Here you can see my rainwater catchment barrel. Nothing fancy. I just have it running off my gutter system. After a very short rain this barrel will fill up in minutes.The hand pump/siphon I have connected to it works great. I have another one that I use for my drinking water storage. I got it from NorthernTool for about $15. You just pump a few times to get the siphon started and then you just sit back and watch the water flow. I want to figure a way to may the hose longer though- I have to use a watering can to reach all but the closest tomato plant.
Oh, and I have a doubled screen on the downspout to act as a filter for bugs and crap. I clean it from time to time and there are lots of bugs that would have gone in otherwise.
The system currently serves as my garden water supply; but, when the water eventually shuts off, I can filter it with my water filtration system to drink for myself. When that happens, I'll hook up my other 2 barrels to catch even more water. For now, it's just my garden water though.
The barrel was used and previously had hydrogen peroxide in it. Very clean- I got all three barrels for 12/each.
