Hunting for supplies for Rain Barrel!

I was headed somewhere today and spotted a Dollar General...so I thought...Ill stop there and see what they might have for cheap that I could use for the rain barrel! To my surprise they had just about everything I needed...I like to shop around so I didn't buy anything yet! I am also using www.FreeCycle.org (more info on that in a post to come!) to try and see what supplies people have that they will give me! Here is what I found! (gotta love a camera phone!!!:) )

TWO DIFFERENT LENGTH HOSES...I still need to measure to see what I need.



A 34 GALLON TRASH CAN.... I think this will be a good substitute for ones you find online that costs about $60 at cheapest. This one was only $25!


A WATERING CAN...this is if I wanted to just put a spout on the barrel and transport the water from the barrel to the garden using a watering can. I plan on attaching a hose and using gravity to get the water to the garden. I am hoping putting the barrel on a stand will be enough gravity to get the job done!


so far the cost to do project with out stand would be:

$25 - trash can
$8 - 50 ft hose
$1.50- water can
------------------
$34.50

more items to add:
-stand (bricks, cinder blocks, table??)
-netting to keep bugs out of water
-funnel (if i choose to catch the water this way and direct it to the barrel in a more discreet location)

I will continue to post more of my experiment as it happens:D Please comment if you have any tips or if you are interested in learning something specific about my project...I will do research for you and post a reply!

Thanks for being a faithful reader!

A Waterless carwash????

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER:

CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE!!!

Save money by saving water!!!

With gas prices as high as they are and only seeming to get higher I am even more concerned with how to save money! I love watching all the do it yourself shows and the other day they had a segment on catching rain water! I thought....well thats a great idea! Its FREE!!! I want to use it at our house to water the small garden we have in the front of the house. I know that the possibilities go on and on for what you can use the water for....just be sure you check into the safety regulations where you live! So I am going to share what I have found with you! I hope its useful! Send me a msg if you have done this and I will post your story!

I want to create a simple water catching device that I can store high and open the nozzle when needed to let water be drawn by gravity down to the garden. I was thinking about attaching a hose that has small holes in it that would sit on the garden and water the garden all at once...buuuut my sister informed me that they MAKE hoses for this purpose already!


I am going to start my venture into water harvesting with a small project. I want to gather water and use it to water our garden. To do this there are a few ways I could attempt it. I would like to use gravity to my advantage but it seems like it may be hard to get a large enough container high enough to make it worth the effort. They sell water barrels online and they come with everything you need....and in the long run.....are worth the price. The money you will save on water costs (or the lack of)....will pay for the barrel many times over its lifespan.



If you are more like me and are more of a do it yourselfer :)....and also like to do things as cost effective as possible the below project might be more your style.

I do not want to take credit for the following story or idea...but I also don't know the source! But here it is anyway...for you to read and hopefully use to save water!

"For a very cheap solution, stop by your local soda bottler and ask if they have any syrup drums. The coke bottler near my house gave me as many as I wanted for free (they use them as trashcans at the plant). These are food safe and similar to the 55 gal drums that are sold at garden stores.

To turn these into a rain barrel simply cut a hole in the top to collect the rain from the roof (or downspout) and drill a hole in the side to attach a hose spigot. The total cost of the building was about $5.

As mentioned, these are gravity fed so you may need a way to increase the pressure. I built a stand out of some scrap PT 4x4s and fence pickets that gives me enough pressure for watering the garden."

I will update you as I attempt something like thise for our garden! :)