Rain Barrels

I have seen on different DIY sites these rain barrels and I have to admit I was quite intrigued by them. While this might be slightly over kill for a small townhouse, I wanted to be able to water my gardens without using public water.

Below I will take you through what I did to make my rain barrels.

I found my barrels on Craigslist. Two 55 gallon barrels at $25 a piece. These are just plastic barrels with lids. Then I went to Home Depot and spent about $40 on plumbing supplies. So all total my 110 gallon rain barrel system cost me about $95 and while I was in Home Depot I saw their version of a 40 gallon system for $99. You can do the math on that one.

Mine might be different than most multi rain barrels systems. I am using a manifold system. I connected the 2 barrels from the bottom with only one pipe. The water in the two barrels flow down through the pipe and equalize with the other barrel. Enjoy. Let me know what you think.

One.

These are the barrels. I gave them a washing before I started cutting on them.

Two.

I leveled the ground a bit to place the barrels up on the cinder blocks. The barrels will need to be elevated because the plumbing is coming from the bottom.

Three.

This is where my one down spout was in the back yard. I disconnected it from the piece that was going to the ground. I bought a piece of flexi pipe to use.

Four.

This is the threaded cap that my barrel came with. It is nice because this gave me something to tap directly into.

Five.

Example of some of the PVC stuff I had already glued together. 3/4 inch pvc pipe and all connectors were 1 inch. This is the down spot that will take the pvc to the front of the barrels.

Six.

Connector pieces I haven’t glued in yet. I don’t know the technical terms for these pieces. So here's what I call them. I have 2 valves that I used as isolators. A spigot in a T connector, 2 more elbows, and extra pvc cut to desired lengths. Oh and a cap for my overflow valve.

Seven.

Spigot that is screwed into a T connector.

Eight.

My overflow valve is drilled into the top of the second barrel. I used a threaded valve so I could connect a hose to it and direct the overflow to a desired area.

Nine.

I don’t know what this is called. It's a 4 inch pipe piece I found in the gutter drainage section of Home Depot. It served my purpose of being slightly bigger on one side so it would sit in the barrel better.

Ten.

This piece fit perfectly in the above piece and I added some type of a filter for the incoming water. This is to help minimize the mosquito’s from breeding inside my barrels. I used panty hose.

Eleven.

Fits right in. I cut a 4 inch hole in the top of the barrel and this goes there.

Twelve.

A view of where the water will enter.

Thirteen.

I cut a 4 inch hole in the top of the barrel and placed the 4 inch pipe in. I also applied silicone around it for a better seal.

Fourteen.

The filter is in place and fits perfectly. That square head piece was found in the gutter section also.

Fifteen.

I placed the barrel in place to see if the flexi pipe would fit and reach. It worked just like I had hoped it would.

Sixteen.

Connecting pvc into the T connector. This now connects into my isolator valves.

Seventeen.

While I was letting the above step dry, I drilled out my overflow valve.

Eighteen.

Adding on my isolator valves. This way I can drain one tank if I needed to. Just remember that they both must remain open in order for the water to equalize with the other tank.

Nineteen.

I cut 2 longer pieces of pvc piping and I am now connecting the 2 barrels together.

Twenty.

All done. I put my hose in the top and added water just to check out my seals and to make sure that the water was equalizing from tank to tank.

That night we had a rain storm that lasted most of the night. The next morning I went out to check on them. I was surprised to find both tanks 75% full. That’s roughly 82.5 gallons of water in one rain storm. That is 82 of my 110 gallon capacity. I don’t know about you but I was amazed at the amount from one rain storm.