Build a Rainwater Collection System

An upcycled system five times larger than most rain barrels.

Reader Contribution by Ben Nelson
Published on July 24, 2013
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Ben Nelson

Save the rain for a sunny day build a rainwater collection system that’ll store 275 gallons in recycled water containers in a system five times bigger than the typical rain barrel. Reposted with permission from Instructables.

I recently helped my father install a 275-gallon rainwater collection system. The system is based on an industrial, 275-gallon container known as an “IBC.” You can buy them used, or if you really look around, you can even find them for free. One problem with typical rainbarrels is that they can only collect 55 gallons. This rain-storage container collects five times that volume, while not taking up all that much more space than a single rain barrel.

Where to Find an IBC

In my area, you can buy used IBCs through Craigslist for about $85 each. Those come with a metal cage around them that allows them to be stacked.

Instead of buying them, I found a local bottler who throws them out because they are plastic containers without the metal cages. These containers come to the bottler full of 275 gallons of high-fructose corn syrup. I got several containers from them for free, for just the elbow grease of going to pick them up. Some were wrapped in heavy cardboard. I recycled the cardboard into a clubhouse for my little girl.

After washing the container out well, it is ready to be repurposed for rainwater collection. I really like the irony of using GMO corn syrup containers to recycle into a conservation project!

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