55 Gallon Water Barrels / Drums

[Thebastidge]

"Waste" motor oil has a lot of uses. It's still a good lubricant for many purposes, just not for high-temp high-speed internal engine parts. It's also very similar to heavy diesel fuel, and could be burned in an oil furnace or heater, or smudge pots. Same thing with used auto transmission fluid. It can also be used as a quench if you're doing any metalwork that requires forging & hardening.

 

[carracer]

I've been considering additional water storage for home. The plastic barrels are great for remote locations. Home use storage ok too. My idea is an additional hot water heater installed inline with my main one. Install it on the cold water side and don't connect the heating element. With this you always have a full container of water that is circulated and refreshed regularly. You don't have to move it around. They come in sizes from 5 gallons to 100.

Your thoughts?

 

[Thebastidge]

You're on the right track but why use another hot water heater? Just plumb a HDPE food-grade barrel in-line.

A better solution that I've advocated on several fora:

If you have room for a 55 gallon barrel near your washing machine, best idea would be to build a platform that gets it waist high. (If you've ever had to drain and repair a water heater, it's self-evident why I advocate this.) For a few bucks in plumbing supplies, plumb a connector on the top that is standard for washing machine and garden hose connectors. Near the bottom (not in the very bottom, you want a small space for sediment to settle without getting sucked out) plumb a garden hose spigot. Connect the cold water line from behind your washing machine to the top of the barrel. Connect another from the bottom spigot to your washing machine cold inlet.

Voila! As long as you plumbed it correctly with good seals, you now have 55 gallons of fresh, potable water that renews itself every time you wash a load of clothes. You haven't made any mods to your house that violate code. If you're a renter you can take it with you when you move. You haven't spent much money (this is maybe a $35-$75 project, depending on materials used and on-hand.) It's at a conveneient height to save your back and have a gravity feed. At the first sign of problems with the municipal water supply (like an earthquake) you shut off the wall valve and disconnect the hose from the top of the barrel (allows air in so you don't have a vacuum forming when getting water). Disconnect the bottom hose from the barrel and you have a waist-high water spigot. That should be a two-week (emergency) supply for a family of four if you're smart about conserving it.

It is important to disconnect the barrel from municipal water at the first concern that the municipal water may become compromised.

 

[gaijinsamurai]

<broken link removed>

Bought one of these today. Thanks for the headsup!

 

[pdx210]

I wouldn't buy the containers in the first post you have no idea what was in them


Go to Costco or Jf Shelton in NW Portland they carry new food grade containers from 1 gallon to 250 gallon totes

JF Shelton: Northwest Distributor of Speciality Chemicals and Containers

 

[gaijinsamurai]

<broken link removed>

Bought one of these today. Thanks for the headsup!

I wouldn't buy the containers in the first post you have no idea what was in them


Go to Costco or Jf Shelton in NW Portland they carry new food grade containers from 1 gallon to 250 gallon totes

JF Shelton: Northwest Distributor of Speciality Chemicals and Containers

The ones from my link contained agave syrup.

 

[Allfat]

You're on the right track but why use another hot water heater? Just plumb a HDPE food-grade barrel in-line.

A better solution that I've advocated on several fora:

If you have room for a 55 gallon barrel near your washing machine, best idea would be to build a platform that gets it waist high. (If you've ever had to drain and repair a water heater, it's self-evident why I advocate this.) For a few bucks in plumbing supplies, plumb a connector on the top that is standard for washing machine and garden hose connectors. Near the bottom (not in the very bottom, you want a small space for sediment to settle without getting sucked out) plumb a garden hose spigot. Connect the cold water line from behind your washing machine to the top of the barrel. Connect another from the bottom spigot to your washing machine cold inlet.

Voila! As long as you plumbed it correctly with good seals, you now have 55 gallons of fresh, potable water that renews itself every time you wash a load of clothes. You haven't made any mods to your house that violate code. If you're a renter you can take it with you when you move. You haven't spent much money (this is maybe a $35-$75 project, depending on materials used and on-hand.) It's at a conveneient height to save your back and have a gravity feed. At the first sign of problems with the municipal water supply (like an earthquake) you shut off the wall valve and disconnect the hose from the top of the barrel (allows air in so you don't have a vacuum forming when getting water). Disconnect the bottom hose from the barrel and you have a waist-high water spigot. That should be a two-week (emergency) supply for a family of four if you're smart about conserving it.

It is important to disconnect the barrel from municipal water at the first concern that the municipal water may become compromised.

If I am reading this correctly, this would require the water barrel to be sealed and subject to house water pressure. Can these blue barrels stand up to the pressure? Have you actually done this or is it just an idea you had?

 

[Thebastidge]

HowStuffWorks "How Water Towers Work"

A typical municipal water supply runs at between 50 and 100 PSI (major appliances require at least 20 to 30 PSI).

I have not done this with my house because the space where my water spigots are located does not allow for it. However, I've spent the better part of 10 years overseas where most houses have an HDPE tank inline with the municipal water supply, which doesn't differ significantly from the composition of a 55 gallon HDPE drum. I guarantee that an HDPE barrel will withstand municipal water pressure and a great deal more. A garden hose withstands municipal water pressure. Most PVC pipe has thinner walls than an HDPE barrel.


Careful plumbing and sealing is a bigger concern than the barrel itself.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

These food grade barrrels are tougher and thicker than you think, they have to survive forklifting and truck transport