How to Build ● Rainwater Tanks From Pickle Barrels
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 жов 2016
- Save rainwater and join any number of barrels together in an array to collect rain water for your garden or any other purpose you can think of. Rainwater tank harvesting saves you money on your water bills. It's free !!! I also explain what a "first flush" is and how they work. I then show you how to make your own first flush for the rain barrels. Each of these rain barrel tanks hold 220L or 45 gallons. Rain water harvesting is extremely satisfying since you 're saving money, being creative and you're helping the environment.
USA
● Stainless Steel Screws .... amzn.to/2JfF1UQ
● Silicone Sealant .... amzn.to/2K7i8Ej
● Robertson Bit 6".... amzn.to/2pwaJFg
● My Great Little Cordless Drill .... amzn.to/2puSqQU
CANADA
● Robertson Screwdriver Bit .... amzn.to/2BPScdy
● My Great Little Cordless Drill ....amzn.to/2WtAkOY
● Stainless Steel Screws .... amzn.to/2N2kJ60
or MY STORE
● www.amazon.com/shop/chrisnotap
● www.amazon.ca/shop/chrisnotap
Full Transparency! A small portion of each sale goes from Amazon's pocket to my pocket with no additional cost to you! Thanks for your support. It's very much appreciated! - Навчання та стиль
Find my favourite tools here! www.amazon.com/shop/chrisnotap
I have a tip for you: If you get the overly large blue electrical wire nuts you can use one on the end of the tube of caulk and it seals it up super tight. I just re-opened a thing of caulk I had closed like 5 years ago and it pumped out as fresh as the day it was opened.
Amazing setup. The automatic diverter with the bottle is genius.
Thanks!
I can’t tell you how many videos I watched before making my rain barrel and by far you have the best video on UA-cam. You took the time to show and explains everything in detail. Wow great job.
Thanks for that great feedback!
Thank you Chris! Like a comment below, I too kept looking at videos on how to hook-up barrels for water collection. Each video left me thinking there is a better way. Fortunately, I came across yours, Excellent design! I will be having a system all but identical to yours. My wife would be proud of you. She and her sister are HUGE participants in "Big Item pick up day". Around our area are specific days to set out "junk" for the trash folks to take Saturday morning. Friday evening is like a scavenger hunt. I'm putting vacuum hoses on my request list! :-). Thanks.
That 'bottle valve' is brilliant! :)
Best system I've seen so far. Thanks. You could certainly have a business in rain barrel layout.
Very nice video. I like the ability to take it apart. I am using leftover concrete blocks to raise the barrels, but they will likely settle over the years. Using your system I have the option of taking the system apart to do that. My additions to your system will be to put a screen filled bucket at the top of the 4" PVC collection pipe. I don't have screening on my gutters, so having the downspout stop a few inches from the top of the screened bucket will provide an air gap. The screen there will be kind of like a small concentrated version of your rain gutter. My other modification is to extend the 4" pipe over to the third barrel in line so that the water can flow both directions through the 1" connector pipes while filling the other barrels in heavy rain.👍
Best rain barrel video out there. Inexpensive parts, (no expensive bulkhead fittings), simple design. Reused parts. Getting ready to build one. I get feed tubs from a rancher friend for free. They do not hold as much but the price is right! Thanks for showing this!
+Paula Yates I like to keep things as simple as possible in all my builds and designs. Thanks so much for that!
Penny pincher... man you make a lot go far. Thanks for the video.
Dude!...This video has me thrilled at the prospect of getting a First-Flush rain collecting system up and running. Thank you, Chris!
Great info. Thank you
Best one I've seen !!!! Thoughtfull and showed how you learned from your different ideas and circumstances. Awsum! Even 4 years later, I still cant find a better video!!!!
Wow, thank you!
Best instructional video on building a rain barrel system that I have found on UA-cam. Liked and subscribed. Thanks for sharing it.
Awesome videos.. thanks
Incredibly ingenious system!!! Thankyou
You pack a lot of good ideas into these videos, thanks. Nice job on the rain water harvesting too!
+DRMNZ Thanks for that!
This was a great video! I really enjoyed learning about your tips and they were so clever! Thank you so much!
This is wonderful, thanks for sharing.
Very well explained. Thanks
Very nice setup and thank you for sharing.
I love learn as you go experimental projects. I may never have a water collection system like this but it sure is fun seeing what ya got. And I really liked that adjustable hole saw. That was cool!
I got to change mine this summer might use some of your ideas. My only problem is the I’m in Montreal so it’s got to come apart for the winter ❄️. Thanks for your time and detailed information
AWESOME genius .. love it.
Love that hole saw.
Great system and good move on stainless hardware (love the square drive heads, too). I've found that hi-low threads can be great for attaching to plastic.
