Idea: Tie all the barrels into each other. let the outlet of the top barrel flow directly into the bung of the middle one and the middle one flows into the bung of the bottom one. I only say this b/c yes having more water is good and that set up may only get you about 10 extra gallons, but that could mean life or death if things get bad enough. Plus when you fill the system you only need to open the to bung and fill the entire thing. Just an Idea, it works great for me. I tied 7 into each other.
you can use a spout that rises up from the air inlet so you can fill the tanks up all the way. you may not need it, but it's basically the same thing that you have for the output spout, upside down.
Great concept. Couple of suggestions: Here on the west coast earthquakes are a concern. A small 3.5-4.0 would probably topple your barrels. If you continue to rack them inside the garage go with a steel rack anchored to the floor with protection on top of the rack in case the garage doesn't survive. Hurricanes, tornadoes, same precautions. Second: Tie the 3 barrels in series (the water circuit) together. A) water from source fills #1, then #2, then #3 and then feeds your house. Isolation valves between each barrel and up and downstream of the system in case mods or repairs are needed. That way the water is always fresh and each barrel is full at all times.
Everyone needs to remember that their hot water heater also has a drain valve - most houses have 40 - 50 gallons of potable water at all times on-hand!
Appreciate Video clip! Apologies for butting in, I would love your opinion. Have you considered - Proutklarton Protecting Aqua Plan (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is a great one off product for getting prepared for a mega drought without the hard work. Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my work colleague got cool results with it.
I would just plumb this into my existing water system where the water flowed through them and you always had 3 fresh water barrels in reserve. I would plumb in cut off valves so if you could take it out of the system for maintainance. We lived on a well and would run water into the tub for power outages. Nice setup.
Connect the drums together, put another faucet in the top opening, but orient it upwards. Open the top faucet, fill the drums through the bottom faucet until water starts dripping from the top faucet - you'll have all three drums filled very nearly 100%.
concern I have too. Maybe box in the rack and insulate it to create a "super" insulated "box". Inside layer should be foil backed foam insulation board to reflect heat, outside 1 or 2 layers of r19 or better fiberglass insulation. Basically create a reverse refrigerator. A 100-150 watt trouble light in there to provide heat should prevent freezing. Another idea might be to use roof ice melt heat tapes to wrap each barrel.I don't think they can get hot enough to melt them.
Nice video, good job. I would install a check valve to gain that lost or wasted space. I think I would connect all three together and sample from the bottom barrel. As for the disinfecting: 1 Gallon water / 8-16 drops of regular household bleach. One teaspoon will disinfect 5 gallons. Regularly used water from large tanks may be treated once or twice a month with 1 Oz. bleach per 200 gallons. Long-standing water in tanks disinfected w/ 1 pint household bleach per 1000 gallons.
Great idea and video. Lets just hope that the reason you need your emergency water isn't an earth quake! I have my water strapped to studs because we live in California...
i realy like your set up for me im lucky to have my water gravity feed also have a well and a nice brook across the street and if i dig in the ditch a couple feet lots of water .thanks for vid
It actually cost very little. The brackets were only about $2.00 each at Home Depot. Then there is just screws and 2x4's (assuming you already have the plumbing for the barrels). As a lower cost option, you can just use 2x4's to form diagonal supports across the front, back and sides and not how the expense of the metal brackets. Although the brackets look better and don't take up as much space.
Have you thought about dasiy chaining the to your water system? Water in at the top with a check valve and a valve off a tee (to allow air displacement, and dischage to the house from the bottom. This way your water is always fresh. Use a 40 watt light bulb with the barrels covered with a blanket, as a tent. This should solve your freezing problem.
if you were to pipe the bottom barrels top bung to the middle barrels bottom bung and middle barrels top bung to top barrels bottom bung you could eliminate the air pockets in the bottome barrels and fill the entire system thru the top barrel.
@chivone21 It is certainly possible that that water may freeze. If the water does freeze, it may expand enough to damage the barrels and cause leaks. Something to consider would be to add a small heater to your shed (if you have power available out there). Just enough to keep the water from freezing. Something I use on my chicken waterer in the winter is Flex Watt heat mats. You just tape a small strip to the edge of the water container and it keeps it from freezing.
You have shear bracing one direction, front and back, I would suggest adding structural shear braces left and right - the shelf brackets are not strong enough and not recomended, you are dealing with a lot of weight that can destroy your car or hurt someone.
