Posted: 7/26/2010 6:38:50 PM EDT
| However you have them set up, single barrel, multiple, or 265 gallon square containers. I'm hopefully getting either 3 or 4 55 gallon drums from a local beverage bottling plant by weeks end and have an idea how I'm going to set it up, but am interested in seeing how others have done their setup. Hopefully by spring I'm move from the 55 gallon drums to a couple 265 gallon containers since it doesn't take much of a rain to fill a couple barrels |
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I'm interested in this as well.
Most of the systems that Google yields are for for collecting roof runoff and sit at ground level...I'm not enamored with drinking shingle silt. I've been looking for a collection system that sits up high enough to be gravity fed output...kinda like my own private water tower. |
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Works well. Sorry for the weeds. 
Note the riser tube between the totes. That handles overflow. Gotta account for overflow even with the bigger containers. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3813.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3814.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3815.jpg Looks like there's some serious algae growing in there. Are you using the water for gray water/garden? |
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Works well. Sorry for the weeds.
Note the riser tube between the totes. That handles overflow. Gotta account for overflow even with the bigger containers. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3813.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3814.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3815.jpg Looks good, I'm hoping to land a few big containers like your for next summer. I've got an idea for an overflow setup but I'll have to test it. Plus I saw where someone made a dual type cutout for their downspout. When the containers get full, just flip up the downspout cutout and the next rain event just passed down the downspout passing the system to the containers |
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Looks like there's some serious algae growing in there. Are you using the water for gray water/garden? We just use it for the garden. I keep my potable water in the well. 
The water itself doesn't have any more algae in it than your average pond it just looks like it because the algae sticks to the outside of the tote. I don't endorse it, but it's interesting that the kids haven't gotten sick from drinking this water. |
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I saw where someone made a dual type cutout for their downspout. When the containers get full, just flip up the downspout cutout and the next rain event just passed down the downspout passing the system to the containers I like my way better because I don't have to do anything at all. The tanks fill on their own when they're low and the overflow gets drawn off when they're full. I don't have to think about them at all when it rains. 
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| Good point, I may just do it the easy way now...less work = better set up. For the alge just paint the containers a darker color and that will help filter the sunlight better so alge won't grow as crazy, but like you said, for a garden it doesn't really matter all that much |
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Weeds That looks like my Grass.
Overflow/passthrough type is IMHO the best due to it ( container) being flushed with water at every rain and not getting stagnant, you could also hook them up to the chickens/animals etc for constant water to them, no more filling the founts. Im going to build a unit for my chickens as with this heat there drinking LOTS of water. Keep a screen over your entrance to keep dabre and Bugs ie mosquitos from breeding in there. |
There's one thing I forgot to mention for anyone considering using a riser tube to control overflow. You need to drill a hole in the elbow that sits at the top of the riser tube. If you don't, there's enough suction formed when the system starts to overflow that a siphon forms and your overflow system will actually empty the tank. Drilling the hole keeps the siphon from forming.
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Nice setup, Feral.
I have a garage that does not have gutters installed yet, and is at an elevation slightly higher than the garden. Would make a perfect collection vehicle for such a setup, and would save my well water for human use. Does the weight of all that water give you any pressure at the outlet, or is it more the rate of a drain? |
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I'm interested in this as well. Most of the systems that Google yields are for for collecting roof runoff and sit at ground level...I'm not enamored with drinking shingle silt. I've been looking for a collection system that sits up high enough to be gravity fed output...kinda like my own private water tower. There was another thread recently where somebody did the math... in order to get 60 PSI to the house you'd need to have your water up 130-ish feet. |
I've thought about starting a garden in my back or side yard and putting a couple 55gal drums out for a rainwater collection system. This thread is relevant to my interests. 
Once I get my own place and/or a BOL, there will be a better system set up. What kind of attachment would I need to put at the bottom of the barrel? |
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I've thought about starting a garden in my back or side yard and putting a couple 55gal drums out for a rainwater collection system. This thread is relevant to my interests.
Once I get my own place and/or a BOL, there will be a better system set up. What kind of attachment would I need to put at the bottom of the barrel? ACE Hardware carries a fitting that is specifically designed to go through the side of a 55 gal barrel and give you pipe threads on the inside and outside. I've used one on my hog drinker for several seasons and it hasn't leaked, even under a lot of abuse. |
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I've thought about starting a garden in my back or side yard and putting a couple 55gal drums out for a rainwater collection system. This thread is relevant to my interests.
Once I get my own place and/or a BOL, there will be a better system set up. What kind of attachment would I need to put at the bottom of the barrel? ACE Hardware carries a fitting that is specifically designed to go through the side of a 55 gal barrel and give you pipe threads on the inside and outside. I've used one on my hog drinker for several seasons and it hasn't leaked, even under a lot of abuse. Good to know, thanks for the tip. I'm a ways off from doing any of this, I could get a planting of some stuff in next month (boss owns an orange grove/farm and has two crops a year of corn and some other things, so I'll see if he has any ideas) but I'd rather wait until spring and have everything set up for the first go around, I think. |
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A big site on collection systems.............and other good stuff to cost me money and occupy my time
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Water/Water.htm#Catchment |
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Works well. Sorry for the weeds.
Note the riser tube between the totes. That handles overflow. Gotta account for overflow even with the bigger containers. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3813.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3814.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3815.jpg I am interested in what was in those vessels before. I would not like the idea of using a old Round up vessel for garden or even treated for drinking. |
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<snip> I am interested in what was in those vessels before. I would not like the idea of using a old Round up vessel for garden or even treated for drinking. It's probably always worth asking what these kind of containers held. Mine formerly held molasses.
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A big site on collection systems.............and other good stuff to cost me money and occupy my time
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Water/Water.htm#Catchment WOW!!! Tons of links. Downloaded plans for a compost toilet. Gonna put in a range at the end of my property, this looks like something that I will want to add. Also great variations on rainwater systems. I was gonna put one on my 3 car garage, no reason not to add one under the deck as well to collect from the house. |
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Quoted:
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Works well. Sorry for the weeds.
Note the riser tube between the totes. That handles overflow. Gotta account for overflow even with the bigger containers. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3813.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3814.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/FredFeral/IMG_3815.jpg I am interested in what was in those vessels before. I would not like the idea of using a old Round up vessel for garden or even treated for drinking. I was unsure at first as well, I have rinsed the barrels 4 times and scrubbed with a brush, used a steam cleaner twice, sand blasted once then scrubbed again...so far I've water grass and the grass unfortunately lived...which I guess is somewhat of a good thing. I ended up needing trash cans for the shop so I just used them for that...I found a place that has food grade barrels for $5 a piece. Either way I'm not using rainwater off my roof for drinking water |
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Does the weight of all that water give you any pressure at the outlet, or is it more the rate of a drain? When the totes are full, you get about 1.7 PSI at the end of a garden hose. Good enough for filling watering cans and watering trees. you can run soaker hoses off that too..... |
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