Thanks so much for making the video! I now have 6 rain barrels and am researching a drip system, the soaker hoses clog up, deteriorate too quickly. Thanks again for your ideas!
Ive been using drip irrigation for 3 years, and yet I learned a ton, here. Sorry I didn’t watch your vid 3-4 years ago. Even with Google, and the internet, I find my most difficult task is finding the perfect threaded parts. Great vid.
Thanks David. I particularly like that you can connect your hose. A lot of the year we're wet enough to water the greenhouse but in summer not a chance.
Thank you for such a detailed video we are going to try this with our garden. I like how you put in the do's and don'ts and must haves in the video. You made it very easy to follow if what to do. Thank you and God bless you and your garden.
You have a beautiful system. I think you answered the question that I came to RUclips for. I couldn't figure out why my barrels wouldn't flow. So I am going to Lowes and getting that 1/4 turn brass hose bib. Thanks. Great video.
The best video I've seen on this subject one thing about the bits if you choke up on the bit ware thear is about 1/4 inch of bit sticking out it will not break as bad mine did not break at all
This is very similar to what I'm looking to do except I believe I'll add adjustable drippers on small feeder lines. Easier to control the amount at each location. I'll be using the system to water a 20'×20' raised bed vegetable garden.
One thought, when your barrel is empty, just fill from the top with a garden hose. That way there is still no pressure on your feed line AND chlorine will dissipate after 72 hours in the barrel. Great system . Thanks.
Robert Baxter it would need to be open to the air, for the chlorine to evaporate, ... we had a 5 gallon bucket (of chlorine), ... that is used to assist the process of purifying wastewater in the sand filter building, @ East Chicago, Indiana, wastewater plant, ... once it is past that point, it travels to the ultraviolet light building, which is only utilized from April 1st until November 1st, (according to federal guidelines), ...
Yep, fill the barrel from the top if you run out of water. Just keep the hose end above the water line. Fitting your garden hose to the fitting at the bottom can cause cross contamination of the city drinking water if you do not use a quality backflow valve.
@@cupbowlspoonforkknif They do, but it takes much longer to get the water density you want. I am in the process of building a greenhouse and feeding the barrels from that roof. Going to use Mr. Drip hose. I will also elevate my barrels to just under the downspout on the gutter. Will also add fertilizer to the barrels. One at a time so fresh water in one at all times. Blessings on your garden
Holes from a 1/16" drill bit works just perfectly in my system. However, my rain barrel is much higher off the ground (about 32", providing more pressure), and the distance from my rain barrel to my garden is about 3 inches (providing far lower flow resistance). I also used regular PVC, instead of CPVC, due to local availability.
Why not use soaker hose/s instead of drilling all the micro holes? Threaded fittings on 'manifold' section. Otherwise, AWESOME DESIGN! Thanks for sharing !!
I have tried soaker hoses in the past but I've never found one that works well with the low pressure from a rain barrel. It wasn't uniform all around the garden and a lot got wasted because it dripped out in between plants also. That's what led to me doing this kind of setup. If you click over to the "Version 2.0" of this project where I do individual branches to each plant, I waste less water and my barrels last longer. With the new 2018 season coming up, I may have some new ideas up my sleeve :)
Thanks for the video! I really like this idea, I'm just nervous about drilling those small holes. Micro drill bits are a huge pain to work with, but I'll give it a go this year.
Thanks bro. I had this very same idea for my garden. I have been drawing up schematics and came across this. The part that has REALLY helped me was the drilling of the holes as I was planting instead of just drilling then planting. Really I don't know what I was thinking. It was kind of a A OK well duh WTF? Thanks again man.
Great video! Have you ever connected another line and gone vertical to reach a hanging pot for example and not exceeding the height from the source spigot?
