Rain Water Storage

Rain Water Storage

Written by Dave Barth, 2003

Introduction
Fresh water is a precious commodity that we tend to take for granted. Most of the world's large cities were originally situated near a source of fresh water, usually in the form of a stream or river. Until water wells could be dug, water was taken directly from the river.

Rural farmers whose land did not have a year round water supply, sometimes dug a water storage pit, or cistern, to collect rain water to be used during dry periods. In addition to the cistern, one or more rain barrels were often used for water storage. The cistern was sometimes lined with clay or cement to reduce the amount of sediment that could cloud the water. It was usually placed near or next to the house so that the downspouts could direct rain water from the roof into it.

This water was used for drinking, cooking, baths, washing hair, and, to a limited extent, irrigation of small garden plots in dry weather. Once a well was successfully dug, the importance of the cistern and rain barrels lessened, but they were often maintained as a backup supply of the precious liquid.

Drinking Water On The Flowers
In our modern age where we have a continuous supply of fresh water, we often take water for granted, applying it in copious quantities to our lawns and gardens. It seems a bit wasteful to put filtered, purified, chlorinated, and fluoridated water on the ground, especially in these times of increasing water prices and scarcity.

This booklet tells how a modern "rain barrel" can be built and used to water flower gardens, bushes, vegetable gardens, trees, and even the lawn with little expense for materials by using the free rain water that runs off the roof of the house. It can provide a way to water critical plants using a drip system that you can install yourself. It will provide water to your plants until the water level in the rain barrel drops to that of the end of your watering hose or until the water in the barrel is depleted. This can result in worry free watering compared to having to remember to turn off the valve for a traditional water hose or sprinkler system.

You can design and build a watering system that feeds water lines to as many plants in your yard as you wish. You can bury the lines so that they are invisible. The concept of a rain barrel is an old one, but it is still valid, and you can make use of the free water that falls from the sky.

A Source Of Rain Water
First, you have to determine if your home is a candidate for such a system. Your house must have a down spout connected to a rain gutter for collecting rain from the roof. The location of the down spout should be at a place that will allow a 30 gallon (or larger) plastic garbage can to be placed beneath it without hurting the appearance of the home or hindering the traffic flow around the house.

Preparing The Ground Around The Downspout
If the house has a basement or crawl space in the vicinity of the downspout that floods during heavy rains, then the ground around the downspout should be prepared. First, make sure that the ground slopes away from the foundation so that water tends to run away from the house. If necessary, you may shovel some soil against the foundation so that for at least three feet from the house the ground slopes away from it. Then apply at least two layers of heavy gauge plastic sheets (four or more mils thick) on the ground next the house, extending outward at least three feet. Black plastic is preferable to transparent sheets because the black blocks sunlight better, inhibiting the growth of plants beneath the plastic. Gravel may then be spread on top of the plastic to keep it stabilized and add a decorative touch to the landscape. Gravel that is of the proper color can improve the looks of the house, not to mention that it will keep the basement and foundation drier and possibly make the yard more maintenance free. In addition, gravel can act as a passive alert system. When someone walks on the gravel next to the house, you may be able to hear the person's footsteps.

List Of Items Needed
The following list describes most, if not all of the items you will need to install the rain barrel. Most of them are available at hardware, garden, or building supply stores.

One 30 gallon (or larger) plastic trash barrel.
This should be the type that has a lid that clamps on. Choose a color that is compatible with that of your house. This barrel will collect rain water from the downspout.

One female garden hose connection.
The opposite end from the garden hose connection must have a three quarter inch outside diameter male pipe thread on the other end. This hose connection will be inserted into the barrel, near the bottom, to let rain water drain out to water your plants.

One threaded pipe nut.
This nut must fit the male pipe threads on the back end of the garden hose connection mentioned above. The inside diameter of this nut is about three quarters inch. This nut will secure the female garden hose connection to the barrel. The hose connection will be on the outside of the barrel, and this nut will screw onto the pipe treads sticking through the barrel on the inside.

One garden hose shutoff valve.
Metal or plastic valves may be used. These valves have a male hose connection at one end and a female hose connection at the other. This valve will be used to drain water from the barrel to whatever plants you want to water in your yard.

A length of garden hose.
This hose will carry the water from the barrel to the areas you want to water in your yard.

A 1 1/2 inch diameter plastic "tailpiece."
This tailpiece should have a ninety degree bend with a threads on one end and a plastic nut that fits on it. A tailpiece is used to connect a sink to the drain pipe. It is available in most hardware, plumbing, and building supply stores. This tailpiece will be attached to the side of the barrel near the top to provide an overflow when the barrel fills up.

A length of 1 1/2 inch diameter plastic hose.
This is the type of hose used for swimming pool maintenance. The hose will be connected to the tailpiece to carry overflow water away from the house. The length of the hose needed will be determined how far away you want to direct overflow water. This hose is usually not threaded, is made of cheap plastic, and can be cut to the length you desire with a knife.