You do realize that if you store the water in barrels that are slightly tilted up on the bung hole side, you can get more water in it? And yes, when it's near empty, there won't be a problem tilting it to get the last of the water out.
There are two things you need for the spigot part of the plumbing. A bung nut and a spigot. There are two common bung nuts available for 55 gallon drums, one fits in each of the two holes in the drum. One is a fine threaded bung, the other is a course threaded bung. The course threaded bung comes with threads for the spigot. You can find both on ebay. The course bung nut is item # 230661647583. The spigot is item # 330637370111. Just copy/paste those numbers into ebay's search window.
@chivone21 One other option: add a ThermoCube thermostat to the power source so it only turns the heater on when the temperature gets close to freezing. They are very inexpensive and can be used with any heat source. You can find them on ebay.
Excellent Video! Apologies for the intrusion, I am interested in your opinion. Have you considered - Proutklarton Surviving Technics Plan (just google it)? It is an awesome one off product for learning how to survive any crisis minus the normal expense. Ive heard some super things about it and my mate after many years got great results with it.
How do you make the spigot? I think I understand the piping and spout, but attaching it to the bung hole isn't quite clear. A supplies and measurement list would be awesome as well! Great job!
Great set up. I like that alot. You are incorrect on the amount of bleach. You need one to two parts per million. That would be 8 to 16 drops per gallon.
I like this idea, (I hope someone answers me.) What do I do if I live in a cold climate? Upstate NY. And all I have is a detached 18x20 shed that is insulated with R-13 in walls and ceiling and sits on 5" of concrete? Will all this water freeze rendering it useless in the event of need during the winter?
WtHpatriot 1776 I went to my local pallet supply yard and picked up two drum pallets that have double stingers down the center for better strength. I got them for $8 each. The drum pallets are 48" x 48" square to hold 4 drums. The drum manufacturer says you can stack them 3 high with pallets in-between. In my garage I have room for 8 drums stacked two high. Just make sure you have clearance on the top to get a siphon pump in the spigot.
I like this setup. I have 6 barrels and thought about putting together something like this. At the moment they are simply sitting on the floor in the garage. May I ask how much it cost you to put it all together? I'm guessing that the metal brackets cost a fair bit for at least 8 of them.
If you have a well wouldn’t it be easier to just grab a power station and some solar panels? Jealous as where we are at we don’t have access to a well.
Do you still have this set-up in your shop/home? I am in the process of building one for our emergency shelter; I like the horizontal storage design but I'm afraid that the plastic barrels might lack the integrity to hold that kind of weight long-term (I read on another site about a plastic drum buckling under its own weight). Would you mind giving me an update? Did it work out (long term)? Thanks in advance!
Nice set up.If I'm following you correctly you use the precipitation method.This is easy and very quick.But what formula do you use on the sanitizer Jack
Lovely video content! Excuse me for the intrusion, I would love your initial thoughts. Have you ever tried - Proutklarton Protecting Aqua Plan (just google it)? It is a good one off product for getting prepared for a mega drought minus the headache. Ive heard some amazing things about it and my mate after many years got cool results with it.
Lovely video content! Apologies for the intrusion, I would love your opinion. Have you ever tried - Proutklarton Protecting Aqua Plan (probably on Google)? It is a great one off product for getting prepared for a mega drought minus the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my close friend Aubrey after a lifetime of fighting got astronomical results with it.
Lovely Video! Apologies for butting in, I am interested in your initial thoughts. Have you thought about - Proutklarton Surviving Technics Plan (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is an awesome exclusive product for learning how to survive any crisis without the hard work. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend Sam after many years got cool results with it.
Thank you! I have heard many different statements on this and it seems there are many different suggestions on how much bleach should be added. Do you have a source for this amount? It would be nice to get a consistent authoritative agreement on the amount needed.
That is a very good idea! Thank you! The issue I see is that there would be air trapped in the top part of the container with no way for it to escape as you put water in. Any thoughts?
I bought one barrel from costco, 1 from emergency essentials, both are identical and made my Greif. The fine thread cap is NOT universal, they do not make a fine thread with a 3/4 inch knockout for plumbing. don't buy this brand if you plan to hook your barrels together as you won't be able to.
i herd they past a law about not aloud to harvest water look it up ,what really bugs me is thers alot of crap in rain water now, like aluminum ,and this 1 scares me RADIATION, i would just use it for the grass n my car
Or you could just get a generator. If Electric goes out. Still take hot showers. Refrigerator works. And watch tv in the air conditioner. And dont have stupid barrels taking up space in your garage. Good job though.
