Simple Rain Barrel System Collects 825 Gallons of Water

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This simple rain barrel configuration collects over 825 gallons of water from the rain gutter on one house.  

Using PVC pipes, these inexpensive 55-gallon plastic barrels are connected together in an overflow system, enabling the homeowner, Dagodamus on YouTube, to collect large amounts of water for the gardens and trees on his property.  

By collecting and storing water during rainfalls, he never has to use city water for his plants during dry periods.

 

To support the weight of the full barrels, they were arranged on a frame constructed of wood atop steel fence posts anchored in concrete.

 

A shutoff valve was placed at the end of the pipe system. A valve like this prevents drips, as discovered through trial and error.  

This setup creates a lot of pressure at the open end of the pipe, so a proper valve is necessary to prevent water loss.

 

This 15 barrel configuration is actually acting as the overflow to a smaller group of barrels that sit next to the house.  

The whole system collects water from the drain spout on the gutter system of the house without any additional gutter work required.  

As the barrels nearest the spout fill, they flow over into the adjacent barrels until the system reaches capacity.

See more about this configuration in this video:

This video shows the original system that collects the water from the downspout.