Love the roof perspective! :)
Great video.. Lots of great and useful tips. Thank You.!!
wow! that looks awesome
Thank you . This is great . I am in process of linking barrels . I am not clear as to why overflow is only on the first barrel. If barrels are all self leveling wouldn’t they all need to have an overflow ? Perhaps I am not understanding the physics . All your barrels appear to be exactly level. Mine are at a gradual incline . With barrel would get overflow tube?
Love this !
Since they are all level and are connected at the bottom, all I required was one overflow on one barrel. I put it on the first one just in case there was a torrential downpour. The overflow would be able to handle the water that may not get to the other barrels quickly enough.
Thanks for the part list..i may try it if I expand my setup
That was a really good video! A video shows an elaborate $80 first-dirty water adapter. You built yours out of junk and it worked! Ha! Kudos to you, man!
Glad you liked it!
great idea and detail
Chris, I wish you were my neighbor.... Great idea, great tips, and well presented... thanks...
Awesome video!
Great video. I really enjoy how well thought out your projects are.
+scyther1 Great feedback! Thanks for that!
Yep best rain water video. I liked how you don't have 200# of water or in your case 1/2 ton of water right next to the foundation of your house.
Correct. The worry of a catastrophic failure would always be there.
I'm doing this on a smaller scale next year. This and the previous video are a great help. P.S. I also collect peoples garbage when needed. There is a lot of useful material for free.
I'm not gong to lie, I was disappointed you didn't show a view of your rain barrel system from the neighbors roof or from up in your tree or from a hot air balloon! Nah, kidding! Great video, thank you for sharing!!!
+chrisnotap I've watched several rain barrel making video's over the past 2 weeks and this one has to be one of the most efficient one's I've seen yet. I just need to build the stand and ensure it's level. But great practical use and again efficient in part selection. Saving you for later Sir. And thanks for the video.
You're welcome. Thanks for that.
Ingenius. I love how you take everyday or easily acquired items and build such great devices. Sooo glad I subscribed and am exploring your videos. Precise and to the point. Not overdrawn like many people on youtube do. Thumbs up!!! Will be implementing many of your ideas around the homestead! Thanks for a great channel.
Wow! Thank you for that! That is great feedback! Thanks for the sub and welcome!
Hi Chris, mine here at the house are a dark grey with large corrugations, which adds strength. But the newer versions often don't have these and you can get all colours even Pink, go figure. As I mentioned they are plumb in, with a 5 micron filter. And the water is used for everything and is my primary supply. But several years ago we had " Ag water " linked to the middle tank. This is treated town water that arrives at about 2.5 litres a minute and then is pumped to the house. I am really surprised on how many youtube vids I see on collecting rainwater in the states. Best come to Australia to see how we do it. And here its almost mandatory to have tanks now. Cheers love your channel and have subscribe
Cool
Thank you! I like this set up better than any I have seen. We have 2 V valleys on our house and I want to do some water barrels on each one. Tired of feeding my veggie plants chlorine. :( They don't like it and I sure don! :(
Очень грамотная система!
Спасибо за обзор!
Nice shady backyard. Great for Summer time BBQs and just laying around
finding stuff in the garbage is awesome
+MN SHP (MNSHP11) People throw out some really good stuff. I have a video coming soon using a dehumidifier compressor on how to make your own vacuum chamber on the cheap
I dont know where your from but you sure have a beautiful back yard.
Some excellent practical ideas there, thanks.
I always enjoy videos of setups that have working for years with experience given.
Just wondering if you got the barrels cheaply.
Thanks. They were $10 each on kijiji about 7 years ago.
Nice set up. But, when it rains only a wee bit, so little that it never fills more than the first flush barrel, you’ll end up with nothing. We get a lot of small rain days so the first flush drain will need to stay closed. Just expect the sediment to settle down in the first barrel and have the siphon/ overflow higher up going into barrel two.
I like the fencing screen
Thanks. It does create a neat effect. People are always tossing mirrors so there is plenty if you're patient.
Well made video !
Question...so the first flush barrel that receives the most "contaminated" water is, by your design, a sacrificial barrel to protect the other 5 ? Meaning the first barrel will never hold "clean" water ?
Yes. The first one collects the junk.
@@chrisnotap OK. Thx for your reply !
I love your setup - though it seems you would loose a huge amount of water using that type first flush. Had you considered using a filter instead? For example, a nylon stocking to filter out the debris. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Thanks for that! I kept it simple. Filters need to be cleaned so I stayed away from that. I clean out this first flush about once every one to 2 years. Very low maintenance and works really well.
