Rain Barrel System | EXPLAINED

[@alexfoxeseri8930]

Man i love this guy. Good and simple explanation while not look down on people who has 0 knowledge on piping system.

[@user-un9lx4kp6u]

Thanks for explaining your thought processes. Most people just show the design without explaining why the design is as it is.

[@tedmcdaniel2951]

I've seen many water collection videos, but this one is the best intro I've seen. The animations and water bottle demonstration are great additions to the "nuts and bolts of water collection" explainer videos.

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@donthuvc8115]

If only you were my science teacher in h.s. TYSM for these videos. I can’t wait to start my own rain water harvesting system.

[@CoachCabrera]

I do not typically comment on videos but I have to tell you that this was the best and easiest explanation I have ever seen

[@603provisions7]

You sir, are an educational genius. This is great for visual learners like myself. I think I finally have enough confidence to try this out,

[@MMPowerCafe]

A totally complete, easy to follow and detailed production!

[@DtownRepresent]

I love the animations, definitely helps get a better idea of what's going on.

[@pitot1988]

What program does one use to get those animation in the video editing?

[@craniumrex4614]

I’m not even halfway through and I was already impressed by the animations. Then you made a tiny model of it? 🤯. Subbed. Your videos are top tier!!

[@nancyvolpert6100]

Great, thorough yet simple enough to understand explanation.

[@joyelias6975]

This the definition of online education. Thank you for a great video

[@BenVanik]

Awesome animations - you have better visualization than most of the marketing material for these components :)

[@mountur]

I currently live in the city center, but as soon as I have my dream house in the countryside, I'll have a system like yours! Greetings from France my friend :)

[@GreenTechTown]

That is awesome!

[@nyctoya]

The animation is awesome!! Thank you for that. Love your garden.

[@lesliedugan9960]

CA here! After the huge rainstorm we just had, we and our neighbors were discussing how we could capture the water. Great info, thank you so much!

[@markfrenzel4718]

Just found your channel. As many others have said, awesome job giving lots of details without a lot of chit chat. 👍

[@keyfitter]

Great video! Water is the most important thing for survival off-grid if and when the grid fails.

[@GreenTechTown]

I agree!

[@FMFC0RPSMAN]

I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Great editing and quality information which I will be definitely putting into practice. Keep up the great work.

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks Jack!

[@faridave]

Thank you for that simulation, thats what i search. You help me a lot

[@ronwise3069]

Dude, this is fantastic! Thank you for all of the information and I hope you continue making these videos. I'm collecting all the hardware I need to make a system similar to yours and am anxious to get started. Thank you again!

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks for the feedback, and glad to be able to help!

[@johnvrabec9747]

My dad was 60 years ahead of his time. He collected rain water in a 55 gallon drum for his 800 Sq ft garden. He never irrigated with city water. Plants thrive on rain water. I like your system and have watched your first flush install. Kudos!

[@interspeciesfamily8043]

😅 ... water drains down my down-spout...", soooorry but when your videos come up and one isn't looking and only listens while one has to attend to something else it does sound a funny talk to be heard. Play it back for your family with only sound and you'll have a little chuckle surely. C'mon, you have to know it's humour, but the videos you make are certainly worth coming back to sEE and keep on one's playlists for others to see and share. Thankyou for making it all so understandable and UNintimidating for us.

[@truegamer2819]

man this is the most educational video i ever watched, this video helped me alot on how to start my own rain processes system i have a few ideas

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome!

[@truegamer2819]

@@GreenTechTown i hope i can do this one day and grow my own food, but i have to work quickly cause the congress is trying to prevent people from doing so

[@Mar-sr5uf]

This was an amazing explanation. Great video!

[@MarySmith-ry9cu]

What a great video! You anticipated and answered all my questions! You're a great teacher. Thanks!

[@xavierh658]

Best vidéo about rain barrel

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks!

[@RickyRandom460]

Very informative and easy to digest

[@ericb3061]

Thank you for sharing this video was very helpful. I really enjoy your work

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome to hear!

[@getreal6424]

Brilliant nice system you have made. I've been taking notes. I'm thinking of making a similar water feeder myself

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome!

[@michaelduncan8345]

Robert, I started watching your rain barrel system and compost tumbler videos last year, and continue to be amazed at how concise and comprehensive your videos are. Your rain barrel series and Don't Screw It Up's ultimate rain barrel system video are the most clear and helpful videos on KZbin. Note: I also had issues with rivets on the composter door hinge due to thickness and curve of the food grade barrel, machine screws to the rescue. Keep up the great work! 👏 👏 👏 🌱

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks Michael!

[@veteranveteran9915]

Your videos, explanations and editing skills are getting better with each upload. Keep up the AWESOME content sir ❤️

[@woodman1379]

Hey I love this! To calculate the rain collection area, just use the dimensions of the house foot print. Measuring the dimensions of the the sloped roof sections over estimates collection area.

[@sapiotone]

Thanks Robert. So clearly explained and demonstrated! Subscribed! :)

[@ogdenphoto]

Love your videos! No fluff, just the facts. Keep up the great work.

[@seanb6155]

Really enjoy your videos, very informative.

[@bethbaker6351]

Thank you for your time . This video is awesome !!!!

[@childofyahuah9833]

Great content. Made it make sense therefore more inspirational appreciated

[@HauntingsbyDesign]

Thank you very much for all your videos. They have helped me convince my wife on the benefits of rain barrels for our garden.

[@MrCardeso]

Great system! Thanks for sharing!

[@Afrikaislife]

Thanks for being straight forward and informative. Going the extra mile is much appreciated.

[@edwam0109]

Hi! So glad I found your channel. I want to get a rain barrel installed this summer. I just want to be able to connect a hose for simple garden watering and maybe wash my car. You make it look so simple. I am a little intimidated but determined. Thank you for this Q and A, and for clearly presenting the math to get the measurements;) I want to place my barrel directly on the ground. What is the advantage to raising them off the ground and is it necessary? Thanks again.

[@GreenTechTown]

Hey M. Edwards. Raising the barrel off the ground (or higher than your garden) allows you to take advantage of gravity, increasing your water pressure (the higher your barrel, the more water pressure). Many people take this simple approach since if you can mount your barrels high enough, you can sometimes avoid using a pump. Additionally, it improves accessibility to the bottom spigot or for filling up a watering can if needed.

[@keysersoce3782]

Your videos are awesome! New subscriber, you sucked me in with the compost tumbler, which I made using your video. Keep up the good work!

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback also. What's your next outdoor project lined up?

[@dnhman]

I use a similar bottom feed system with three barrels for my OGC. We use this for washing, showers and general water use. Given this we do add a capful of chlorine to keep down algae and other bacteria. We could use a Berky or other type of filtration system to make the water potable but this cabin is mostly for weekends so bringing up drinking water is not an issue. Also our system like yours is powered by 12VDC battery with solar battery tender. We added an accumulator to regulate the water flow or the faucet and shower. We don't have a first flush but have been thinking of adding this, we just use lots of screens between the gutter and the inflow to the barrels. We also can close off each barrel if needed and still keep the system up an running., Great presentation!!

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome and thanks for sharing!

[@Paranexium]

It's been dry for the most part last summer and this year so far, not good for rain barrels. I think a first flush is a good idea. You can make one out of PVC pipes pretty easily. We had a pretty good down poor and I checked my filter (knee high panty hose) connected to downspout line to the first flush, and there was a good size ball of debris. Just throw away and put another one in. It's nice to have the water as clean as possible. As far as the rain barrel series idea, I just hooked mine near the bottom of the first barrel with a Y hose splitter and attached them together. The inside levers are always on connecting the two barrels, the outside on the first I only turn on when I am going to use it to pump out water and the outside of the second rain barrel Y is off until I want to fill another container or it could be used to connect to the next rain barrel to easily expand. Same principle basically as the bottom attachment. Whats nice about the bottom attachments is you can get every last drop of water were I loose about 5 to 8 gallons usable usable per barrel on the bottom. I do have a overflow near the top of the first barrel for when both barrels are full. I saw a video of someone who had not thought of putting in an over flow and it was just spouting out everywhere with a heavy rain. As always thanks for the videos. I have learned allot from them and it helped me allot putting my system together. I was surprised at how much work and planning it takes to put together a good rain barrel system but I think it is well worth the effort.

[@jeffh4505]

I currently have my downspout dumping directly "into" my rain barrels, but I have a piece of screen over the top of the barrel to act as a filter. It's amazing how much stuff I find sitting on top of the screen that would have gone into the barrels had it not been there.

[@Paranexium]

@@jeffh4505 Yes, I think a filter of some sort is a must especially if you use a pump on your rain barrels and you don't want it to clog up.

[@tim102353]

Thanks so much for your videos Robert. I really enjoy them. You are very informative and you explain things really clearly. And I really like the things that you're doing on your property and the innovations you come up with

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks Tim for the feedback!

[@nunyabusiness863]

Well done. I decided to do a rain barrel system for our garden and possible emergencies. We have 4 55 gallon, wide lid barrels, hidden behind the shed and they catch the water from the metal shed roof. I use my 1st barrel midway as my 1st flush and the is bottom filled, but you're sediment filter is genius. I may add that to my system. Thanks for posting this and keep thinking outside the box. Cheers everyone! Edit: I also use 1.5 inch connections for faster water flow, which makes our container filling and barrel cleaning a bit easier.

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome and thanks for sharing details and tips about your setup!

[@KeithGyarmati]

Awesome video. Looking to set this up soon.

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome!

[@richardspence3447]

Thanks for the video I learned a lot

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome to hear!

[@tophercaesar5375]

I loved the animations this was a fantastic video

[@bwb00u4]

This was a great video! The engineering geek in me loves it! 💯

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks Brent for the feedback! :D

[@LK-bz9sk]

Such and informative video. I just found this channel and am doing research on a gray water system. So now I am binge watching.

[@radamest2]

This is an excellent video!

[@Davidmc23]

I've watched through a bunch of your videos during the last week. Have to say that you are an excellent educator and you cover even little things in a bigger topic very well. One note: the reason your garden likes rain water so much is that it contains nitrogen compounds, far more than tap water, so your plants get an extra feed. I've spent years working on "on farm fertility generation" and am planning on incorporating rain harvesting in for several other reasons but the extra N is reason enough.

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks David for the feedback!

[@hooray4pizzaday451]

Amazing job with making this video!

[@GreenTechTown]

Thank you!

[@uramalakia]

The camerawork, the animations, the story telling, the quality of content... This channel is fire! How you at any point looked into the possibility of biogass production?

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks for the feedback, and no, I have never heard of biogass production, but from a quick search, it seems interesting.

[@7thSonProductions]

Nice video! I started capturing rainwater at my "small house in the woods" for showering, the toilet, and other areas where I need water. Thus far since it's not being filtered I get my drinking water from wells, or a natural spring.

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome, thanks for sharing your uses for rainwater.

[@longinus58]

These are really good videos.

[@thepixel5]

excellent job, love the models.

[@GreenTechTown]

Awesome to hear! Thanks for the feedback. Was hoping they would help!

[@jeffh4505]

Rain barrels also have the benefit of being able to get water to places that don't have a public water supply. I've been building and growing my rain barrel system because my garden, while next to my shed (with no power) doesn't have a convenient water supply.

[@GreenTechTown]

Most definitely. Thanks for sharing Jeff. How many barrels do you have now, or how many gallons does your rain collection system hold?

[@jeffh4505]

@@GreenTechTown I only have 2 55 gallon drums right now, with plans to expand to 4, as well as adding more gutters to my shed to increase collecting area.

[@lafikdadi1]

Bro... you are fire.... wow; I love the system

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks Divine for the feedback!

[@MR-ri1qp]

Love the system my friend!

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks M R!

[@Sylvan_dB]

Awesome demo setup! I knew how it worked, but it was great to see it in action.

[@adropofwater]

What a great job🙌

[@lynnmoss2127]

These are excellent videos, very easy to understand. When are you adding a first flush system?

[@GreenTechTown]

I'm not sure on a date frame yet, but it is on the to-do list as a high priority.

[@lynnmoss2127]

@@GreenTechTown I’m gathering the materials list. I have the large items like the cement blocks and pickle barrels that I have foraged used from FB Marketplace. The remaining items will likely be retail. I appreciate the details on your tutorials. I am inspired. With gratitude, Lynn

[@Throku]

Hmm with nearly six times the rainfall I have, I see why you're not to bothered with it going by the wayside. Here I need about 8mm to fill up my barrels (1/4 inch), but a lot of the time all I get is a light drizzle and that never amounts to anything, I typically don't see a drop collected before the rainmeters shows 2 mm, it just gets soaked up by the roof. Downside with rooftiles I guess, that that the mossgroth contaminating the water. But with what you're showing me, I'll have to seriously up my game next time around. Looking for a property now, so not gonna bother upgrading this one.

[@rolandready3207]

Excellent video! You have a very nice setup. I just started doing this for my garden so this has been extremely helpful. Thank you.

[@gemertje]

Very nice video! love(d) the series

[@honeyhivefarms5739]

Nice job.

[@henrysmifth536]

Great video bro 👍

Cheers from portugal

[@dominicmckeown1]

Another great video. Thank you! I have a 50w solar panel arriving today from Amazon. Inspired by your videos.

[@GreenTechTown]

Nice! Awesome to hear!

[@bigstu9854]

I need to do this

[@GreenTechTown]

Go for it!

[@lawrencejohnson3259]

Great video!!!

[@captdrastic]

Your videos are so helpful and informative. You're a great teacher! Thanks.

[@csifan52]

You are brilliant and this is awesome! It answered all the things I was wondering about your system! Thank you for the wonderful videos and amazing explanations!

[@acerockollaa]

Woah you're working on some really cool things. New Subscriber. Like the videos!

[@Jiangster]

Super informative animations! I really like the use of the water bottle to demonstrate exactly what's happening inside. Does the downspout diverter doesn't capture 100% of the rain coming down the downspout since there's a hole in the center?

[@jaywilson8122]

Hello, I love your videos and the way you break these projects down for those of us who'd like to try your ideas. I've been thinking of trying to divert sump pump water to a rain barrel system. All that water just goes into the storm drain anyway. I have a large lawn with lots of shrubbery which makes watering pricey. What do you think? Would sump pump water pose any different problem than water from a down spout? Thanks again.

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not an expert in that area, but I could not see an obvious issue with it if you are already outputting the water down the drain. As long as the source of water the sump pump is removing water from is not containmented I would think it would be fine for watering plants. Making it drinkable would be another story. You could also send a sample of the water off to a water testing center to double check as well. Again, this is just my opinion, so I would still recommend doing more research and talking with an expert in the subject.

[@pjnealon3476]

Great video. Thanks.

[@michellecruzston9359]

Thank you!

[@josemanuelmartinezlopez6085]

Magnífico 👍👍👍👍👍

[@bustedboat]

love the vids dude

[@jonpedz3862]

Cool video man

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks!

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

Interesting irrigation set up. Why do you have five pipes for each 4-foot wide bed? I have a creek out of which I pump water using a 30-watt solar panel and a 800 gph bilge pump that lifts the water up about 8 feet and then gravity feeds into a single pipe going to each of the four 30-foot long by 4 feet wide beds. I find that produces enough water to irrigate the whole bed. Each bed gets irrigated separately from one day to the next, and the bed is irrigated from whenever the sun hits the solar panel to whenever there's not enough sunlight to power the bilge pump. Obviously, when it rains there's no irrigation. 😸

[@GreenTechTown]

I have 5 rolls of pipe because I use the square foot gardening method and I needed to make sure each square of was receiving enough water depending on what I planted where. It's more of a personal preference, but not required.

[@kalinystazvoruna8702]

@@GreenTechTown Thanks for the explanation. So, I'm assuming those on/off valves are turned either on or off depending on which section you're planning on watering? My system using the bilge pump actually has pressure in the system so between keeping the water flowing while the sun shines and shifting from one bed to another, each bed gets more than enough water. Any excess water flows back into the creek through percolation. In your case, you're only getting water from what you've collected, so I can see the difference in the systems. I'm assuming (I know, never "assume" 😸) that when there's no rain for a month and you've used up all the water in your collection that you're using water from your city/town/village?

[@Dragnssmoke]

rain is the cleanest water in the world it has no chemicals and is the best for any planting to keep the waters ppm's (parts per million) down under 10 airratte it with a fish air pump and you have the perfect water for everything cook with your rain water and you food will even taste way better

[@imacexpress]

I really love your videos and I have benefitted and been greatly inspired. There are so many fitting and hosing options. I like your use of bottom fed and PVC for your connections. Could provide a link to the screw in fittings you used on the barrels, to later connect to screw on PVC connections?

[@universal7564]

thumbs up

[@derpherpp]

Did you edit all this yourself? Nicely done. Btw I went through two motor controller of my lawn mower. Do u think 2x60 better than 2x25? I used to had a rain barrel system with a instant on water pump using a solar panel and battery. So when u squeeze the water hose the pump would pump from the rain barrels and when u let go it’s stop. I also setup on a garden timer sprinklers. So the system is completely pff the grid. I was fun but I wouldn’t depend on to water my small garden because most days there’s no rain or sunlights so my garden would died from lack of water. Not to mention the mosquitoes and the constant season cleaning of the barrels of mold build up inside. It’s doesn’t matter if I had blue or other dark colors it will get dirty and mold from dirty rain water that’s coming off your roof shingles. So I ditched it and use regular house water and pay couple bucks more. I also have to constantly maintain of everything because of the pump and deep cycle battery are expensive. And they brake every couple years.

[@GreenTechTown]

I did edit the entire video. I only have experience with the 2x25 but I'm sure the 2x60 is just as good if not better, but check some reviews online. Also, thanks for sharing your experience. I say do what works for you and your application and that is the best solution.

[@meaww7373]

Genius

[@Rockwolf50]

Ain’t it great when a hobby project turns into a professional system? Have you considered adding some sort of automation system like home assistant which you could run on a raspberry pi to this setup? It would also allow you to monitor your battery and solar production.

[@GreenTechTown]

I have looked into that. Another big project I'm looking into off and on. It may be a little too complicated for most of those subscribed to this channel, so I'm not sure if I'll make how-to videos or not, but we'll see.

[@jimsjacob]

I’ve looked at a few of your videos and the included links. I keep hoping to see a link to the rain barrels themselves and have yet to see it. Is there a reason you don’t include them or I’m I just overlooking the link? Great videos. Thanks for sharing. Out here in CA, I think I’ll need to install something like this.

[@GreenTechTown]

Yes, the reason is, I purchased the pre-used barrels locally off an ad on Facebook Marketplace. If you search for "Pickle Barrels" you may find some locally, or online.

[@jimsjacob]

@@GreenTechTown Yes, after posting my comment, I did exactly that and found some about 70 miles from me avail for pickup. Thanks again!

[@bradbrown2168]

Wow. Really well done! Are you a teacher?

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks and no, but maybe one day :D

[@CaptainHowdy420]

No water was harmed in the making of this video. 🤣

[@Mike-bs5pi]

Seems like it would be important to make sure the bottom connection piping should be at a minimum the same diameter as the inflow pipe, but probably better to be at least .5 inch larger so there won't ever be a situation where the inflow exceeds the leveling capacity, potentially preventing capture of some rain if the first barrel becomes a bottleneck. Would you agree?

