Any one in Hawaii have ideas for sources for 40 or 55 gallon drums for rain barrels? Aloha Shoyu charges $30 a piece! A bit more than I was expecting.
I made this one at a board of water workshop. It works really well, but fills up within the first few minutes of a rain storm. I'd like to add some barrels for overflow. Water has become so very expensive with all the sewer repair charges that this is ideal.
Mahalo,
Guava Girl
How smart, Guava Girl!!
i'm in Mozambique, on the other side of the globe, so afraid i can't help you! but i love your idea!
isaac
Hi Guava Girl,
We live on catchment here, where there is no county water delivery.
Doughboy Pools are what most folks use to obtain a large amount of water storage for the least money.
Walmart also carries pools that are fairly inexpensive.
Another source is to use stock tanks that are available at local feed stores. They aren't cheap, but will provide several hundred gallons of water storage for about $150, and they are sturdy, permanent, and handsome.
Having a single large tank in your yard will look much better than a bunch of drums. On a hot day you might want to relax in the pool!
Hope that helps!
Aloha, Dave
Dave, I like your idea better, but If you don't have room for a large pool, 55gal. trash cans can be connected with 2" pvc pipe and fittings from Lowes or HD. They aren't pretty, but the rain barrels they sell are expensive! I jerry-rigged 6 of them just to have orchid water in my so.cal mobil home park. Mine are on the back of my house, where they don't show, but they could be disguised with a lattice fence or plants.That gives me about 300 gal. of rainwater. Hope that makes it until our winter rains!
Carol
If the drums are desired for water storage, $30 is probably the best price you might find nowadays.
In the early 90's my friends & I were buying 55 gal. used orange juice concentrate containers for $15 each, to use for water storage on our small organic farm on University of Hawai'i, Dept. of Agriculture land. We had the drums hooked up to the shed roof, and had taps at the bottom of the drums for gravity feed to the garden and for utility.
We had the place set up so well that a few of the students lived there for awhile.
THanks everyone. After running around all afternoon, I finally found all the fittings I need for about $5. So now I just need the barrel :-)
Do you have any nearby car washes? I found my 55 gal. barrel for free at one. The one I got had held food grade soap so it was perfect for a rain barrel. How about some of the food preparation places like where they might roast mac nuts? They might use large barrels of oil or other substances.
I have heard of the 55 gals going for $20 around town but I bet the price is going up now that lots of people are turning them into rain collection tanks. I will have to go and look at the tanks in the feed store. Good idea. I am impressed that you fixed up your barrel by yourself guavagirl.....I have the city handout on how to do it but was trying to get my son interested in making it for me....then he could sell others! Somebody I know bought one locally on craigslist for $200. mmmmm $30 for the barrel and $5 for the connection stuff sounds like a good price.
MY daughter has 2 large ones and she said it costs $120.00 each. the only thing I do not like is the water are very smelly. She uses them to water the plants.I wish she puts baking soda but she refuses. belle
I don't find the water smells at all. Could it be that she has a lot of algae growing in hers? She may need to empty it and wash it out from time to time. I'd be careful about using too much baking soda in it as that will change the pH of the water.
Stellamarina---
If you find them less in Laie would you let me know? I live in Kahaluu so would be glad to come up and pick them up.
Mahalo
Will keep an eye out for them guavagirl but just today got a local e-mail from somebody who was selling them for $30.....so I guess that is the going price now. aloha