We are on a 5 family shared private well. The pump is two houses away with it's own power from city. Power out is only one issue. We have had several well problems and it can get so wet in the area from broken pipe work could not be done for week. Combine this with spring rains or frozen temperatures. What if well or even city water is contaminated and not drinkable, This happened once in Milwaukee when lake water had crypto.
Idea: Tie all the barrels into each other. let the outlet of the top barrel flow directly into the bung of the middle one and the middle one flows into the bung of the bottom one. I only say this b/c yes having more water is good and that set up may only get you about 10 extra gallons, but that could mean life or death if things get bad enough. Plus when you fill the system you only need to open the to bung and fill the entire thing. Just an Idea, it works great for me. I tied 7 into each other.
you can use a spout that rises up from the air inlet so you can fill the tanks up all the way. you may not need it, but it's basically the same thing that you have for the output spout, upside down.
Great concept. Couple of suggestions: Here on the west coast earthquakes are a concern. A small 3.5-4.0 would probably topple your barrels. If you continue to rack them inside the garage go with a steel rack anchored to the floor with protection on top of the rack in case the garage doesn't survive. Hurricanes, tornadoes, same precautions. Second: Tie the 3 barrels in series (the water circuit) together. A) water from source fills #1, then #2, then #3 and then feeds your house. Isolation valves between each barrel and up and downstream of the system in case mods or repairs are needed. That way the water is always fresh and each barrel is full at all times.
Everyone needs to remember that their hot water heater also has a drain valve - most houses have 40 - 50 gallons of potable water at all times on-hand!
It's just called a water heater
Appreciate Video clip! Apologies for butting in, I would love your opinion. Have you considered - Proutklarton Protecting Aqua Plan (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is a great one off product for getting prepared for a mega drought without the hard work. Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my work colleague got cool results with it.
I just sketched out the plan myself using the size of the barrels as a guide. It's holding up great!
I would just plumb this into my existing water system where the water flowed through them and you always had 3 fresh water barrels in reserve. I would plumb in cut off valves so if you could take it out of the system for maintainance. We lived on a well and would run water into the tub for power outages. Nice setup.
Connect the drums together, put another faucet in the top opening, but orient it upwards. Open the top faucet, fill the drums through the bottom faucet until water starts dripping from the top faucet - you'll have all three drums filled very nearly 100%.
concern I have too. Maybe box in the rack and insulate it to create a "super" insulated "box". Inside layer should be foil backed foam insulation board to reflect heat, outside 1 or 2 layers of r19 or better fiberglass insulation. Basically create a reverse refrigerator.
A 100-150 watt trouble light in there to provide heat should prevent freezing. Another idea might be to use roof ice melt heat tapes to wrap each barrel.I don't think they can get hot enough to melt them.
Nice video, good job. I would install a check valve to gain that lost or wasted space. I think I would connect all three together and sample from the bottom barrel. As for the disinfecting: 1 Gallon water / 8-16 drops of regular household bleach. One teaspoon will disinfect 5 gallons. Regularly used water from large tanks may be treated once or twice a month with 1 Oz. bleach per 200 gallons. Long-standing water in tanks disinfected w/ 1 pint household bleach per 1000 gallons.
Great idea and video. Lets just hope that the reason you need your emergency water isn't an earth quake! I have my water strapped to studs because we live in California...
i realy like your set up for me im lucky to have my water gravity feed also have a well and a nice brook across the street and if i dig in the ditch a couple feet lots of water .thanks for vid
Good idea about securing to something solid. We are going to do the same things. We're pretty safe in terms of earthquakes, but you never know.
AWESOME SETUP INCUBATOR!!!!
Awesome work man.
It actually cost very little. The brackets were only about $2.00 each at Home Depot. Then there is just screws and 2x4's (assuming you already have the plumbing for the barrels). As a lower cost option, you can just use 2x4's to form diagonal supports across the front, back and sides and not how the expense of the metal brackets. Although the brackets look better and don't take up as much space.
Blankets! Old crocheted (and clean blankets)...old t-shirts wrapped around and held on with duct tape...anything you would wrap around pipes...
