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Closed rain barrel
system with no outflow.
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Published in Jacksonville's
Times Union 03/19/08
Rain Barrel Diverter Details
by Ginny Stibolt
This page is the supplement to this article: Rain
Barrels Revisited.
The diverter described here was constructed for our
closed barrel system shown in the photo to the right. If it's
raining too hard, or if the barrel fills up, the water overflows into the
through pipe set into the bottom of the catch basin and continues down the downspout.
My husband fashioned the diverter from a plastic storage
container and standard PVC plumbing parts purchased from Home Depot. Here are the
instructions:
1) Cut a gap in the downspout that is an inch or two shorter than the
height of the catch basin. The catch basin will rest on the bottom
part of the downspout, so you'll need to support the bottom
section of the downspout by fastening it to the building.
2) We used 2.5-inch diameter PVC coupling for the overflow pipe. The
coupling consists of an inner sleeve is a bushing and outer sleeve is an
unthreaded straight-through union fitting. The two pieces
connect at the bottom of the catch basin. Cut a hole in the bottom of the catch basin to be
a tight fit for the inner sleeve. Also use a 1/16-inch drill bit
to drill two weep holes so when the rain stops the extra water can slowly drip out
when the barrel is full.
3) We used a series
of 3/4-inch PVC pipes and elbows for diverting rainwater to the barrel. At the bottom of one side of the
catch basin, we cut a hole to match the 3/4-inch pipe. Again
you will need a bushing on the inside of the catch basin so the pipe doesn't slip out.
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All of the pieces laid out in order. All these parts are held together with
friction. This way they can be disassembled for cleaning and
to outfit a new catch basin when the plastic becomes brittle. |
Insert the 3/4-inch bushing and straight-through
union fitting on the side of the
catch basin first. |
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The inner and outer sleeve of the 2.5-inch coupling
meet at the bottom of the catch basin. (Above, the bushing
which serves as the inner sleeve is being inserted. The
straight-through union fitting is held in
his left hand.) Cut the hole in the
bottom of the catch basin with a jig saw so that it is slightly smaller
than the inner sleeve of the bushing. Use sandpaper to size the hole so there
is enough friction to hold the pipe in place. (Otherwise it will
fall into the downspout during the first heavy rain.) |
Tip the diverter in place. The bushing
extending from the bottom of the catch basin keeps it from sliding
off the downspout. |
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The threaded fitting is standard for the
industrial barrels--it's used for a pump. The standard 3/4-inch
threaded plumbing fixture fits perfectly. |
The last step is to insert the horizontal pipe
from the diverter to the elbow. |
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To the left all the pieces are in place. There
are no vents in the barrel so as the water flows in there will be
gurgling as the air comes out of the barrel. When the barrel fills up, the water
rises in the pipes and into the catch basin. The water level
rises above the through pipe in the center and overflows into the
downspout.
The weep holes in the bottom of the catch basin
allow the water to slowly drip out once the rain stops.
This detailed description is of our system, your
situation may require a different arrangement and different
fittings. |
Back to the Rain Barrels
Revisited article.
~ ~ ~
Ginny Stibolt is a naturalist and a
gardener with a master's degree in plant taxonomy. She's in the process
of writing a book—"Sustainable Gardening for Florida" to be
published by University Press of Florida in 2009. She’d like to hear
from readers who have suggestions and questions. After all, there are
more than a few transplanted gardeners here in northeast Florida trying
to figure out what works and what doesn’t in planting zone 8/9. You
may contact her or read more of her articles posted on her website: www.transplantedgardener.com.
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