Great video and presentation. You really need bigger tanks and get the water from every gutter back front and garage roof. have you thought of gardening in raised pvc pipe beds that really cuts down the water as you can turn it into a siphon system where the water is in the pipe and the plants only use what they want. Also the area uses a minimal amount of water. I grow strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and potatoes.That really cuts down on water. I wish you well on your endeavors. See Larry Hall videos for more info
Hi Mark, I watched your video (probably not close enough) and built a very similar system. Long story short, I don't have enough pressure in my lines to get any "throw" out of the holes and it ends up just dripping out. By the way, my total vertical drop from barrel to garden is a little less that 2 feet- 2 cinder blocks plus a few inches. After watching your video again, it looks like there's 3 differences that might have lead to my problem... - I used the standard hose bib that came with the barrel instead of the quarter turn. You mention and show that you get far better output with the quarter turn. - I used a 1/16th drill bit for my holes. - My mainline is 3/4 (same as yours), but I kept the 3/4 size on my lateral lines rather than reducing to 1/2 inch. In your opinion, which variable do you think most contributed? My guess is the quarter turn spigot and the 1/16th size holes. Is the reduction from 3/4 to 1/2 inch crucial? I'm thinking about replacing parts, but would like the replace as few as possible. Thanks
I use 3/4" because you can have more holes and still maintain pressure. I think 1/16" holes is fine if you raise your barrels. Raising the barrels is the best solution because it reduces the difference in water throw as the barrel's water level drops. I even stack my barrels. I'll do a video soon on my adjustable rain sprinklers...
Every 33ft you raise your water barrel, you increase water pressure by 1 atmosphere, thereby doubling your water pressure… or increasing water pressure by 14.7 PSI. Thats why when driving through various parts of the US, you may see an old structure where a water tank used to have been placed. Most will be elevated 15ft, and in the rare occasion, 30+ feet.
Good video, I'm thinking of doing something very similar to this, maybes not so free-flowing though, more of a drip freed. I seen a video of PVC pipe being used with simply 2ltr empty bottles rather than water barrel, then placing nails into the drilled holes so that it doesn't block the holes but water literately drips out very slowly so plants were getting drip fed water for hours. Would be good to see the water flow if you placed small nails in your pipe holes.
Interesting you mention this. I've seen on Pinterest people mentioning you can poke holes in bottles and bury them next to plants. When filled with water, they'll leach water out at the the root level to the plants. I see this mostly with tomatoes and two-liter bottles, but I imagine you can use 20-ounce bottles for smaller plants. I had considered trying one year burying bottles like this and adapting this system so the pipes just fill the buried bottles so the water can more gradually soak into the ground. I'm very curious about that, and your suggestion as well. Perhaps I'll give it a shot in a future version of this system. Thanks!
not so much DIY anymore but u could use the black small drip irrigation hoses and push them into the white PVC pipes of yours. that way you can aim the water more at your plants. they also have a little thread at the end allowing you to increase or decrease drip flow, while also counteracting any uneven pressure distribution.
Very cool concept, thanks for sharing the great info. We began exploring this further and learned about hugel mounds made from aged wood used for capturing and storing water naturally. It’s working out great in our garden so far!
wow nice to see. cost effective is not messing with the lay of the land, land in between homes is level, the lane if you got one and road take it away, man in the city is changing it, a water held in a still container is level, saturation, man before when he came back from war understood that, now they complain to city when it backs up, they build condos with no green space, wow, man will not let rain water pass through property ABOVE Ground when u have reverse flow, they will line up four five garages in A row so as to fool city, yes when water moves it is the grade. the lay of the land, a natrual filter
It's plastic so a pin a pair of pliers and a heat source(ex. Lighter) to heat pin to make small holes without less cost than a pack of micro bits! My 2 cents worth of knowledge! Lol
I'm in the process of setting up my 2 50 gal barrels. Waiting on the diverter to come in the mail. I have plans for a larger system in the future. If I have the barrels elevated as you do, do you think I will have enough pressure to run soaker hoses?
Before seeing your video, I invented an identical system or I merely reinvented your system, depending on how you look at it or how much ego is involved in who was first. My difference was in not connecting all of the pipes since we have different plantings at different times in different parts of our garden. Thanks
Bob Mowen Great minds think alike! I am researching this idea and hoping to learn how to do it right The First Time. Myself, I am trying to build a shrubbery zone that won't need any city water to maintain, but only relies on rainwater collection.
I was noticing the platforms that your water barrels happen to be on. do you have another video explaining how you built the platforms with the supplies. I would love to build one myself.
Im thinking maybe you need a valve on the first line of pipe? so you can control how much water comes out and that it could go through the end? Just my 5 cents maybe it will work that way.