An old inner tube.
This will be used as a sleeve to hold the swimming pool hose to the tailpiece. A tire store or a bicycle store may give you an old tube.

Two 1 1/2 inch diameter hose clamps.
The hose clamps will clamp the inner tube to the tailpiece and the swimming pool hose. Auto supply stores carry these.

Several feet of wire.
The wire can be used to keep the lid from coming off the barrel and to secure the barrel to the house so that it won't tip over in high winds. Also, the wire may be used to attach the downspout to the house if the original attachment is not usable after the barrel is installed.

A small amount of silicone sealant.
The sealant will be used to seal the outlet and overflow connections in the barrel.

Positioning The Barrel
Prepare a flat, level surface about two feet by two feet square beneath the down spout to place the plastic trash barrel on. Down spouts usually extend to within a foot or two of the ground. To place the barrel under the spout, first, work the spout loose from its attachment to the house. It may be nailed directly to the house or a metal strap may clip it to the siding. After the spout is loose, pull it far enough away from the side of the house so that the barrel can be slipped under it. Next, rotate the barrel so that the clips on the barrel will clamp the lid without being obstructed by the down spout. Cut a slot in the edge of the lid so that it will fit on the barrel with the down spout extending through the hole in the lid. This hole should be just large enough for the down spout. The idea here is to keep leaves, debris, and other objects out of the barrel. Clamp the lid to the barrel.

Mark The Location Of The Drain And Overflow Holes
Mark the location you want the drain hole. It should be located at the lower part of the barrel. When choosing where the hole should be, remember that you want it close to the bottom of the barrel so that most of the water can be drained out. Also, it should be located so that a garden hose running from it will be out of the way or in some convenient location.

Now mark the location for the hole that will be the overflow drain. This hole should be near the top edge of the barrel. Decide where the hole should be based on which direction you want the overflow hose to carry excess water.

Cut The Drain And Overflow Holes In The Barrel
Remove the barrel from under the downspout and cut a three quarter inch diameter hole for the drain where you marked the barrel. Also cut a one and one half inch diameter hole near the top edge of the barrel where you marked the location of the overflow.

Attach The Drain Connection
Apply a little silicone sealant around the drain hole. Push the female hose fitting into the barrel from the outside. The pipe threads will stick through to inside of the barrel. Wipe off the excess silicone sealant. Apply a bead of sealant to the inside of the barrel where the pipe threads protrude. Now screw the nut onto the threads and tighten it. (This may take two persons one to hold the hose connection on the outside of the barrel while the other tightens the nut inside.) Wipe off the excess silicone sealant.

Attach The Overflow Pipe
Insert the tailpiece into the overflow hole. It is sometimes designed to have a separate threaded part and nut part that fit around the neck of the pipe. The hole in the barrel may have to be enlarged slightly to get a good fit. If the hole seems to be a little too large, you can cut two circular washers from the inner tube and place one on each side of the hole. Using some silicone sealant will help create a watertight seal. The fit of the overflow pipe is not as critical as that of the drain connection.

If the inner tube is about one and one half inches in diameter (like that of a bicycle balloon tire tube) you may cut a six inch section of it to connect the swimming pool hose to the tailpiece pipe. Otherwise, you may cut a six inch square from the inner tube, butt the swimming pool hose to the tailpiece, and wrap the inner tube square around them. Next, apply a bead of cement from a flat tire fix it kit (or any glue that will bond rubber) to one side of the rubber and stick it to itself so that it will form a tube connecting the tailpiece and hose. Use the two one and one half inch diameter clamps to clamp the rubber to the hose and tailpiece. It probably is not a good idea to glue the rubber to the pipe and hose if you expect to be able to disassemble the barrel next winter.

Install And Test The Rain Barrel
Place the barrel under the downspout. Route the overflow hose to the location you have selected. It should be downhill from the house. Attach the lid to the barrel and clamp it on. Wire it to the barrel so that it does not get inadvertently removed or blown off. The purpose of the lid is to keep debris out of the barrel, and it also helps reduce evaporation of the water. Wire the barrel to the side of the house so that it will not blow over in high winds.

Now screw the hose valve onto the drain connection, and then connect a garden hose to the valve. (The valve may be connected to either end of the hose). The rain barrel is ready to be tested. Partly fill the barrel and check the drain connections for leaks. Place the free end of the garden hose to a location you want the water to go to. Open the valve and observe that water flows from the rain barrel out the end of the hose. Now, wait for rain to fill the barrel.

