Rain barrel project

My "green" bride has always wanted a rain barrel. So this morning I built the platform for it.

To be extra green everything but a few screws and lag bolts were reclaimed.



Old deck boards make up the 36"x30" platform.



The sides are scrap 2x4 for extra strength.



Boxed in the junk treated 4x4 legs with notched scrap 2x6s.



Spiked in the one end into the landscape timber. Obviously the platform had to be inspected and certified by my dogs.



An old repainted poly 55 gallon drum sits easily in top. Next up, modifying the drum and downspout.



That is after Flicka gets done with her extended inspection of course.

 

We've amassed a total of two, yes two, rain barrels. Just haven't made the time yet. I have a perfect spot for one of 'em, but it could actually use more than one easily.
Funny, she doesn't look like a horse..............

 

Nice job bud, my honey has wanted one too very interested to see the finished project

 

I see in pic 4 the weight testing was happening.

 

QUOTE="papadave, post: 529845, member: 37"]We've amassed a total of two, yes two, rain barrels. Just haven't made the time yet. I have a perfect spot for one of 'em, but it could actually use more than one easily.
Funny, she doesn't look like a horse..............
[/QUOTE]
I remember watching that show.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Lol. She was, like the other two in that picture above, a rescue dog and is 13. We'về had her about 3.5 years now and still haven't figured out why they named her that. Although she is as stubborn as a mule.

 

Nice work schlot.

 

Nice job , ya know it's good if the inspectors certified it

 

Ohhhh, this is my life! I LOVE collecting and using rain water! Have not opened a tap to irrigate my garden or houseplants in six years now. I see your barrel is very lonely all by itself there, they are much happier with friends! I had 4x 55g. Barrels, and 4x 20g. Buckets for rain collection. I fill up 3g jugs after every rain, have dozens of them. I let them get dirty and full of algae because to the plants the dirtier the water the better! I don't mind mosquitoes trying to propagate because I use the water before the larvae grow up. Just extra nutrients as far as I am concerned.
I am now getting ready to make a rain collection system to have clean water for purification. Just picked up 4x real nice 50g. Rain barrels with all the plumbing. By using RV pumps and batteries with solar I can go off grid with my water. Next step is digging a multi thousand gallon cistern underground. Water is LIFE!

 

Wow...impressive! Can you post some pics of your system?

 

Nice work Schlot! I have a 55 gallon rain barrel, but I've only ever collected maple sap in it. It was much cheaper to buy a rain barrel kit than one of the plastic storage tanks from the maple supply co's.

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but my cousin out in CO, was forbidden by law/ordinance from collecting/storing rain water?!? The only reason I can figure for that law is maybe due to the wildfires they've been having out west? Still kinda dumb though if you ask me - it's still going to make it to the ground eventually; just maybe in the garden instead of around the foundation of the house.

 

I will after I get it rearranged. Right now it is extremely low tech. Just barrels under the drip line and I dip out the water with three gallon jugs. The new barrels are still waiting to be added into the system, a new gutter would be helpful haha... Some people go to the gym to stay in shape, but I would rather carry water and logs. Weightlifting with a purpose is how I see it. Right now, without adding any of my jugs or tiny barrels that are in my garage I can catch 500g. Of rain. I also have 2x 55g aquariums that are going to be put to use in an aquaponics system. Gonna use one tank in my dining room to irrigate a grow table with kitchen herbs and lettuce under a 4 foot bank of T5 high output fluorescent lights. I have everything for that system except the pumps.
I have learned that a lot of modern health problems started when people stopped drinking rain water and switched to well and tap water. Dissolved minerals AKA hard water are very bad for the body. Distilled water, which is exactly what rainwater is, has many health benefits and is the perfect water. Of course rainwater picks up contamination from the atmosphere and such, but it can be filtered and purified. There are a bunch of great bids on YouTube with lots of water collection systems.
I know in some areas it is actually illegal to collect rainwater. I am not here to tell anyone to break the law, but me myself would still do it covertly. I am not much of the rules following type.

 

Thanks to you and all who commented!

You are right there are some weird laws about collecting rain water out there. I researched them and Oregon I believe only allows you to capture directly off the roof. Colorado has some restrictions as does Arkansas (requires a design to be submitted for approval).

Some states have legislation about them but really encourage them like Texas.

 

Looks nice.
But...if I did that the same way here, I would have a platform that would be settling into the ground without any type of base for those legs. Maybe just a patio block?

 

Great point. I'm actually using it as an experiment. What can I say, I'm a nerd.

It's a hard packed area because of the construction of the garage next to it. I calculated the bearing pressure to be around 1360 pounds per square foot which is less than almost everything we see for a bearing pressure for footings in this area. Granted it's a different stratum, but it's a good baseline to compare to.

Besides, if it does settle I will just simply lift the filled tank off the platform with one hand, lift up the platform with my other hand and put a block under each 4x4 with my third hand.

 

That would do it. plus it keeps the wood off the ground.