At 8:00 you reference the problem of pleasure on the end of the run. Using 3/4 inch pipe will eliminate that. Also the larger pipe will stay flatter across the run making the watering more even. Also 1/16 inch is standard in the "drip watering" industry.
Great idea and thorough video! Just wondering if you had ever considered pex piping for cost (at least for the long pipe runs) and the better looking color choices.
Thanks for sharing this video. It inspired me to create the same system to water my greenhouse. To automate it, I will add irrigation clock. But I am a bit worried about drilling the wholes in the PVC pipes under the right angle to reach every flower. Did you update your system as you mention here, to run small pipes towards each individual plant? would you mind sharing some pictures or information how that worked for you? I think ideal way would be to have flexible ends, to adjust the water flow precisely, but then the question is how to attach flexible hose to PVC pipe... thanks!
Great video, I have a few questions - Is the reduction from 3/4 to 1/2 intended to increase pressure? Also, where did you get those awesome rain barrels? I want one! :P
I did the 3/4" to 1/2" reduction for a couple reasons - 1) I believe - not being remotely a scientist - that it does increase the pressure a little bit, and 2) the 1/2 CPVC pipe and fittings are cheaper than 1/2". I don't need to flood the garden, I just want a nice small stream of water to each plant. My current setup - see the link for my 2.0 version of this system - is much better at conserving water and getting water to each plant individually. As far as the rain barrels, we got pretty lucky with those. They are the Rain Wizard Urn 65 barrels from a company called Good Ideas. They run anywhere from $129 to $199 retail. We got them several summers ago (probably 5-7 years ago really) at Sam's Club for around $50-60 each. The second one came a year after our first and was on a markdown, which is why we took the leap to get a second one. They've held up remarkably well, all we've had to do this year (for the first time but we should have done it sooner) is spray down the inside because there is a little bit of algae-ish gunk that builds up, but it's no big deal. If you get this, or any other rain barrel, I do highly recommend replacing the spiggot that comes with it with a quarter-turn ball valve. SO nice. My 5- and 2-year olds can both easily fill watering cans without trouble, and the increased flow is well worth it.
By the way, here is a link to the manufacturer of the rain barrels we have. www.goodideasinc.com/products/rain-barrels/rain-wizard-urn-65/ We haven't been Sam's Club members for a few years now so I don't know if they still carry them. The only other place I've ever seen them sold locally is a local garden store chain here in Northeast Wisconsin called "Steins Gardens and Gifts." You could check garden stores in your area for them, I don't think I've ever seen them in larger chain stores like Home Depot or Lowe's. At Steins, they retail for $129, so if you happen to find one for less, snap it up! We're still extremely happy with ours. The planting space on top make these ones less of an eye-sore than most other ones we've seen.
Hi mark. Good stuff pal. When the barrells run low and you top up with your hose ... It might be better to fill those barrels from above or you will disturb the sediment and clog those tiny holes...? God video thanks for sharing. Can you install a timer solenoid running off of a solar panel and battery ?
MultiOutdoorman I’ve tried filling the barrels from the top but the inlet is covered so much by the PVC pipe from the gutters and the gutter screen which is screwed down. I take my barrels down and pressure wash out the insides every spring now so sediment hasn’t been an issue. Never was too much to begin with because there’s ample space at the bottom of these barrels. Luckily last year we had enough rain I barely had to use my irrigation. Can’t wait to tinker with it again this season. Haven’t tried the solar idea but I like it. Tried a battery timer in past but the one i used had such a small opening that pressure was an issue. Will have to research other models. Do have to replace my quarter turn spigots this year unfortunately because we had a freeze early that caught me off guard and it froze up and cracked the old ones.
Question, do you have enough pressure to hook a 360 sprinkler head in the garden? I'm not looking for long throw but a nice 360 degree push so that the entire system can be placed underground and it looks like it is part of the irrigation system in your yard even though it's coming from the rain barrels. Your thoughts?
Derrick Daniel Your pressure will be determined by drop from the top water level in the barrel to the exit port (think hole in the pipe). As the water level in the barrel falls your pressure will drop. This is not a problem for me because my house and rain barrels set 4' above my raised beds .