Have you thought about dasiy chaining the to your water system? Water in at the top with a check valve and a valve off a tee (to allow air displacement, and dischage to the house from the bottom. This way your water is always fresh.
Use a 40 watt light bulb with the barrels covered with a blanket, as a tent. This should solve your freezing problem.
if you were to pipe the bottom barrels top bung to the middle barrels bottom bung and middle barrels top bung to top barrels bottom bung you could eliminate the air pockets in the bottome barrels and fill the entire system thru the top barrel.
You should connect all the barrels together. It would allow you to fit a few more gallons in.
I've done water conservation experiments,, I can use about 3 or 4 gallons a day and be comfortable.
you could save on cost by using pole barn construction style for your post also 4 by 4s in the corners.
Very nice!
@chivone21
It is certainly possible that that water may freeze. If the water does freeze, it may expand enough to damage the barrels and cause leaks. Something to consider would be to add a small heater to your shed (if you have power available out there). Just enough to keep the water from freezing. Something I use on my chicken waterer in the winter is Flex Watt heat mats. You just tape a small strip to the edge of the water container and it keeps it from freezing.
OR just insulate the barrels
this is a great idea!
You have shear bracing one direction, front and back, I would suggest adding structural shear braces left and right - the shelf brackets are not strong enough and not recomended, you are dealing with a lot of weight that can destroy your car or hurt someone.
Nice system.
Hey good job! Keep it going and good luck!
great idea..
You do realize that if you store the water in barrels that are slightly tilted up on the bung hole side, you can get more water in it? And yes, when it's near empty, there won't be a
problem tilting it to get the last of the water out.
There are two things you need for the spigot part of the plumbing. A bung nut and a spigot. There are two common bung nuts available for 55 gallon drums, one fits in each of the two holes in the drum. One is a fine threaded bung, the other is a course threaded bung. The course threaded bung comes with threads for the spigot. You can find both on ebay. The course bung nut is item # 230661647583. The spigot is item # 330637370111. Just copy/paste those numbers into ebay's search window.
@chivone21
One other option: add a ThermoCube thermostat to the power source so it only turns the heater on when the temperature gets close to freezing. They are very inexpensive and can be used with any heat source. You can find them on ebay.
Excellent Video! Apologies for the intrusion, I am interested in your opinion. Have you considered - Proutklarton Surviving Technics Plan (just google it)? It is an awesome one off product for learning how to survive any crisis minus the normal expense. Ive heard some super things about it and my mate after many years got great results with it.
How do you make the spigot? I think I understand the piping and spout, but attaching it to the bung hole isn't quite clear. A supplies and measurement list would be awesome as well! Great job!
How about a hand pump for your well? My grandfather used one all his life. After he went modern, he kept it as a backup.
Looks clean.
P.S. Don't go vertical in California!
😎😎😎😎😎😎
nice system
would you break down the valves and drains that you use.I went to lowes and there no help.very good eye opener vid!
really interesting video
Great set up. I like that alot. You are incorrect on the amount of bleach. You need one to two parts per million. That would be 8 to 16 drops per gallon.
I like this idea, (I hope someone answers me.) What do I do if I live in a cold climate? Upstate NY. And all I have is a detached 18x20 shed that is insulated with R-13 in walls and ceiling and sits on 5" of concrete? Will all this water freeze rendering it useless in the event of need during the winter?
Or you could simply loosen the top disc just a hair. As the water expands the air will escape.
I contacted Greif who is the manufacturer of most of these drums and they do not recommend storing them horizontal when filled with water.
did they say why?
WtHpatriot 1776 They said that the barrels have not been tested for strength and leakage when stored sideways.
Also, looks like you could lose a couple gallons, on the side like that. Upright they go then! thanks man!
WtHpatriot 1776 I went to my local pallet supply yard and picked up two drum pallets that have double stingers down the center for better strength. I got them for $8 each. The drum pallets are 48" x 48" square to hold 4 drums. The drum manufacturer says you can stack them 3 high with pallets in-between. In my garage I have room for 8 drums stacked two high. Just make sure you have clearance on the top to get a siphon pump in the spigot.
Generator and interlock, just use the well, works here...
I like this setup. I have 6 barrels and thought about putting together something like this. At the moment they are simply sitting on the floor in the garage. May I ask how much it cost you to put it all together? I'm guessing that the metal brackets cost a fair bit for at least 8 of them.