You could have used a coupler on the first flush barrel as well, just add a piece of regular pipe into the bottom end to handle the bottle and keep it from getting stuck. That give the added benefit of locking the pipe to the barrel cap like the other barrel.
Chris, I just found this on youtube and plan to build a system like it here in Arizona. Thank you. Just one question: do you get much leakage from the metal flanges on each barrel ?
Not a single drop of leakage. There is no leakage from any connectors at all. A bit of silicone before assembly is best.
I like the cleanness and simplicity of your barrel connections. Now that you have been using it for a while, what are your thoughts on your design vs having a shutoff valve between each barrel to isolate in case needed for leaks or cleaning? Is that overkill?
It is still working great. My wife uses every drop out of all the barrels for her gardens each summer. I haven't and wouldn't change anything. If I get a leak, which I still haven't, I would just let it get low and then repair it when the chance arrives.
What a fantastic video! Two questions: is this enough for a couple months of watering or do you run out often?
Does it have enough water pressure (gravity fed) for a drip irrigation system?
All depends on where you live, amount of rainfall, and how much garden you have to water. For every foot off the ground that the water level is at, it creates approx .5 psi per foot (1/2 a pound of pressure per foot) So if the water level in the barrel is 6 feet high, that will create about 3 pounds of pressure. As the water level drops, the pressure will also drop accordingly.
Great job can't wait to get started. What was the name of the gutter guard that you liked? I surely need that first for protection against my oak trees.
I've had it for many years now it is great stuff. It's called "Alu-Rex". Here's their web site. www.alu-rex.com/en/gutters/existing-gutters/pro-series/gutter-clean
How do you keep the water from leaking out the top threads of the barrels? We are trying to use this type barrel for a sediment filter, but water is leaking around the threads.
You can see the overflow pipe at 8:24. The water can't get to the threads since this pipe allows the water to escape onto the ground before it gets that high.
Chris, really informative video. Question, where are you located? Asking as I am in Canada, Southern Alberta, and have faced similar issues. Second, please elaborate where you obtained pickle barrels. Thanks again.
I'm in Ontario. The recycler that I acquired the barrels from is no longer in business. These were for pickles to be shipped in. Search Kijiji or Facebook marketplace for "rain barrels" "plastic barrels" "45 gallon plastic drums" "used pickle barrels" and you should find something.
@@chrisnotap Thanks and good luck.
You can also use a piece of clear hose connected at the bottom and secured at the top to view the water level. If you see an 18 wheeler water truck they all have view hoses like that.
Thanks for the video. What is the flange thing called? I can't seem to be able to find it.
Great tutorial. Thanks for the details. Question about the pop bottle in the first flush barrel... When the bottle rises and causes water to flow into the next barrel, wouldn't the next barrel then accumulate the biological debris from the roof? Seems like the next barrel would become the new first flush barrel.
By them the roof has been cleaned by the rain.
Do you have to clean out the "1st" flush barrel from the solid debris?
+surender4ify since I installed the guard on the troughs, there isn't much heavy debris and I clean it out about once every 1 to 2 years.
Watched your rain barrel video. Looks great. I would be a little worried about the ball valve and prancing critters. Hate to see you wake up one morning and the water is on the ground.
Have been using that ball valve now for about 8 years without a problem. Ball valves don't move that easily so critters aren't an issue.
Is an entire barrel for the first flush system, overkill? (I expected a small 4 inch PCV pipe bolted to the end of the first barrel.)
Ingenious. Does the soda bottle have to have air shot into it with a valve? Won't it float up just being closed?
I put the valve in it to make is firm . Sometimes these bottles can be a bit soft and deform a bit. The best thing to do is put the bottle in the freezer for about 15 minutes and then immediately screw the cap on when you take it out. The cold air then gets up to room temp, expands, and keeps it firm. Saves time and effort of putting a valve in it.
Awesome video and packed full of great information. I do have one question. Is there a flap or valve so that when water is coming into the barrels it only goes into the first barrel and not the second? Whats stopping water from going into the second barrel until the first fills up and the 2 litter bottle stops the first barrel from filling up?
If you click on this number, 10:56 , it should bring you to the part of the video where it shows the shape of the pipe. With the shape of the pipe the way it is, the water has no choice but to go into the first barrel.
got it. Thank you so much and look forward to more videos
I only use rain water. Checkout my 1st greenhouse video. I chained 44 barrels!
I like this, but I was thinking what if in the winter I want to disconnect this system from the downspout? Any suggestion? Thanks
All I do for the winter season is I open and drain all of the tanks and leave the valves open for the whole winter. That's it.
I like your thinking. What is the reason for inflating the "pop bottle valve"? Would you increase the water displacement by much? Or have I missed something? Thanks for a Great idea.