I use pvc to build a cover for my back deck...and its been five years and the pipes have held strong through high winds, hail storms and extreme heat, the only problem I've experienced was during the "Big Freeze" here in Texas when some of the joints broke under the weight of the snow,(approx 200-300 lbs) freezing rain and weather just above zero for a week or so. If this is something you're doing or thinking of, I'd suggest getting the thicker type and depending on where you live don't forget to clear your pipes for winterizing. Needless to say get the white pvc
Eric Miller I pull the pipes off the rain barrel and drain it and drain any water I can out of the pipes. I’ve left them out for several winters and they’ve been fine but the longer they’re exposed to the elements the more they get a little brittle. That’s the nature of PVC I guess, luckily it’s cheap to replace so I may do that this season.
I read the sunlight causes the toxicity. Underground won't be toxic. Supposedly cpvc is resistant to hot water, so maybe sunlight too. But I don't know.
Not particularly, at least any more so than the vegetables you buy from the store where you don't know what's all sprayed on them. Check out the study below for information on this. I think irrigation systems like this that put water to the roots of the plant instead of soaking the plant itself may help with that concern actually. (Not a scientist so don't take my word for it!) njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs1218/
Maciej Piotrowski I prefer to water my garden with rain water when I can because it’s free and probably better for the plants than city water (though some argue that roof runoff isn’t totally pure but neither is city water in my city). It’s much more convenient to be able to open a quarter turn spigot and let it run for 5-10 minutes while I play with my kids than futz with a 50 foot hose from the house and manually water everything. It also wastes less water due to evaporation. I also think the sun warmed water is more gentile on the plants than cold city water. All good reasons in my book. One afternoon’s setup for a summer of easy watering is well worth it.
tangobayus On both sides of the spigot I used plumbers teflon tape. The CPVC fitting on the end of the spigot may not have totally matching threads, but it's close enough that it fit for me, and it's never leaked in the years since I put it together.
Surprisingly considering I’m leaving a lot of this CPVC out in the elements all year round, it hasn’t failed me yet. Tinker with new designs each season to improve it but everything’s in tact and have had to do very little with it. The only thing I’ll have to do this season that I know about so far is replacing the quarter turns because an early freeze caught me off guard with my yard maintenance and it froze up and cracked both of them. The CPVC all survived, even the stuff I forgot to blow out with an air compressor.
Thanks so much for making the video! I now have 6 rain barrels and am researching a drip system, the soaker hoses clog up, deteriorate too quickly. Thanks again for your ideas!
Ive been using drip irrigation for 3 years, and yet I learned a ton, here. Sorry I didn’t watch your vid 3-4 years ago.
Even with Google, and the internet, I find my most difficult task is finding the perfect threaded parts.
Great vid.
The best and most practical system.Gratitudes from hundreds of households across the globe !!!
Thank you for the kind words! (Nicely offsets all the negativity one finds in RUclips comment threads.)
Thanks David. I particularly like that you can connect your hose. A lot of the year we're wet enough to water the greenhouse but in summer not a chance.
Thank you for such a detailed video we are going to try this with our garden. I like how you put in the do's and don'ts and must haves in the video. You made it very easy to follow if what to do. Thank you and God bless you and your garden.
You have a beautiful system. I think you answered the question that I came to RUclips for. I couldn't figure out why my barrels wouldn't flow. So I am going to Lowes and getting that 1/4 turn brass hose bib. Thanks. Great video.
Love the concept
Im going to try to build one myself
Very ingenious idea and well thought out in implementation... thank you for sharing your irrigation system. Well done!!!
The best video I've seen on this subject one thing about the bits if you choke up on the bit ware thear is about 1/4 inch of bit sticking out it will not break as bad mine did not break at all
4 years later, do you still use this system? Thinking of something similiar
This is very similar to what I'm looking to do except I believe I'll add adjustable drippers on small feeder lines. Easier to control the amount at each location. I'll be using the system to water a 20'×20' raised bed vegetable garden.
Thanks for some great ideas. I will use this
One thought, when your barrel is empty, just fill from the top with a garden hose. That way there is still no pressure on your feed line AND chlorine will dissipate after 72 hours in the barrel. Great system . Thanks.
Robert Baxter it would need to be open to the air, for the chlorine to evaporate, ... we had a 5 gallon bucket (of chlorine), ... that is used to assist the process of purifying wastewater in the sand filter building, @ East Chicago, Indiana, wastewater plant, ... once it is past that point, it travels to the ultraviolet light building, which is only utilized from April 1st until November 1st, (according to federal guidelines), ...
