I started the rain barrel project a couple of weeks ago, and it is finally finished. I have all kinds of excuses for not getting it done sooner, but now it is done. Time to write about the experience.
Locating materials
55 Gallon barrels- this was not as easy as I thought it might be. I happened across mine at a business behind the soup kitchen where I volunteer. The barrels were filled with detergent, so I had to take time to rinse them well,and I used some Charlie’s Soap to finish the job. They cost me nothing, but they were more hassle than expected. I also had to locate plugs for the open holes in the barrels. It can be done–everything can be bought online–even finished barrels.
Water diverter- I did some research and tried to find something that seemed easy to install, was cost effective and would do the job. I bought the Garden Watersaver. It was $21.95 straight from the company (I saw re-sellers selling the same thing for $49.95).
Plumbing fittings- (faucets, barrel connectors) these are available locally but I decided to buy some of them online. You can see that I have two different faucets on the barrels. The plastic one on the left came from Garden Water Saver. The other was bought at Lowe’s. Their cost was comparable. i will bet that the brass fitting will last longer.
Concrete blocks- I used three per barrel at $1.39 each. Strong enough, easy enough.
Assembly
Here are the instructions from Garden Water Saver-
NOTES-
1)the faucets fit tight using the instructions supplied, however I had tiny leaks that had to be stopped. A little pumber’s putty did the trick.
2) the rain diverter was easy to install, be sure to have a very fine blade on utility scissors to cut the gutter. Mine were medium and did not get as clean a cut as I would have liked.
NOTES-
1) I haven’t run a full test on the connectors, but I went ahead and puttied up the edges on the two holes and fittings to be sure.
2) I may have to redo the hose between the two that currently has a twist. We’ll see.
3) I need to have over 55 gallons captured to see how the whole system works. Time will tell.