AIR VACUUM VALVES

Description: The 1/2 inch pipe on the right is an air vent. The bottom pipes are 3/4 inch pipes connected to the bung. The top pipes are 3 inch drain pipes. Male Adapter, Tee, and Elbo. (You could use a toilet flange in place of the male adapter, and bolt it down). When the Rain Barrels are full the water goes out the overflow.

I drilled a 3/4 inch hole with a flat bit. Then I used an iron 1/2 inch pipe nipple to tap the hole. The iron nipple is tapered.

I also tapped the 3 inch hole with a 3 inch iron pipe reducer. I found a can the size I needed to draw the 3 inch circle. I used a bar clamp to screw the 3 inch reducer into the rain barrel. A good tight fit.

I used alcohol to clean the oil off of the PVC pipes insted of the purple cleaner before I glued the pipes.

I have a drill pump that I bought at Home Depot for $6,97 that pumps 3.75 GAL per minute. I pump my water up 10 feet.

A pond pump pumps about the same amount of water, the submersibles are 7.08 inches wide. It will not fit in my berrel with a 3 inch drain pipe. They do have one that is not submersible $39.97. It only pumps water up 7.8 feet Maximum. I leave my drill pump hooked up to the rainbarrel, and take the drill inside.

One inch of rain filled the two rain barrels.

The tape on the front is to see how full the rain barrels are filled when I pull the tape off. The rain barrel is white translucent. Painted with primer and two coats of dark paint to keep the alga from growing.
The 3 inch pipes are not glued. I may want to take them off to clean the barrel.

I have glued a 1 1/4 inch pipe 2 inches long into the bung to keep the settlement from clogging the valve.
The downspout lifts up.so I can clean the screen. Barrels completly fill up. The drums were free.

If the top of the barrel is flat you could put the three inch pipes in the edge of the barrel. If it's not flat the pipes will be on an angle.

I have seen water coming out of my downspout going out over 13 inches. A little more than a one inch pipe could handle.

Painting was the hardest part. Not as easy as just putting a spicket in the side of a trash can, but they hold more water and work better.

Last step - screwing in a valve for the overflow hose. Some were going to attach a 2" wide overflow hose at home for better overflow capacity in heavy rain.

Rain barrels can also be connected via the overflow hoses so that when one fills it starts to fill the next.

There are diverters (some are automatic) that can be used to switch the water back into a downspout to carry away excess water when the barrel is full. If water flows into the rain barrel faster than it can leave, water may splash off the top of the rain barrel to the surrounding area and onto nearby walls.

You can also add a catch basin under the barrel support or provide a rock lined channel to carry water away into a rain garden or swale.

<< Arhiva >>