Yep, fill the barrel from the top if you run out of water. Just keep the hose end above the water line. Fitting your garden hose to the fitting at the bottom can cause cross contamination of the city drinking water if you do not use a quality backflow valve.
Great idea!
I’ve wanted to do do this for a long time. Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic device info!!! 👏🏼
Great video and system. I was just gifted with 2- 55G rain barrels. I am setting up for soaker hoses, my garden is 40x45
Do rain barrels have enough pressure for a soaker hose?
@@cupbowlspoonforkknif They do, but it takes much longer to get the water density you want. I am in the process of building a greenhouse and feeding the barrels from that roof. Going to use Mr. Drip hose. I will also elevate my barrels to just under the downspout on the gutter. Will also add fertilizer to the barrels. One at a time so fresh water in one at all times. Blessings on your garden
Thanks for making this video ,please keep up the good work. Maybe you could go much bigger on your project maybe a bigger water tank.
Well done presentation! Brilliant. Thank you very much.
Nice job. I have created something similar. My rain barrel tops off our aeroponic gardens.
Holes from a 1/16" drill bit works just perfectly in my system. However, my rain barrel is much higher off the ground (about 32", providing more pressure), and the distance from my rain barrel to my garden is about 3 inches (providing far lower flow resistance). I also used regular PVC, instead of CPVC, due to local availability.
Super useful tips
The best one I've seen so far about DIY rainwater havesting & drip irrigation. Thanks!
*Only 18* 👇👇👇
811051.loveisreal.ru
Why not use soaker hose/s instead of drilling all the micro holes? Threaded fittings on 'manifold' section. Otherwise, AWESOME DESIGN! Thanks for sharing !!
I have tried soaker hoses in the past but I've never found one that works well with the low pressure from a rain barrel. It wasn't uniform all around the garden and a lot got wasted because it dripped out in between plants also. That's what led to me doing this kind of setup. If you click over to the "Version 2.0" of this project where I do individual branches to each plant, I waste less water and my barrels last longer. With the new 2018 season coming up, I may have some new ideas up my sleeve :)
Hello from Manitowoc, WI
Thanks for the video! I really like this idea, I'm just nervous about drilling those small holes. Micro drill bits are a huge pain to work with, but I'll give it a go this year.
The micro drill bits are kind of a pain. That's probably why they sell such big packs of them at Harbor Freight.
Thanks bro. I had this very same idea for my garden. I have been drawing up schematics and came across this. The part that has REALLY helped me was the drilling of the holes as I was planting instead of just drilling then planting. Really I don't know what I was thinking. It was kind of a A OK well duh WTF? Thanks again man.
You will be surprised how useful the micro bits are
Thank you for this. Will be using something like this in the near future.
Great video and tutorial. I really like the clean, neat installation. Many thanks for sharing!
Great video! Have you ever connected another line and gone vertical to reach a hanging pot for example and not exceeding the height from the source spigot?
Great video and presentation. You really need bigger tanks and get the water from every gutter back front and garage roof. have you thought of gardening in raised pvc pipe beds that really cuts down the water as you can turn it into a siphon system where the water is in the pipe and the plants only use what they want. Also the area uses a minimal amount of water. I grow strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and potatoes.That really cuts down on water. I wish you well on your endeavors. See Larry Hall videos for more info
Hi Mark, I watched your video (probably not close enough) and built a very similar system. Long story short, I don't have enough pressure in my lines to get any "throw" out of the holes and it ends up just dripping out. By the way, my total vertical drop from barrel to garden is a little less that 2 feet- 2 cinder blocks plus a few inches.
After watching your video again, it looks like there's 3 differences that might have lead to my problem...
- I used the standard hose bib that came with the barrel instead of the quarter turn. You mention and show that you get far better output with the quarter turn.
- I used a 1/16th drill bit for my holes.
- My mainline is 3/4 (same as yours), but I kept the 3/4 size on my lateral lines rather than reducing to 1/2 inch.
In your opinion, which variable do you think most contributed? My guess is the quarter turn spigot and the 1/16th size holes. Is the reduction from 3/4 to 1/2 inch crucial? I'm thinking about replacing parts, but would like the replace as few as possible.
