I mentioned briefly that we had all our water tanks set up now. When we added a 1000 liter IBC tank to our courtyard, it replaced a 120 liter rain barrel. So we moved the small rain barrel over by the guest house where another rain barrel was already sitting. Then bought a little plastic connector hose to join them together. It’s just some plastic tubing with bolt-like attachments on the end, and a big plastic nut that screws on to keep it anchored in the barrel. We bought it at the store predone for 5 bucks. I’m sure you could make one yourself of metal or plastic pieces but this was already water tight. Then we drilled a hole into each barrel near the top. Once the first barrel is full, it begins to overflow into the second barrel. When they’re both full, we close the gutter spout. Very simple and effective.
The second IBC tank went into our garden behind the barn. We have a water pump hooked up to the underground well which was running water into our Gardena system. But we have not hooked the Gardena back up yet after moving the pump so that’s another project we need to take care of. First the pump needs a house in the courtyard, then we need to run the piping and make sure the Gardena sprinklers and drippers in the raised beds and courtyard are all doing what they’re supposed to be doing. That should be getting done this weekend or early next week while Stefan is on vacation. Otherwise we may come back to some very dried out plants when we get back after a short trip to Stefan’s parents.
Unfortunately, we failed to think about why most rain barrels you buy are dark colored. Anyone know the answer off the top of their head? Here’s a hint:
Yep, it’s algae. Algae needs sunlight to bloom and since the tanks are white/clear, they are full of the stuff. We were doing such an awesome job of filling water into these containers and were so proud that all the gunk was out of them that we forgot to think about what we needed to do to make sure the water stayed usable. So we need to find a way to darken the tanks and keep sunlight from the water. We were thinking of using paint that will stick well to plastic, building something to cover the containers or getting something like ivy to start growing on them fast. In the garden, the ivy may be an option since we know it’s going to be nearly impossible to kill the stuff. We also thought about using pond algae killer to treat the water but aren’t too sure of how that might affect the plants and their fruit. I know you can have fish in there with it but does that mean it’s safe for other plants and humans?
I am not sure Tiffany, mine are dark colored and I don’t have the algae growth. I think I would explore the internet via Google to check as many places as possible. Kind of icky looking.
Did you figure out a solution to this? I’ve just got one of these tanks for free and intend to use it for rain water as well. I think a blanket or paint suited for plastics would work, but just thought I’d ask if you tried one of them.
We ended up covering our tank in 1mm thick black pond foil, taping the seams with black duct tape, and then slid it back into the metal frame. So far that has worked wonderfully for us and we’ve not had any more trouble. It’s a project that’s easiest with two people, especially getting the IBC out of the frame and eventually back in. Just make sure whatever you use to cover it is thick enough to still fit into the cage but not too thin to rip. Here’s a few photos and more details on another post: Covering an IBC tank
How did you find your tank…for free? I’ve looked around my community since so much africulture around, but can’t find one that hasn’t been used with chemicals. How bad is it to use one that’s not good grade?
You can use one that had chem in it but it takes a lot of cleaning and still poses a small risk. It is best to find a good grade container. Almost every food producer uses IBC’s. Think about bread companies, soft drink bottlers, candy companies. All of which use corn syrup. I work for a SMALL candy company and have a ton of IBC totes.
Is the cost of rain harvesting worth it over a short period
Use a UV pond filter, and a pond pump to circulate the water. I have had my IBC tote the whole summer with out one bit of algae in it.
Thanks for the great suggestion, Dan. We did end up using a small pump for one of our IBC tanks later on and it worked quite well.
What I would suggest is to build a simple wooden box around the IBC Tote. My clients ask me this all the time how do i keep algae out of my tanks. I say go to home depot and build a nice garden box around it. It also enhances the appearance of your garden.