On 8/16/2016 9:41 AM, dream weaver wrote:
Rain harvest system

Oh sure. Sounds real simple.

Rain Gutters

Oh Sure. Sounds real simple.

Rain gutters are simple unless you have tilted fascia boards and you
didn't know they needed flashing until after you install them. Even with
youtube I seemed to make these two tasks as difficult as possible. The
outcome was good, up to now, but required more effort than I imagined
and I still have to put in another 20 ft of gutters.

I'm trying to equalize the pressure in the 55gal poly sealed rain
barrels (not stacked.) I have 1/4" vinyl tubing with grommets, elbows
and tees, but its a sealed system so the pressure can get relatively
high. not sure how high tho. Never put 1/4" vinyl tubing w/ grommets to
the test.

Anyone that worked with a sealed system? I'm trying to avoid an
overflow. I could put an overflow on the 1st barrel if there is no other
alternative thereby eliminating the water pressure at the top of the
barrel. An overflow seems to be the simpler alternative.

dw

I've been through two good sized rains and this is my verdict:

MANIFOLD TUBES:

On mine i should have stepped all the hose sizes up. The 3/4" for the
bottom manifold is too small for a quick clean out and the 1/4" air
transfer manifold isn't big enough for a couple of reasons.

1) the air probably doesn't transfer fast enough and

2) it can be your de facto overflow, if you need one.

I see why people like pvc but I like tubing for convince. The good PVC
setups have expensive unions that don't seem to be necessary. A hose
clamp works here just as good. Plus, gluing stuff is too permanent for
me. When I do my next project I'm going with 1" or greater for the
bottom manifold.

SWIRL VS FIRST FLUSH FILTER

The 3 gal swirl filter is too small, as predicted, but it can serve as a
leaf catcher by putting a weir grid over the 55gal intake (inside the
swirl) and submerging the intake.

A media bag can then be attached to the pipe that goes into the first
barrel.

It looks like to me, first flush is probably best before a real swirl
filter. A swirl filter can be made of the primary 55gal drum. If the
drum is on a separate outlet and the manifold is extended to the top of
the tank you can drain the first tank in one to two weeks and hold the
filtered water for later. I've seen setups like this on massive
harvesting systems.

If you need a smaller swirl there are some pretty good examples on
youtube and probably some real crappy ones. I'd recommend starting at 5
or 10 gal bucket plus a water jug upside down in the bottom like some of
the youtube examples and it's probably too much work for most.

dw