Thanks
I use 3/4" because you can have more holes and still maintain pressure. I think 1/16" holes is fine if you raise your barrels. Raising the barrels is the best solution because it reduces the difference in water throw as the barrel's water level drops. I even stack my barrels. I'll do a video soon on my adjustable rain sprinklers...
Every 33ft you raise your water barrel, you increase water pressure by 1 atmosphere, thereby doubling your water pressure… or increasing water pressure by 14.7 PSI. Thats why when driving through various parts of the US, you may see an old structure where a water tank used to have been placed. Most will be elevated 15ft, and in the rare occasion, 30+ feet.
It’s a low cost, very effective solution to a gravity fed system to add a transfer pump to a system like this.
Good video, I'm thinking of doing something very similar to this, maybes not so free-flowing though, more of a drip freed.
I seen a video of PVC pipe being used with simply 2ltr empty bottles rather than water barrel, then placing nails into the drilled holes so that it doesn't block the holes but water literately drips out very slowly so plants were getting drip fed water for hours.
Would be good to see the water flow if you placed small nails in your pipe holes.
Interesting you mention this. I've seen on Pinterest people mentioning you can poke holes in bottles and bury them next to plants. When filled with water, they'll leach water out at the the root level to the plants. I see this mostly with tomatoes and two-liter bottles, but I imagine you can use 20-ounce bottles for smaller plants. I had considered trying one year burying bottles like this and adapting this system so the pipes just fill the buried bottles so the water can more gradually soak into the ground. I'm very curious about that, and your suggestion as well. Perhaps I'll give it a shot in a future version of this system. Thanks!
not so much DIY anymore but u could use the black small drip irrigation hoses and push them into the white PVC pipes of yours. that way you can aim the water more at your plants. they also have a little thread at the end allowing you to increase or decrease drip flow, while also counteracting any uneven pressure distribution.
@@tazztone the holes are too small to put a ALL THREAD through.
Very cool concept, thanks for sharing the great info. We began exploring this further and learned about hugel mounds made from aged wood used for capturing and storing water naturally. It’s working out great in our garden so far!
Very cool tips sir, thanks!
wow nice to see. cost effective is not messing with the lay of the land, land in between homes is level, the lane if you got one and road take it away, man in the city is changing it, a water held in a still container is level, saturation, man before when he came back from war understood that, now they complain to city when it backs up, they build condos with no green space, wow, man will not let rain water pass through property ABOVE Ground when u have reverse flow, they will line up four five garages in A row so as to fool city, yes when water moves it is the grade. the lay of the land, a natrual filter
It's plastic so a pin a pair of pliers and a heat source(ex. Lighter) to heat pin to make small holes without less cost than a pack of micro bits! My 2 cents worth of knowledge! Lol
Exactly. that is what i thought too.
@Diana Bobova 18 and dumb
Very nice video. Thanks!
I'm in the process of setting up my 2 50 gal barrels. Waiting on the diverter to come in the mail. I have plans for a larger system in the future. If I have the barrels elevated as you do, do you think I will have enough pressure to run soaker hoses?
Before seeing your video, I invented an identical system or I merely reinvented your system, depending on how you look at it or how much ego is involved in who was first. My difference was in not connecting all of the pipes since we have different plantings at different times in different parts of our garden. Thanks
Bob Mowen Great minds think alike! I am researching this idea and hoping to learn how to do it right The First Time. Myself, I am trying to build a shrubbery zone that won't need any city water to maintain, but only relies on rainwater collection.
oui
Thanks for this video!
Great video! Thanks helped me a lot
Thanks for letting me know, Ken! Can't wait to get my system up and running for the season.
Great video, thanks for the ideas!
I was noticing the platforms that your water barrels happen to be on. do you have another video explaining how you built the platforms with the supplies. I would love to build one myself.
Thank you for a very informative video. What elevation do you need for the barrel to the garden
Im thinking maybe you need a valve on the first line of pipe? so you can control how much water comes out and that it could go through the end? Just my 5 cents maybe it will work that way.
Curious why you didn't just use drip irrigation line. its very cheap and adaptable and considerably easier than hand drilling holes
Thank you, great video. Where can I get the sponge for the gutters?
Great video thank you.
At 8:00 you reference the problem of pleasure on the end of the run. Using 3/4 inch pipe will eliminate that. Also the larger pipe will stay flatter across the run making the watering more even. Also 1/16 inch is standard in the "drip watering" industry.
