drinking the water after it's ran through a ceramic filter.

[Sniper-T]

my plan is to set up a few cubes around my house to collect rainwater. I'll use that to water the plants and hopefully turn it over fast enough to not have to treat it.

If you're setting up more, an easier way to do the two barrel thing is to just have a single valve at the Y of the hoses. turn it off there, and open the other two, and the two barrels will equalize.

I have a 165000 gallon pond in my backyard, I currently treat some algae with chemicals, but even with some algae growing on the rocks, the water is still crystal clear, and tests clean. Once I get my fish established, they should take over the algae control, and I'll just be running the waterfalls, and have a solar aerator.

[Evolver]

If you're setting up more, an easier way to do the two barrel thing is to just have a single valve at the Y of the hoses. turn it off there, and open the other two, and the two barrels will equalize.

This is an easier way but if your rains are hit and runners where one min it's sunny the next it's dropping little domestic animals it might not be the better. We get 1'' of rain in 20 min then sunny again so we need to able to harvest allot of water at once. With the balance system the valves and hose will limit amount of water flow into the second barrel and might not be able to keep up with the amount coming in.

[Evolver]

I have a 165000 gallon pond in my backyard, I currently treat some algae with chemicals, but even with some algae growing on the rocks, the water is still crystal clear, and tests clean. Once I get my fish established, they should take over the algae control, and I'll just be running the waterfalls, and have a solar aerator.

Dang! That isn't a pond... it's a friggen lake!!! Very cool, what type of fish and will they be eatable?