Uses For The Rain Barrel
Once the barrel contains rain water, you may water anytime your plants or lawn need moisture. Experiment with your barrel to determine how much water comes out each minute. That way you can let the water flow for a given number of minutes for an area to prevent over watering. Note that water will tend to flow faster when the barrel is full and more slowly as it empties because of the changing weight of the water left in the barrel. Also, note that water will not come out of the end of the garden hose when it is higher than the level of water in the barrel. This is actually a useful fact. By elevating the end of the hose, water will stop coming out of it when the level in the barrel drops to that of the end of the hose. In this way you can somewhat control the amount of water applied to an area without depleting the entire amount in the barrel. Simply raise the hose to the desired level and hold it there with sticks or wire stakes.

Another handy concept is that if you want to water an area, but you don't want to use the spigot because you might not be around to turn it off at a certain time (or you will be leaving the house for awhile), you can fill the barrel from the spigot and then use it for watering. The water will stop flowing when the level in the barrel reaches the level of the hose end or the water runs out. Using this method, you can even start the water at night before going to bed and not worry about it.

Lawn watering can be accomplished by connecting a soaker hose to the barrel drain (or to the hose connected to it). The soaker hose has many small holes along its length, enabling it to water a long section of the yard. Since most soaker hoses are designed to be used with a spigot that provides plenty of water pressure, you might have to enlarge the holes in the soaker hose to be used with the rain barrel because it is a very low pressure source. You will probably have to experiment with the soaker hose to determine just how much you must enlarge the holes to get the desired results. Note that once a soaker hose has been modified to be used with the rain barrel, it will probably not be usable connected to the spigot.

Do Not Drink Or Otherwise Consume Rain Water
Do not use rain water for drinking or cooking. Do not even give it to pets. It collects many pollutants as it falls through the atmosphere and washes down the roof, gutter, and downspout. In a nutshell, rainwater isn't pure and is unsuitable for human or animal consumption. However, you might consider using it to water indoor plants provided your pets do not drink out of planters. This warning is not to say that drinking rain water will always be dangerous, but it is possible that it could contain dangerous chemicals, pollutants, and bacteria.

Setting Up One Or Multiple Drip Systems
Many garden supply stores sell drip watering components including hoses and connectors. A drip system is ideal for watering plants that need periodic moisture such as rose bushes, rhubarb, and tomato plants. You can run drip tubes from the barrel to these plants and any other areas that need special attention. Install a "wye" at the rain barrel drain connection and put a valve on each end of the wye. (Note that you will have to buy a male male garden hose adapter so the wye will fit.) You can leave the garden hose attached to one side of the wye and the drip system attached to the other. Most manufacturers of drip systems sell a hose connection that will adapt the drip system to your barrel drain connection.

After you have installed the drip system, you can turn on the valve that allows water to flow through the drip system tubes to water those important plants. Any number of valves can be installed to feed multiple drip lines. With drip systems, you will have to remember to turn the valve off after the plants have received the proper amount of water to prevent over watering.

Setting Multiple Rain Barrels
You may set up a rain barrel for any of the downspouts on your house. In this way you can increase the volume of free water available for your use. Also, you can concatenate (chain) barrels together by installing a second drain connection in the first barrel to a drain in the second, and so on. Only the last barrel in the chain needs to have an overflow. In this way, nearly any number of rain barrels can be linked together. The barrels will fill up and empty at the same time since they are all connected together.

Seasonal Considerations
When cold weather nears, it is best to disassemble your rain barrel because the water in it may ice up and plug the downspout, not allowing the water to drain the gutter properly. Also, ice may crack and break your barrel. The barrel may be left outside during the winter if it is turned upside down to keep it from collecting debris and moisture.

All of the hoses and drip lines should be emptied so that freezing will not cause water left in them to cause cracking. If the low point of the drip system is opened up, water should drain the lines by gravity. The drip lines can be left installed once they are dry.

Water Flow Problems
If water fails to flow from the barrel when it has ample water in it, then the drain hole in the bottom of the barrel or the hose is probably clogged. The solution is to disconnect the hoses and after determining which one is clogged, clean it out and then reconnect the system. The barrel drain can clog if debris gets into the barrel, goes to the bottom, and then washes up next to the drain hole, clogging it. Regardless of how much you may try to keep junk out of the barrel, even with the lid tightly installed, debris such as leaves and sediment can build up in the bottom. A solution is to periodically remove the lid and visually check the bottom of the barrel. If junk is building up on the bottom, you can wash it out.

Conclusion
The rain barrel is an old idea, but it can have modern applications. In this age of rising prices, the cost of water could preclude the use of fresh water on lawns and gardens. The rain barrel provides an alternate source of the precious liquid for watering your lawn and your garden plants.

Disclaimer
These comments in no way suggest that you will save money or be safe following any of the above suggestions. If you have any questions or concerns, consult a professional in the field of home landscaping or other related field. (Refer to your Yellow Pages.) Also, check local building codes, covenants, homeowner's association rules, and any other restrictions that might apply to this project to ensure that it complies with all laws and regulations.