Weekend Update - Rain barrels from food drums

I found these food safe drums from a guy on Craigslist they were about $10/each, which is nothing if you check around you might even find some for cheaper. Of course commercially available rain barrels run an average of $100/each so DIY and save a bundle!!! The spigots and hose fittings were extra and altogether with the drip lines and everything this setup cost about $150.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• DIY
• Rain
• Barrels
• Food
• Safe
• Drums
• Harvesting
• Free
• Water

[curtatlanta]

Nice job. I'd like to do that. You inspire me.

[DigitalSkyline]

@curtatlanta Thanks Curt! I can't believe the volume of water that comes from just a little rain... I'll probably need more barrels if I want to prevent the overflows from happening every time it rains. There is also the practical side where the water is not just being dumped next to the foundation of the house. We already have the issue of being downhill from our neighbor... the lawn gets soggy for a day until the weeping tile gets a chance to dump the runoff in to our pond.

[AlterMeego]

I was thinking of trying this, too! Why pay for water when you can get it free?

[DigitalSkyline]

@AlterMeego The rain water is excellent for irrigation, better then anything treated from the city or even a well. Well water temperature is very cold and ours bypasses the softener so it has heavy iron content, so much so that it stains everything it touches. As a practical matter this is a great solution!

[curtatlanta]

@DigitalSkyline

I really have to do this. Every summer we have a drought and go on water restrictions and all the plants shrivel up. Im gonna buy me a rain barrel or two for starters.

[SilverDazed]

I had a friend who bought the cheap retail rain barrels and they were pretty flimsy I'll have to tell him about this. Thanks for sharing 5*!