+Sandy Johnston I watched a video where they made a large floating craft out of pop bottles and they used a bit of dry ice popped into each bottle then put the cap on but they were very uneven in pressure. It got me thinking of a better way to do it.
Good question. If you take a pop bottle and put the cap on, you'll find that the bottle is too flimsy, you can squish it and lose its shape. With it pressurized a bit with the valve, it becomes very firm and reliable to do it's job.
Maybe some soda and a little mentos candy would work.
Please more detail about the barrels: Cost? Capacity? Purchase location? Thanks
With that much space in the garden, I'd be inclined to get a used 1000 litre IBC tank or two for next to nothing and paint it black.
You could be right but it's 6 of one half dozen of the other. Both work well. With the barrels there's no painting and each is light weight and easy to handle. Just sayin.
I wish I had a water barrel system but I am too young and don't have a job.
Do you have a link to the rain barrels you showed?
Chris, I am a bit perplexed, here in Australia we just add a large poly tank to the down pipe, I have three 5000 gallon tanks on my house and they are plumbed in so that is my water supply. I assume that you don't have the access to large tanks?
Interesting. What do you use the water in those tanks for? Are the tanks Clear coloured or Black coloured? The ones we can obtain here are large cubes about a metre cubed but they are white translucent in colour and the algae form inside from the sunlight getting through.
Thanks for the walkthrough! We actually just built our rain barrel system this past week. I would love your feedback! (video on our channel) Thumbed and subbed to keep up 😀 Keep up the great videos!!!
Thanks Chris! Love this and will be setting up something similar. I was wondering, based on some of your other videos, how you might incorporate the 12v Prius water pump (or similar) into this system to water a garden w/ the collected water easily and efficiently via solar panel power alone. I'm thinking you could you submerse the pump inside the last barrel (furthest from first flush) and switch in on at will. It seems the Prius pump is powerful enough to push through a standard garden hose - yeh? What would your suggestion be for this? Maybe integrating the two is a topic for a new video? :)
That little pump is good for some things but I don't think it would be good for moving water along a long length of garden hose.
@@chrisnotap Thanks for the reply, I'm looking into other types of 12v DC pumps that could handle this task. If/when I find something I'll post. Thanks again!
I'd like to find rain barrels like those. Also the name of the product you used in the gutters
+Hélène Louise The stuff I used in the gutter was called Alu-Rex
Chris Notap Thanks Chris
Do you have an engineering background?
Just made my own system with solar powered pump. Let me know your thoughts on the overview video I just posted!
I bet you get a lot of loose shingle granules in your first flush.
haha again first always first
+Saif Asad yes you are!
Love your setup! Going to use some ideas on my project ! Check it out if you like!
Why the first flush? if you are using the water for your garden would it not be beneficial to have the organic matter?
If the water sit for weeks it can start to smell.
If you have questions on the legality or legitimacy of Rain Water Harvesting you can always check out the NCSL website for Rain Water Harvesting
www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/rainwater-harvesting.aspx
lets you know what states have regulations/laws and what they are for pretty much anything. For instance California allows the harvesting of rain water for specified purposes such as Landscaping. Whereas Texas has an extremely comprehensive bill found at www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/html/HB03391F.htm.
Just look and you might find the information you are looking for. I think this rainwater collection system is absolutely awesome. Only thing I would do to change it is instead of a first flush tank, I would set up a filter system prior to the tanks which includes a charcoal filter. Not much in the way of debris if you have the gutter setup or a screen on your funnel system so that the only thing you are really needing to filter out is the Animal excrement.
Wonderful system! Thanks! Helps out a lot, I hope to set up my system for rain water harvesting soon and use IBC tanks for the collection tanks.
Fun fact, there's a good chance it's illegal to save rain water where you live, I've only know of one case where someone was fined, that was a car dealer collecting all the water from his showroom and garage roofs, and parking lot, he used it to wash his cars, seems like a great idea, he got in trouble for it.
I'm sure you don't have anything to worry about, but look up water rights, I found it very interesting, if you ever wondered why some states are shaped funny, it's probably because of water rights.
The weird part is that car washing returns the water to exactly where it would have fallen anyway!
@@TheRainHarvester The law can't just take your word that you're going to do what you say you're going to do with it.
If you've ever wondered why the boundaries of states, counties, townships etc. are shaped the way are, there's a good chance it has something to do with water rights.
Birds don't pee, My Lord, didn't you take biology in school?
this is a felony in most states (collecting rain water)
+Dennis Cordova That is i n s a n e ! ! ! ! !
i know it's stupid
In Kansas you just can't use it for consumption, I believe.
The felony comes into play when you connect the system to your household water supply. The issue is that your municipality doesn't want you to back feed contaminants into their water system. Otherwise it's legal.