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Post by Dan on Aug 5, 2009 9:31:15 GMT -5
I apologize if this belongs in a different forum, please movie it if it does!
I have 2 55 Gallon barrel's that I want to convert into Rain collectors. I've found some instructions online, but wanted to see what some of you have used to make yours.
If anyone has any links, I would appreciate it.
Thanks!
Dan
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Post by lavandulagirl on Aug 5, 2009 10:05:23 GMT -5
Hey! I got a couple of these recently too! We get so little in the way of rain, I'd also be interested in what folks feel is the best way to keep the water clean. I've heard several methods, including bleach in the water....
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Post by silverseeds on Aug 5, 2009 10:32:27 GMT -5
Well I know how to keep the water clean, aa book I have originally written in 1910 is amaizng has LOTS of old time technics, they used sand to filter it.
To keep it clean silver coins can be used.
now I know lav, you dont trust silver research, but I tested this myself. I put a 5 gallon bucket on my land with a few silver coins in it. YEARS ago. it is still fresh as could be. One of the buckets, I also added some bleach, the pressure took the sealed lid off that one AND it wasnt nearly as freash anyway. and had bleach in it to, which is poison.
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Post by Dan on Aug 5, 2009 10:33:44 GMT -5
Silver coins I have, interesting tip. I'm willing to give it a shot.
Jim shot me an email with a link I may try. Taking Friday off work, hopefully will have one of these setup (and I will take pictures!).
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Post by stratcat on Aug 5, 2009 12:17:12 GMT -5
Hi. Here are instructions I've copied and pasted from one of my posts 1 1/2 years ago. Have screening on top to keep animals out. The barrel sits up on concrete blocks. Good luck. Default 02-22-2008 Back to top We made a rain barrel out of a 58 gallon plastic Diet Coke container. After cutting the top off, we drilled a hole a few inches above the bottom and installed a NIBCO 1/4 turn ball valve with a lever handle. The ball valve is a Model 585 (1/2) with threaded male and female ends. The male end is in the barrel held with a nut securing a brass washer. The water stays in. The female end has a male-male 3/4"ID fitting screwed in that we attach the garden hose to. Using a lever to turn the water on and off is much easier on arthritic hands than struggling with a faucet. The total cost of this project in 2003 was ~$25. john
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Post by robertb on Aug 5, 2009 13:37:10 GMT -5
A lever-operated tap is far easier, I agree. As for keeping the water clean, no need to waste your money. Cover the barrel to keep light out. I used to leave mine uncovered, till I got an algal bloom. The water turned green - not that it bothered the plants - and midge larvae grew fat on the algae. Next thing was, I had a plague of midges. Once I worked out what was happeing, I used an old dusbin lid with a bit cut out for the pipe to keep the light out, the algae died, and the flies disappeared.
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Post by Alan on Aug 5, 2009 18:30:11 GMT -5
We use fifty gallon blue plastic barrels for water catchment. You can find them from car wash suppliers for pretty cheap.
They have two bungs on the top of them, what we do is prop them up on two cinder blocks laid flat, place screen over top of the bung that we run the guttering in to, then we use a bore bit and 1/2 inch pvc and drill an "overflow" at the top of the barrel, place the 1/2 inch PVC into the hole, seal it, and run it to the next barrel.
At the bottom we use garden hose spighots and since half our gardens run down hill and the greenhouse is down hill this provides all the pressure we need to move the water through a hose.
We run these barrels in series of 3 all the way up to seven. For keeping the water clean enough for animals and the garden we count on the dark black or blue coloration of the barrels to take care of it and the fact that we will in a normal year use it quickly. During a wet year like this we do ocassionally give them just a bit of bleach and let them soak for a bit and then drain.
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Post by silverseeds on Aug 5, 2009 19:07:11 GMT -5
silver will keep it good enough to drink for years. certainly good enough for plants, and other uses too.
prohibits bacterial growth, among other things.
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Post by Dan on Aug 5, 2009 19:21:33 GMT -5
We use fifty gallon blue plastic barrels for water catchment. You can find them from car wash suppliers for pretty cheap. They have two bungs on the top of them, what we do is prop them up on two cinder blocks laid flat, place screen over top of the bung that we run the guttering in to, then we use a bore bit and 1/2 inch pvc and drill an "overflow" at the top of the barrel, place the 1/2 inch PVC into the hole, seal it, and run it to the next barrel. This is exactly what I have. I may or may not know someone (or two individuals) who work at a window factory. They get 55 Gallon drums of "windex". Blue barrel, two bungs on the top. I have one home right now. I'll give this a shot on Friday. Thanks everyone!
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Post by Jim on Aug 6, 2009 6:04:17 GMT -5
I'll load another bareel up in Nikkis car today.
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Post by Dan on Aug 6, 2009 7:54:48 GMT -5
Thanks bro.
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Post by Jim on Aug 6, 2009 10:20:12 GMT -5
I got two home. I'll see how many are left. We get about 1 a week.
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Post by PatrickW on Aug 6, 2009 12:25:16 GMT -5
Collected rainwater is my sole source of water at my community garden plot.
What Robert said about keeping it clean is right. Keep it covered and protected from direct sunlight, and you don't need to do anything else.
Also what Alan said is important, raise it off the ground so you can get a container under the bottom tap, whatever tap you use, then make an overflow near the top for a connection to the next barrel. This is the only system that works well.
If you connect them at the bottom in any way, then have a failure of any kind in one barrel, you will lose all of your water in one go. The best thing is to have a single tap on each barrel near the bottom.
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Post by Dan on Aug 6, 2009 20:29:50 GMT -5
Well, the barrel is going to be exposed to the sun, but as long as I keep the water itself shielded, it should be ok, right? just need to make sure no light gets into the barrel? Forgive me, I am young
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Post by grungy on Aug 6, 2009 23:25:11 GMT -5
Yes, if sunlight can't reach the algae then you won't get an algae bloom or of course you could catch a small snapping turtle and put him in your rainbarrel. He eats the algae and mosquito larvae and in the fall you have turtle soup,. LOL
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