1/2" pex elbow out of bottom of tank to 1/2" clear vinyl tube and you'll see your water level. Run the tube back into your tank if you're worried about critters getting in. Cost is next to nothing, as most people probably have scrap materials sitting around waiting to be used. Otherwise $8 maybe.
How is that clear vinyl tube (and your water quality!) going to look in six months, with a clear tube full of water, outdoors in the sun (whether direct or indirect)? Algae seems like a big reason not to use a sight tube.
Hi there - we do feature the clear tube sight gauge approach on our website as well: www.bluebarrelsystems.com/blog/how-to-measure-water-level-in-your-rain-barrels/. But as the other commenter mentioned, it's important to keep that clear line COMPLETELY out of the sun or you'll introduce algae in no-time.
Do I understand the system properly, that it enters the first tank and fills the last in the lineup and back to the first? Meaning, I would only need one guage per system; or would each barrel need its own guage?
The system connects the barrels together from the bottom... so the total volume is spread out evenly to each barrel... i guess an easy mental picture is if you had four barrels connected with this system, all empty to start, and then added 100 gallons of water... each barrel would get 25 gallons (25x4=100) since they are each tied together from the bottom. They each would get an equal amount of water at the same time since they're linked. So a gauge in one barrel would give you the same result in *any* barrel since they're all equal at all times. So final answer: yes, you only need ONE gauge for this system, to be placed in ANY of the barrels.
Hi there - sorry for the delayed reply - we don't usually get customer service inquiries thru UA-cam. Looks like you got a good answer from the last commenter, but please reach out to us at www.bluebarrelsystems.com/ if you have more questions.
1/2" pex elbow out of bottom of tank to 1/2" clear vinyl tube and you'll see your water level. Run the tube back into your tank if you're worried about critters getting in. Cost is next to nothing, as most people probably have scrap materials sitting around waiting to be used. Otherwise $8 maybe.
How is that clear vinyl tube (and your water quality!) going to look in six months, with a clear tube full of water, outdoors in the sun (whether direct or indirect)? Algae seems like a big reason not to use a sight tube.
Hi there - we do feature the clear tube sight gauge approach on our website as well: www.bluebarrelsystems.com/blog/how-to-measure-water-level-in-your-rain-barrels/. But as the other commenter mentioned, it's important to keep that clear line COMPLETELY out of the sun or you'll introduce algae in no-time.
Do I understand the system properly, that it enters the first tank and fills the last in the lineup and back to the first? Meaning, I would only need one guage per system; or would each barrel need its own guage?
The system connects the barrels together from the bottom... so the total volume is spread out evenly to each barrel... i guess an easy mental picture is if you had four barrels connected with this system, all empty to start, and then added 100 gallons of water... each barrel would get 25 gallons (25x4=100) since they are each tied together from the bottom. They each would get an equal amount of water at the same time since they're linked. So a gauge in one barrel would give you the same result in *any* barrel since they're all equal at all times. So final answer: yes, you only need ONE gauge for this system, to be placed in ANY of the barrels.
Hi there - sorry for the delayed reply - we don't usually get customer service inquiries thru UA-cam. Looks like you got a good answer from the last commenter, but please reach out to us at www.bluebarrelsystems.com/ if you have more questions.