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Old 02-15-09, 10:39 PM   #23
gascort
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Saint Louis, MO
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
Anyone have a system already setup that could provide some info?
I made one last spring. 55-gal plastic drum - got it for free from an auto shop - used to contain windshield washer fluid, and as a bonus, it had about 3 liters in the bottom still when I got it home!
I cut a hole in the bottom for a 3/4" threaded copper pipe, put a 90 degree piece, an extension, and a spigot on the outside. I taped the threads with teflon tape, and used rubber gaskets and large metal washers on both sides to make sure the seal was good. (I read online that simply threading the pipe into the barrel would sometimes leak)
I cut half of the lid of the barrel off, then reached inside and put a nut on the backside of the rubber gasket/washer.
The massive hole in the top is covered by window screen and some rubbery gasket stuff I had lying around, secured with screws. My gutter drains in almost parallel to the ground across the screen. Sediment mostly stays atop, and water goes down. After a rainstorm or two I usually brush the top off with my hand, or it blows off when it dries.
I have a pvc drain tube inserted close to the top of the drum, which runs down to the bottom of my gutter after the barrel is full.
I painted the barrel with Krylon Fusion plastic paint to match the red brick color of my house, and have it set up on bricks stacked knee high.

The gutter services 1/2 of my roof, so it fills with the slightest rainfall. If I had the space, I would put more up, but my wife/neighbors would complain. Next step is to put a barrel on the garage - it's more out of the way.
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