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As this drought wears on and water delivery companies are getting backlogs over a week (and getting longer all the time) I was wondering what kind of cheap-o options there are for getting your own water. I looked at the larger totes that go into a pickup truck or trailer and talk about sticker shock...
I found this on amazon but it requires a bath tub:
http://www.amazon.com/waterBOB-Emergency...B001AXLUX2
So what are your ideas?
Plastic garbage cans. Use Vice Grips or clamps to secure lid a little better.
aloha,
pog
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I had thought about garbage cans, however I tried making a rain barrel out of one and it was a dismal failure. I was thinking if they split open and leak when they are just sitting there, what would they do going over unpaved roads? But thanks for the suggestion, especially the clamps. Definitely something I will do if I need to.
Also Walmart sells (or sold, I'm not there often enough to know if they have them) blue drinking-water approved water hoses. Though, not sure the hose matters that much when the water is going into a DIY pickup hauler.
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I saw a guy in the Kurtistan water station a few years ago fill up the bed of his pickup and he was only using a clear plastic liner. I asked him if he had any trouble with splashing or losing control, but he said he didn't. Looked pretty scary to me, not to mention all the weight. Maybe filling it half way would be half as scary.
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I was also thinking 10 5-gallon water jugs from Walmart would be about $90, roughly the same price as a 50 gallon barrel, and I wouldn't need a pump to move the water.
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I used a couple of rubbermaid garbage cans, about 35 gallon size if I recall. I glued the lids on with silicone caulk and cut a hole in the center large enough for a submersible pump to fit through. They have held up OK so far. Maybe glueing the lids on makes them stronger. That was when the tote was my catchment. Now I have a larger catchment tank and I use the tote for transport.
Multiple small containers is not a bad idea though.
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Thanks for the feedback and information... I guess I'm leaning towards the trash can idea (maybe my rain barrel can was manufactured on a Friday afternoon). Unless I hear something better. I have a 12v pump somewhere that should be able to pump 35 gallons into my catchment tank in about 10 minutes.
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you could double up the trash cans--slide one inside another--to make a sturdier barrel. But it would cost twice as much for the same capacity.
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With the proper plumbing scheme, you can rig it so your house pump can pump the water from your portable tanks back into your catchment tanks. Go to the spigots 4-5 am.
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We use the 35 gallon black Rubbermade trash cans (~$15 at HD) for all sorts of in the field rain catchment to avoid having to haul water. Can be filled to the brim without splitting and tend to last ~ 4 years before they get brittle and we turn them into normal trash / recycling cans.
Note that 30 gallons of water is 240 pounds, so need to plan for how to move, drain, or siphon the cans once you get them home!
