I would like to install water barrels with taps around my house. Any suggestion on how to build these?
Question:I have 3 barrels and about 12 4x4s about 4 feet long. I want to be able to hook up hoses and water my garden and my lawn. We are going thru a dry spell. Anyway it is better than turning on the tap and watching my hard earned cash running out all over the grass.
Answers:
I think the other answers are pretty sufficient for the basic set up, but they overlook one common mistake. If you are filling the barrel with rainwater from your downspouts, then what happens if the barrel gets full? Where does the rainwater go then? If you just let it overflow onto the ground you'll damage your foundation around the house. What you need is an overflow trap (just like the little hole near the top of a sink.) If you put a hole near the top of the barrel and reconnect the bottom half of the downspout, the barrel will fill to the level of the hole and then the rest goes right back down the downspout.
Be aware also that your system will not be pressurized, so don't try to run a sprinkler off of it, it won't work. Soaker hoses work quite nicely off of gravity fed systems. But you'll also be surprised how quickly you can empty 20-30 gallons onto a lawn.
Your idea is a good one and easy to accomplish.
You need a simple gravity feed system. To do this build a stand that will hold the weight of the rain barrel full of water 4 or 5 feet off the ground. Next drill a hole in the bottom of the barrel and install a drain pipe and shut-off valve.
From there on it's pretty self explanatory, just run pipe to where ever you need water.
Good luck
If your barrels are the blue plastic variety or metal, I'm not too sure. However...
If your barrel is wood, purchase at your local hardware store (per barrel):
1 pipe nipple, 4"long, 1/2" dia (short section of pipe threaded on each end)
1 female 1/2" sillcock (wall spigot)
2 short wood screws
small spool of teflon pipe tape
enough silicone sealant (in the tube) to do all 3 barrels
-Using a drill with 1/2" bit, drill a hole 4" from the bottom of the barrel. This will allow room for sediments so they don't interfere with your faucet.
-Wrap the teflon tape around the threads on one end of the pipe nipple and screw the sillcock on.
-Apply a generous ammount of silicone to the back of the sillcock bib and push the pipe nipple through the hole.
-Screw sillcock to barrel with short screws.
-Apply generous ammounts of silicone to inside of barrel around pipe nipple. Allow silicone to dry according to manufacturer's instructions.
-Test by filling barrel with a few inches of water and check for leaks. Apply more silicone as necessary.
-Attach hose and water away!
Be sure to put some screen over the tops of your barrels to keep leaves and other floating debris out.
PBS has aired a segement for exactly that issue, and they repeat it often. "This Old House" at PBS.ORG, and then search the site using keywords or "contact"
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