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You can use a wine barrel, plastic, steel, or even holes in the ground lined with plastic to
catch rain water. Use the water to flush toilets, water gardens or wash your car.
Rain water from your roof is NOT potable without a SERIOUS filter system.
Plastic 55 gallon barrels are available at food supply stores. We got ours at
Last Chance Merchantile at the waste dump off Del Monte for $5.00. You might want to
call ahead to make sure they have some Olive barrels or something similar. Make sure
your barrel held food products and not toxins. You will also need;
- a 3/4 inch faucet, male threaded hose bib from PG Hardware
- fit with a conical washer (sold as a toilet gasket)
- a 3/4" female fitting to hold the faucet to the barrel side, and
- mosquito netting (screen door mesh) to be placed over the top of the barrel.
When you have all the parts;
- clean the barrel with soap and scour brush
- place the barrel close to where it is to sit to collect the rain water so you
can judge where to drill
- drill a 1" hole in the side of the barrel where it is needed
to position the faucet high enough, if will be using water can to carry the water
or
lower to drain more water if a hose is to be used to get the water
out of the barrel for use
( The hole needs to be a few inches above the bottom of the barrel,
to allow for sediment that will settle in the bottom of the barrel. )
- place the conical washer on the threaded end of the faucet
and push the threaded end through the 1" hole
- reach inside the barrel with the female fitting and tighten it to the faucet
- test the seal by running some water through the faucet, into the barrel
- cover the barrel with the netting. Tighten a lid over it or tape lid with duct tape
- put the barrel under the down spout which has been cut to sit just above the rain barrel,
to drain the rain water into the barrel
- a small hole near the top can be drilled and fit with flexible hosing to connect
to another collecting barrel. This will divert run-off to a second barrel, when first
barrel is full.
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