Recycling Rainwater

[garrett]

Does anyone have a barrel/drum setup to recycle rainwater? I want to get 1 or 2 for our backyard but I have no idea where to buy a ~55 gallon drum for cheap... and I definitely do not want to pay shipping on these.

Any suggestions on what kind of companys would sell these for cheap?

[slosurfer]

If you have one of those self-serve coin op carwashes in your area, try to catch it when someone is working there. They probably get the soap in at least a ~35gallon plastic container if not bigger. Who knows they may just give them to you. We used the ones from our carwash to fix my grandparents dock at the lake. I'm sure once we ran out of uses for them, we would give them to someone who asked. The bigger ones probably run through a barrel or so a month (if not more).

[DHC6twinotter]

Not sure about where you are at, but down here, the dump has literally hundreds of those 55 gallon plastic barrels. They use a lot of them just to mark the roads and whatnot, but I bet you could ask somebody for a couple.

Just my $.02.

[oly884]

carwash places. They'll have a lot and usually will let you have them for free. At my old job we'd pick them up pretty regularly.

There are some caustic chemical in those drums so be sure to wear gloves and wash out REALLY good with water.

[Erich_870]

Food manufacturers will have them too. There are a lot of syrups and fruit additives that come in those blue barrels.

One thing to keep in the back of your head for when you set up your barrel is to prevent them from becoming moskeeto breading grounds by putting some wire mesh over your inlet.

Erich

[Bob98SR5]

garrett,

craiglist! type in:

- biodiesel
- plastic barrels
- plastic drums

i bought 3 of them for $10 each. make sure you get food grade barrels and always ask the seller what they have been used for. try to find ones that have been used for water, for obvious reasons. oh, try to get the ones w/ the screw off lids. if not, you will have to buy a bung cap remover or make one yourself :)

...yes, i said bung

bob

[gabe]

I've never heard of people recycling water...
how's it done?
and what will you use it for?

[slosurfer]

I've never heard of people recycling water...
how's it done?
and what will you use it for?


Basically the gutters from your house run into the barrel so that it collects the rainwater. The main thing that it is used for is watering the yard.

[Bob98SR5]

maybe recycling is a misnomer since you are getting it for free.

people will collect rain water and use it to water their plants during the dry season, drink, etc. biodieselers use it to wash their almost completed biodiesel.

[gabe]

I think that I was imagining something more high tech, that's cool though....

[Seanz0rz]

you could collect it, store it, pump it and filter it for drinking water, but it would have to have several reverse osmosis filters, and an activated charcoal filter for me to be drinking it. plus, a few drops of bleach will purify alot of water.

this is something we want to do, since the price of water has increased so much. it would be nice to have an underground storage tank of potable water.

in our landscaping endeavors, we are trying to go to low water plants with out putting ugly cacti and such in the yard. using bark and partially decomposed wood as a soil topper to keep in moisture, drip irrigation, etc.

[DHC6twinotter]

Not sure if any of you watch "This Old House", but they built a green house back a few seasons ago. They used a large (at least 500 gallon) tank to collect rain water off the roof. They used the water for iregation, and probably had it tied into a few other deals as well. It's a cool setup.

The HGTV Green House that is being given away uses collected rain water for irigation and toilet flushes.

[Erich_870]

My aunt and uncle renovated an existing house (basically tore it down) and rebuilt the greenest house in Seattle. They have a 7000 gallon cistern they store rain water from the roof. They use it to flush their toilets, wash their clothes and water their yard. The cistern is under their patio.

Up here a lot of people collect water in cisterns where they can't get good ground water.

Erich

[Seanz0rz]

helps when you have more than 40 inches of precipitation a year!, down here we get about 17/year, 2-3 in the driest of dry, and 34 in the wettest of wet.

[Erich_870]

helps when you have more than 40 inches of precipitation a year!, down here we get about 17/year, 2-3 in the driest of dry, and 34 in the wettest of wet.


I hear ya! Will trade water for sun shine :paypal;

[Good Times]

Garrett, check this out!

Source: Rain Barrels Made Easy How-To Article (http://www.diylife.com/2008/04/25/rain-barrels-made-easy/)

Has a great detailed article and lots of pictures!

[garrett]

nice find!

one of the more complete how-to's i've seen :thumbup: