Water pressure
in a rain barrel is all about gravity. The higher you can situate the barrel, the greater the water pressure will be. You can easily water plants or the garden by soaking them with a hose connected to the bottom of the rain barrel, but you'll need to add extra components to create enough water pressure for a sprinkler to work. Determine the water pressure with a gauge. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Purchase a rain barrel with the drainage system close to or on the bottom, or create a homemade barrel system where a hose fits into a precision-crafted hole at the bottom. You also can install a faucet there.
2. Elevate the rain barrel as high as feasibly possible using a permanent platform of concrete or a platform of concrete pavers or pressure-treated wood with the feet embedded or buried in surface concrete. You can also add a metal band to secure the barrel to the building. A typical rain barrel size is between 50 and 60 gallons, and when full weighs more than 400 pounds, so immobilizing the barrel is essential for safety reasons.
3. Open the faucet or unblock the hose when the barrel is full, check your wristwatch, and collect water in a gallon container to measure how many gallons per minute are flowing. A barrel placed 2 feet above ground will drain about 2 gallons per minute with a standard-size hose, perfect for watering plants or soaking a garden.
4. Purchase a water pressure gauge to measure water pressure. The Rain Bird gauge costs around $8 as of 2009, and more expensive gauges can be purchased from Toro, Mireur and other brands. These items have a 3/4-inch female hose thread adapter designed for attaching to outdoor faucets. They can be purchased at hardware stores, home improvement stores and from online retail stores.
5. Screw the gauge onto the hose end or faucet, and allow the water to flow. The gauge gives the pressure reading in pounds per square inch. Each foot of height provides 0.43 psi, and best watering results will be obtained if the barrel height is at least 2 feet above ground.
6. Increase water pressure by installing a pump. You also can use an air compressor for greater water pressure. Install an air compressor valve in the top of the barrel, and run a hose from the compressor to the valve. These options will allow you to use your rain barrel in a sprinkler system.
Tags: rain barrel, water pressure, water pressure, above ground, compressor valve, feet above