This barrel is a good value if you don't have the space to hide used water "totes." The barrel bows out at the back about 3 inches when full so don't install this directly against a wall. Before screwing in the brass spigot, lay the barrel on its back and triple check you have the spigot straight before committing to installing it as it is easy to strip the threads. Expect to use a pipe wrench to completely install it. To daisy chain additional barrels, you'll have to trim a portion of the extruding tabs and place tubing with a 1" inside diameter between the barrels. There is no way to connect a hose to the overflow hole on the front of the barrel so consider installing the barrel on a water heater drain pan. Here is everything I learned about rain water harvesting: Before you move forward with a rain harvesting project, understand that while you may save water, you're unlikely to save money. Even in drought-stricken California, my Tier 2 water rate (out of 4 tiers) has me paying $0.002 per gallon. That's 20 cents for 100 gallons of water. Check your water rates and any available barrel rebates if saving money is your main objective. Plants prefer rain water over chemically-treated tap water, and the idea is to fill and empty your rain barrels throughout the winter in between storms, rather than fill them once to empty in the summer. This way, you can potentially save hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water throughout the year. There are three main challenges involved with harvesting rain water: collection, storage and distribution. To really impact your water usage, you must have quite an extensive system. One inch of rain falling on a 1,000sqft roof can produce 623 gallons of water, and most lawns require at least one inch of water per week. Run your own numbers and don't be surprised if that 400-pound, 50 gallon rain barrel suddenly looks like a drop in the bucket. Collection There are a few ways to modify your downspout to collect rain water. You can trim it to empty directly into a barrel (and daisy-chain additional barrels), use a diverter, relocate your downspout or plug it and install a "rain chain." Consider what will happen when your barrel fills up since you don't want large amounts of water to soak into the ground within 10 feet of your home's foundation. Ideally, excess water should get absorbed into the ground via a permeable "rain garden" to replenish the local water table as opposed to going into the sewer system. If your barrel doesn't have an overflow spout for this purpose, consider installing one or mounting your barrel on a water heater drain pan. Some people have had success installing a diverter such as Oatey's at barrel-height so water is fed back into the downspout once the barrel is full. However, the manufacturer's instructions recommend installing the diverter 12"-24" above barrel height. Storage Any water-tight container will work as a rain barrel. You have to define what limitations you have with physical space, cost, HOA rules, aesthetics, safety, etc. Value-wise, it's hard to beat used 275 gallon "totes" if you have the space to store them. Otherwise, this barrel from RTS works well. Be sure to place your barrels on a firm, level and elevated platform made of bricks or cinder blocks with cement caps.. If a barrel is placed directly on the ground, you will have difficulty connecting a hose or placing a bucket under the spigot. Distribution Distributing the stored rain water can be a challenge. The main issue is water pressure. Do not expect to hook up a water wand or sprayer directly to your barrel. Residential water pressure is usually between 40-80 psi, while a 50 gallon barrel on cinder blocks might produce 2-3 psi. One way to improve this is to mount the barrel as high up as possible to make use of gravity. Every additional 2.3 feet of elevation produces another pound of pressure. One way to efficiently distribute the water is to use a low-pressure drip irrigation system. You can also use a bucket or watering can for a small garden or just slowly drain the barrel onto the lawn via a garden hose. If more pressure is needed, consider using a water pump such as a Wayne PC1 or PC2, though keep in mind that most pumps are meant to move water unobstructed as opposed to pressurizing water for a sprinker or sprayer. If your plan is to store water for emergencies, add approximately 5 teaspoons of bleach per 50 gallons and either boil the water or use a backpacker-type water filter before consuming. Edit: In order to drain (and fill) the barrels as one, I made a simple manifold using PVC. With this setup, barrels can still be drained individually and separated for annual cleaning.
