# Started rain catchment system today



## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

I'm installing a 550 gallon capacity water catchment system using 275 gallon IBC totes. I'll eventually add a pressure driven pump that'll activate when there's water flowing so I can water my "garden"





I'm wrapping them in black plastic to help prevent algae growth. They'll be stacked one on top of the other and the output of the top will flow into the top of the bottom so it should be self-venting. I'm waiting on a few parts and we're supposed to have a rough few days of weather so I probably won't get anything else done until next weekend


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

Nice! I was going to do the same thing but I wasn't sure about what to cover the containers in. I've seen black containers come up for sale but they're 2X cost. Wrapping them in black plastic is a great idea.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

The black plastic is kind of expensive $60 for a 100' roll I only need 30' from


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Curious, could you have just spray-painted them black? I'm interested to see how this turns out. I've read about it and seen a few videos. I think Ed Begley, Jr. had something similar in his house, with all sorts of green equipment for his house. It was a neat tour I saw many years ago. Still, this is good to know for modern homesteading.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

Colonel K0rn said:


> Curious, could you have just spray-painted them black? I'm interested to see how this turns out. I've read about it and seen a few videos. I think Ed Begley, Jr. had something similar in his house, with all sorts of green equipment for his house. It was a neat tour I saw many years ago. Still, this is good to know for modern homesteading.


Everything I read said painting them didn't work well. It took so many coats of paint before it blocked the light and the paint wore off from being in the weather.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

quadmasta said:


> The black plastic is kind of expensive $60 for a 100' roll I only need 30' from


Shoot I was just going to use the 5mil contractor trash bags.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

6 mil is the recommendation. you could maybe use old billboard material. The issue is getting it thick enough to block the light but no so thick you can't get it back into the cage after you've wrapped it


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## Allan-00 (Aug 6, 2019)

Curious if buying new (online?) is the way to go or if you can get by just fine with a used one of Craigslist or FB marketplace?


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

If you know where the ones on CL/FB came from and what was in it, you can use them. These were previously filled with liquid artificial sweetners and are food grade. I'll make another post later this week once I get some more parts to show some things to look for.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

Got a few more parts so I decided to do a bit more.

3" bulkhead for fill at the top



Added blocking support to keep the top tote from smashing the elbow going into the bottom tote


I got the leafeater but realized I didn't get 45 elbows so I'll have to do that before I get much further. Hopefully I'll be catching rain soon. I'm still waiting on the tank output fittings. I'll post more when those show up


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

@Ware would this maybe be better in irrigation? I started it here since it'll be for my veggies/fruit trees


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

quadmasta said:


> @Ware would this maybe be better in irrigation? I started it here since it'll be for my veggies/fruit trees


Done. :thumbsup:


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

Finally got around to stacking the totes. Ended up rigging a block and tackle with some climbing stuff and it was pretty easy.



I found out that where I placed the bulkhead lines up directly with the bottom of one of my staircase stringers so I have to redesign the fill and overflow. Still waiting on a cam lock adapter for one of the totes but hopefully I'll have it catching water this weekend


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

Got the remaining fittings and put everything together

Here you can see the LeafEater RainHead. It goes under a downspout and has an angled screen on it to keep big crap out. It goes down to an extended sanitary tee and then down a 3" pipe to a 90 to the top of the tank. The other end of the tee is for overflow. Currently it's got a 90 and some 3" pipe that just goes into some black corrugated pipe that routes to a drain basin. I'll have to get more fittings to get that how it needs to be.






You can see here the top tank uses a cam lock style fitting. I've got an adapter that goes to 2" MNPT and that goes to a tee. I've made this part with a slip union just in case I need to take it all apart for whatever reason.


The lower tank uses buttress threads. This adapter goes from those to 2" MNPT. I'll build the stuff to go on this bottom tank later.


We're supposed to get rain both days this weekend so I'm going to leave all of the water input stuff just friction fit for now and make sure everything works as it should. If so, I'll glue the parts that are barely held together and make supports for the rest of the stuff.


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