If you have a well wouldn’t it be easier to just grab a power station and some solar panels? Jealous as where we are at we don’t have access to a well.
Do you still have this set-up in your shop/home? I am in the process of building one for our emergency shelter; I like the horizontal storage design but I'm afraid that the plastic barrels might lack the integrity to hold that kind of weight long-term (I read on another site about a plastic drum buckling under its own weight). Would you mind giving me an update? Did it work out (long term)? Thanks in advance!
What is actully holding the barrels? Can you make another vid to show the construction of the barrel supports (not the "shelf" support)?
nice central vac
how did you build it?? and what is the material list?? I like the Frame...but can't see the supports to hold the Barrels.
Nice set up.If I'm following you correctly you use the precipitation method.This is easy and very quick.But what formula do you use on the sanitizer
Jack
lol are u a prepper for shtf? Just asking but great idea. Ima use it :D
Great idea about using the one-way valve. Do you have a link to where you got the valve so we can give it a try?
Did you have a plan that gave you the demensions or did you just wing it?
solar pump man
and use those to store the moonshine for bartering. :-)
Lovely video content! Excuse me for the intrusion, I would love your initial thoughts. Have you ever tried - Proutklarton Protecting Aqua Plan (just google it)? It is a good one off product for getting prepared for a mega drought minus the headache. Ive heard some amazing things about it and my mate after many years got cool results with it.
Lovely video content! Apologies for the intrusion, I would love your opinion. Have you ever tried - Proutklarton Protecting Aqua Plan (probably on Google)? It is a great one off product for getting prepared for a mega drought minus the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my close friend Aubrey after a lifetime of fighting got astronomical results with it.
Lovely Video! Apologies for butting in, I am interested in your initial thoughts. Have you thought about - Proutklarton Surviving Technics Plan (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is an awesome exclusive product for learning how to survive any crisis without the hard work. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend Sam after many years got cool results with it.
connect them and youll get git off the air space
Thank you! I have heard many different statements on this and it seems there are many different suggestions on how much bleach should be added. Do you have a source for this amount? It would be nice to get a consistent authoritative agreement on the amount needed.
That is a very good idea! Thank you! The issue I see is that there would be air trapped in the top part of the container with no way for it to escape as you put water in. Any thoughts?
Have you thought about plumbing the 3 barrels together?
That's what I was thinking. You could eliminate a lot of the air space and collect the water from the bottom with a bit of clever design.
Hey bud it says 8 drops per gallon. I looked it up online.
How do you clean the inside?
I bought one barrel from costco, 1 from emergency essentials, both are identical and made my Greif. The fine thread cap is NOT universal, they do not make a fine thread with a 3/4 inch knockout for plumbing. don't buy this brand if you plan to hook your barrels together as you won't be able to.
now what about aerating this vs. minus the bleach. I don't know if I would want to put bleach in my water. Good system otherwise..
I use iodine.
use apple cider vinegar much safer bleach is very toxic
manual pump for well....
Hi. Do you still have this system set up the same way? Did you change it in any way?
Thanks.
but if you have a contamination in one barrel, you then have contamination in 3 barrels.
I assume you were replying to Bill Hocker. Good point.
i herd they past a law about not aloud to harvest water look it up ,what really bugs me is thers alot of crap in rain water now, like aluminum ,and this 1 scares me RADIATION, i would just use it for the grass n my car
How much does it cost
Is this enough space ?
seems about right ;-)
If you're on a well, buy a small generator.
contact Clorox, seriously, their customer service line can tell you.
What if you have a hurricane, tornado or something that blows those off onto your hot water tank, they shud be moved.
I posted a video of my 55 Gal Storage System. The barrels are linked together with 3/4" hose. Click on my name below and check it out.
STOP the ads.
but it does not make water like the water genrator
Or you could just get a generator. If Electric goes out. Still take hot showers. Refrigerator works. And watch tv in the air conditioner. And dont have stupid barrels taking up space in your garage. Good job though.
We are on a 5 family shared private well. The pump is two houses away with it's own power from city. Power out is only one issue. We have had several well problems and it can get so wet in the area from broken pipe work could not be done for week. Combine this with spring rains or frozen temperatures. What if well or even city water is contaminated and not drinkable, This happened once in Milwaukee when lake water had crypto.
BLEECH!!!! are you related to TRUMP🤣