[@GreenTechTown]

I can see your point. In this example, the tubing I used was quite small, but in the real world, the size of my pipe was 3/4" and the inflow of water from my downspout is a lot slower than what I displayed here in the video. But you are correct, you probably would want to make sure the inflow and outflow to the next barrel/s is about the same size to avoid that problem.

[@Mike-bs5pi]

@@GreenTechTown cool, yeah wasn't trying to sound like I was referring to the example, though that is where I noticed the possibility for bottleneck. Thank you.

[@THD360]

Wow. It is nice setup. Do you have anything that collect leaves from a roof?

[@GreenTechTown]

For this location I do not, but if leaves are an issue, I would recommend installing gutter guards, or use a diverter that has a built in filter.

[@Lolita327]

Where is the best spot for the connecting pipe between the two barrels?

[@JenL77]

I just found your channel a few days ago. Great info! I am trying to figure out how to continue using rain water in winter. Do you have any thoughts on this? We don’t have constant freezing here, but we do have some.

[@GreenTechTown]

Hey Jennifer. I have not looked into this concept yet, but I'm sure there might be a way but I'm not sure what to recommend at this time.

[@JenL77]

@@GreenTechTown ok. Thank you for the reply.

[@eliviv3949]

Great Video!! Question regarding your pump setup to the drip irrigation: Is your pump variable speed? if not, how can you control the pressure/speed at which the water reaches your garden so it isnt spraying too hard? I see you have the shutoff ball valves in the garden, but wont restricting the flow too much strain the pump?

[@GreenTechTown]

Hey Eli. Great questions. My transfer pump only has a 1 flow rate when power is applied. Right now, my pump is a little under powered for my application due to the amount of garden beds I am supplying water to and the distance from the garden. If you need a variable speed pump, I'm sure there are some out there. An on-demand pump would also be a good choice for pressure related concerns.

[@kentchristen6048]

I came across your videos while I was searching for ways to get smells out of food grade barrels (I think it keyed in on the "barrel" part of my search terms). I notice that your barrels once held pickles--did they not have a pickle smell or did you do something to take the odor out? Great system here, I enjoyed both of the videos on it that I watched.

[@GreenTechTown]

Hey Kent. Yes, my barrels had a pickle smell in them, and I was told to use light bleach and water to help clean/disinfect the barrel by rolling it around on the ground. Some have also mentioned baking soda works. Since my barrels have removable lids, I took the lids off the barrels and let them air out for a week or so. Google also pulled up some other suggestions if these do not work for you.

[@kentchristen6048]

@@GreenTechTown Thanks for the quick reply! I did soap and rolling and bleach and rolling, which helped, but I think it'll just take some time now. I'll air them out and then do the baking soda thing. Thanks again!

[@givemeaminutetothink]

I'm wondering if your battery is holding up? Do you recommend the specific battery you are using in this setup or was it just what was available at your local store? In the past couple years as my garden grew in size, I have become very interested in rainwater collection and use. I have an IBC tote collecting rainwater off a barn roof, which really could probably fill a much larger tank if I ever decide to upgrade, but it's good enough for my small-medium sized garden for now. I currently don't have a pump set up, but I am looking into getting one because I simply don't use the water I've collected as much with it being less convenient than the pressurized hose. I'm thinking that if I can hook it into my drip irrigation system, similar to yours but made with drip depot fittings and tubing, it will become the no-brainer option for when I am out in the heat and trying to get everything done as efficiently as possible, and the city water will be reserved for only those times when I run out of collected water. Thank you for these videos, seeing your setup so clearly explained helps give me ideas and inspiration for improving my own. And the plants benefit the most, of course!

[@GreenTechTown]

Thanks for sharing your current setup and plans! My battery has been working well with no major issues. I've had this deep cycle battery for a few years now, and I just borrowed it from another project. I believe I purchased them online at the time. Here is a similar product: amzn.to/3AXc39U