Give new life to a rain barrel by converting it into a drip irrigation system.
Collecting rainwater in a barrel and installing a drip system to distribute the collected water is an efficient form of garden irrigation. With a barrel drip system, there is no need to purchase or maintain costly, underground watering systems. Collecting water in a barrel also eliminates or reduces the amount of well or city water needed to keep a garden thriving. Gardeners can position collection barrels as near as possible to the plants that require watering, avoiding the expense of long drip lines. It requires only a few hours and minimal maintenance to transform a barrel into a drip system. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Preparing the Barrel
1. Select a barrel that can withstand constant water exposure, such as plastic. Scrub away all contaminants with a wire brush.
2. Attach a faucet if the barrel did not come with one. Lay the barrel on its side. Drill a hole near the bottom with a hole cutting attachment sized to your faucet. Thread the hole by screwing the threaded faucet bib into the hole. This requires firm pressure, but do not break the barrel or threads. Remove the faucet.
3. Run a thin line of caulk along the outside edge of the hole. Press the raised lip of a reducing washer against the barrel. Screw the faucet back in. Reach or crawl into the barrel to caulk and attach another reducing washer to the inside. Secure the faucet in place by using a wrench to tighten a locknut onto the faucet section inside the barrel.
4. Use a permanent marker to trace the open end of the rain barrel onto the wire mesh or chicken wire. Using a ruler or your hand-width, extend all ends of the circle roughly four inches. Cut the circle out with a wire cutter.
5. Measure and cut out a 4-inch wedge in one side of the mesh lid.
6. Wrap the mesh circle snugly over the open end of the barrel to prevent leaves and debris from entering the barrel and clogging the system.
Installing the Barrel
7. Shorten a downspout in the desired location for the barrel. Remove the lower elbow of the spout. Cut the attached spout at the desired length with a wire cutter. Reattach the lower elbow.
8. Elevate the barrel as much as possible beneath the shortened downspout. The higher the elevation, the more efficiently the system will run. A simple method of elevation is to center the barrel on cinder blocks positioned on a flat surface. Test for stability, bearing in mind that the barrel will be dangerously heavy when full.
9. Drill a hole two inches from the end of the downspout. Insert an eye bolt inside the spout, securing it with a nut tightened on the outside of the spout.
10. Hook a chain to the eye bolt and run it through the wedge in the mesh and into the rain barrel to serve as a track for water and increase collection efficiency.
Installing the Drip System
11. Connect one end of the drip irrigation system pump to the barrel spigot and the other end to the main tubing or a hose. Run the tubing to the location needing irrigation.
12. Cut the main tubing, slide on a connecting tee and reattach the main hose. Attach sub-hoses or soaker hoses to the end of the tee. Do this as often as required for your garden layout. If you are using soaker hoses, you are finished with the tubing and may cap the ends.
13. Attach emitters to the smaller hoses by puncturing the tubing with an awl or puncture tool. Insert the hooked end of an emitter into each hole.
14. Cap all open tubing ends. Fill the rain barrel halfway. Open the spigot and turn on the pump. Check for leaks.
Tags: rain barrel, with wire, Drill hole, drip irrigation, drip irrigation system, drip system, into drip