Great idea and thorough video! Just wondering if you had ever considered pex piping for cost (at least for the long pipe runs) and the better looking color choices.
Thanks for sharing this video. It inspired me to create the same system to water my greenhouse. To automate it, I will add irrigation clock. But I am a bit worried about drilling the wholes in the PVC pipes under the right angle to reach every flower. Did you update your system as you mention here, to run small pipes towards each individual plant? would you mind sharing some pictures or information how that worked for you? I think ideal way would be to have flexible ends, to adjust the water flow precisely, but then the question is how to attach flexible hose to PVC pipe... thanks!
@@tomasneuwirth2932 I have a mechanism I made for adjustable positioning and adjustable volume. I'll make a video soon.
Great video, I have a few questions - Is the reduction from 3/4 to 1/2 intended to increase pressure? Also, where did you get those awesome rain barrels? I want one! :P
I did the 3/4" to 1/2" reduction for a couple reasons - 1) I believe - not being remotely a scientist - that it does increase the pressure a little bit, and 2) the 1/2 CPVC pipe and fittings are cheaper than 1/2". I don't need to flood the garden, I just want a nice small stream of water to each plant. My current setup - see the link for my 2.0 version of this system - is much better at conserving water and getting water to each plant individually.
As far as the rain barrels, we got pretty lucky with those. They are the Rain Wizard Urn 65 barrels from a company called Good Ideas. They run anywhere from $129 to $199 retail. We got them several summers ago (probably 5-7 years ago really) at Sam's Club for around $50-60 each. The second one came a year after our first and was on a markdown, which is why we took the leap to get a second one. They've held up remarkably well, all we've had to do this year (for the first time but we should have done it sooner) is spray down the inside because there is a little bit of algae-ish gunk that builds up, but it's no big deal. If you get this, or any other rain barrel, I do highly recommend replacing the spiggot that comes with it with a quarter-turn ball valve. SO nice. My 5- and 2-year olds can both easily fill watering cans without trouble, and the increased flow is well worth it.
By the way, here is a link to the manufacturer of the rain barrels we have.
www.goodideasinc.com/products/rain-barrels/rain-wizard-urn-65/
We haven't been Sam's Club members for a few years now so I don't know if they still carry them. The only other place I've ever seen them sold locally is a local garden store chain here in Northeast Wisconsin called "Steins Gardens and Gifts." You could check garden stores in your area for them, I don't think I've ever seen them in larger chain stores like Home Depot or Lowe's. At Steins, they retail for $129, so if you happen to find one for less, snap it up! We're still extremely happy with ours. The planting space on top make these ones less of an eye-sore than most other ones we've seen.
Hi mark.
Good stuff pal.
When the barrells run low and you top up with your hose ...
It might be better to fill those barrels from above or you will disturb the sediment and clog those tiny holes...?
God video thanks for sharing.
Can you install a timer solenoid running off of a solar panel and battery ?
MultiOutdoorman I’ve tried filling the barrels from the top but the inlet is covered so much by the PVC pipe from the gutters and the gutter screen which is screwed down. I take my barrels down and pressure wash out the insides every spring now so sediment hasn’t been an issue. Never was too much to begin with because there’s ample space at the bottom of these barrels. Luckily last year we had enough rain I barely had to use my irrigation. Can’t wait to tinker with it again this season. Haven’t tried the solar idea but I like it. Tried a battery timer in past but the one i used had such a small opening that pressure was an issue. Will have to research other models. Do have to replace my quarter turn spigots this year unfortunately because we had a freeze early that caught me off guard and it froze up and cracked the old ones.
So what do you do in the winter? Do you have to wrap the spigot?
What is the benefit to pvc over soaker hoses?
The two outlets to the barrels seem redundant...
Is there drilling debris inside the pipe that clogs outlets?
Haven’t encountered that, no. Actually when I drill out the outlets, the PVC plastic kind of comes out in a long curly Q rather than dust.
Isnt it illegal in the states to store/use rain water? something about 'down the stream'?
What height is your barrel compared to the garden?
what kind of a foot drop do I need to make it effective?
