For a little backstory - Atlanta has some of the highest water rates in the country. We also have hot summers and can easily go a month with no rain some years. We are almost always under some kind of drought advisory restricting our outdoor use of water. While vegetable gardens are exempt from these restrictions, I also have lots of landscaping and nursery pots I like to keep watered. So, how to combat both problems with one stone?
Four 330 gallon IBC totes. Seems large but it really isn't - I am planning on adding six more at some later point. Because I run a lot of this H2O through automated irrigation, I need a pump to pressurize the system. From the output side of the pump, pvc runs to a hose bib and a valve box. 90% of the water I use during normal times goes to my veggies. During droughts, I begin to use it more and more for ornamental plantings and general outdoor use (pressure washing, etc).
I keep it clean with two disc filters. I only have to flush the system once, maybe twice a year.
The most common question I get is how do I vent the bottom tanks when filling them.
There are a few variations of IBC totes - the ones with blue tops are great. They have a plastic insert in the middle which has 3/4 NPT (could be 1/2 inch, but I recall 3/4) threads in the center. Just some basic parts from the Depot and you can take NPT to PVC. The PVC is then run up behind the totes to a level above the top. This picture is taken in between the two levels, facing towards the back. You can see the pipe threaded into the screw tops and then run to the back.
Water enters the top right tank from the gutters. Obviously, it then starts to fill the bottom totes. Air is pushed out the PVC pipe until the two ground level tanks are full and then it fills with water to the exact level as the top tanks. In a heavy rain, you can feel the air being pushed out.
I see lots of 55 gallon drum systems. They don't get you any meaningful storage, they don't stack well, they take up too much space. IBC totes are just leaps and bounds more useful. Hit me up with any questions.
Four 330 gallon IBC totes. Seems large but it really isn't - I am planning on adding six more at some later point. Because I run a lot of this H2O through automated irrigation, I need a pump to pressurize the system. From the output side of the pump, pvc runs to a hose bib and a valve box. 90% of the water I use during normal times goes to my veggies. During droughts, I begin to use it more and more for ornamental plantings and general outdoor use (pressure washing, etc).
I keep it clean with two disc filters. I only have to flush the system once, maybe twice a year.
The most common question I get is how do I vent the bottom tanks when filling them.
There are a few variations of IBC totes - the ones with blue tops are great. They have a plastic insert in the middle which has 3/4 NPT (could be 1/2 inch, but I recall 3/4) threads in the center. Just some basic parts from the Depot and you can take NPT to PVC. The PVC is then run up behind the totes to a level above the top. This picture is taken in between the two levels, facing towards the back. You can see the pipe threaded into the screw tops and then run to the back.
Water enters the top right tank from the gutters. Obviously, it then starts to fill the bottom totes. Air is pushed out the PVC pipe until the two ground level tanks are full and then it fills with water to the exact level as the top tanks. In a heavy rain, you can feel the air being pushed out.
I see lots of 55 gallon drum systems. They don't get you any meaningful storage, they don't stack well, they take up too much space. IBC totes are just leaps and bounds more useful. Hit me up with any questions.