Part 2 of Building a Six-barrel Rainwater Collection System
Materials for the Barrel Part of the System
It wasn't difficult to find stuff free. The barrels cost the gas to pick them up and we took them to the car wash for cleaning. We had some parts and bought some parts. What tools did we need? We had the drill, the pair of pliers and the hacksaw. We borrowed the hole saw from a carpenter friend. We couldn't locate our grindstone that chucked into the drill, and a neighbor allowed us to use his grinder to smooth out the edges of the plastic bulkhead fittings.
- 6 blue plastic barrels, probably $20 each if you have to buy them
- 6 - ½" bulkhead fittings, $8 each
- 6 - ½" flexible pipe risers, $4 each
Construction Details and Pictures
Each barrel requires a bulkhead fitting and a ½ inch flexible pipe near its bottom that connects it to the collection manifold. This manifold connects the barrels together and keeps the water level the same in each. We cut the hole for the bulkhead fitting three inches from the bottom.
Drill and 1¾" hole saw. This size worked for the type of bulkhead fittings we used.
Grinding away, took only seconds to cut through the plastic. Sure dumped a lot of plastic shavings into the barrel, though.
Nice hole, just above the bottom, not AT the bottom, to allow for a couple of gallons of water to stay in the barrels for the foreign matter to settle.
This is a bulkhead fitting. The part on the left and the rubber washer go inside the barrel.
Oops, then again, maybe not... We could have cut a bigger hole with the jigsaw, but that would have weakened the barrel and then we would have had a big hole to patch. Instead we ground the corners off this plastic fitting.
Two things happened here, we took the barrels to the car wash and washed them inside and out to remove all the dirt and plastic shavings, and we also ground down the edges of the interior part of the bulkhead fitting so it would fit through the bung hole. But it's a long way to the bottom, how to reach inside?
One-inch PVC pipe with a nail through it (we'll need this pipe without the nail on the next page).
Work the thing into the barrel and push it through the opening from inside. Don't forget the rubber washer, that goes inside also.
Nothing to it, success! Long arms help if you are by yourself. This fitting is installed right over an outside seam but it's smooth inside, and that's where the rubber washer seals the opening.
This barrel is done. That flex pipe attaches between the bulkhead fitting and the manifold. We used flex pipe for several reasons: it's easier to install, it offers flexibility during ground movement, and it allows us to remove any barrel without disrupting the system simply by unscrewing and capping this pipe. The entire system can be taken apart easily and cleaned when necessary.
The last step will be to build the part that collects and manages the water. On to page 3!
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Putting together the rain barrels (this page)
Page 3: Finishing up with the rainwater
collection system