Question, do you have enough pressure to hook a 360 sprinkler head in the garden? I'm not looking for long throw but a nice 360 degree push so that the entire system can be placed underground and it looks like it is part of the irrigation system in your yard even though it's coming from the rain barrels. Your thoughts?
Derrick Daniel
Your pressure will be determined by drop from the top water level in the barrel to the exit port (think hole in the pipe). As the water level in the barrel falls your pressure will drop. This is not a problem for me because my house and rain barrels set 4' above my raised beds .
I've heard pvc will break down pretty fast with the uv light from the sun.....does the cPVC hold up better to the uv?
I use pvc to build a cover for my back deck...and its been five years and the pipes have held strong through high winds, hail storms and extreme heat, the only problem I've experienced was during the "Big Freeze" here in Texas when some of the joints broke under the weight of the snow,(approx 200-300 lbs) freezing rain and weather just above zero for a week or so. If this is something you're doing or thinking of, I'd suggest getting the thicker type and depending on where you live don't forget to clear your pipes for winterizing. Needless to say get the white pvc
How long do you leave opened ( watering)?
The word you're looking for is modularity.
Have you set this system up with a garden timer?
How do you handle cold weather seasons?
Eric Miller I pull the pipes off the rain barrel and drain it and drain any water I can out of the pipes. I’ve left them out for several winters and they’ve been fine but the longer they’re exposed to the elements the more they get a little brittle. That’s the nature of PVC I guess, luckily it’s cheap to replace so I may do that this season.
I thought pvc was toxic for gardening
It will release chemicals in the water and soil.
Most houses use pvc plumbing
I read the sunlight causes the toxicity. Underground won't be toxic.
Supposedly cpvc is resistant to hot water, so maybe sunlight too. But I don't know.
Quick question: is that valve 3/4 inch on both ends?
Thank you
Poop
Are you concerned about the chemicals and asphalt coming off the roof to also be in your plants you eat?
Not particularly, at least any more so than the vegetables you buy from the store where you don't know what's all sprayed on them. Check out the study below for information on this. I think irrigation systems like this that put water to the roots of the plant instead of soaking the plant itself may help with that concern actually. (Not a scientist so don't take my word for it!) njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs1218/
🙁 Too much talking about endless details, I just need to see what is needed & how to assemble. I can figure out the prices myself.
I have a garden hose that works great for a fraction of the price. wow
wouldn't be easier to just use a hose to water your plant?
Maciej Piotrowski I prefer to water my garden with rain water when I can because it’s free and probably better for the plants than city water (though some argue that roof runoff isn’t totally pure but neither is city water in my city). It’s much more convenient to be able to open a quarter turn spigot and let it run for 5-10 minutes while I play with my kids than futz with a 50 foot hose from the house and manually water everything. It also wastes less water due to evaporation. I also think the sun warmed water is more gentile on the plants than cold city water. All good reasons in my book. One afternoon’s setup for a summer of easy watering is well worth it.
What about a Soaker Hose ?
How did you seal your spigot?
tangobayus On both sides of the spigot I used plumbers teflon tape. The CPVC fitting on the end of the spigot may not have totally matching threads, but it's close enough that it fit for me, and it's never leaked in the years since I put it together.
You just need to get female hose thread and ensure it is not 'pipe' thread and you'll be good.
You need to use screen wire to keep mosquitoes from breeding in your barrel
Brian Greene The barrel does have a screen.
Nira time pass kitta hoya hai,
Pretty expensive for a 10” piece of cpvc pipe, ... lol, ... (I know it was a mis-speak, but it is a funny), ...
Sunlight kills pvc.
I use a hose to water my garden..when I’m not using it I roll it up and hide it.....cost minimal
Um . . . missing the point . . .
What is a rouf?
It's Midwestern for roof. Sorry- our accent is awful.
Mark Heggeland lol
Well this was done a few years back so I'm sure just by looking at Material you used his already failed several times
Surprisingly considering I’m leaving a lot of this CPVC out in the elements all year round, it hasn’t failed me yet. Tinker with new designs each season to improve it but everything’s in tact and have had to do very little with it. The only thing I’ll have to do this season that I know about so far is replacing the quarter turns because an early freeze caught me off guard with my yard maintenance and it froze up and cracked both of them. The CPVC all survived, even the stuff I forgot to blow out with an air compressor.
this vid could have been 30 seconds long if not for ramble endless talker narrating