Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Installing overflow rain barrel #3 -- Part 2

I got my 3rd overflow rain barrel in place the other day.  At the time I didn't have everything I needed to finish the installation.  I was waiting on a float valve from Amazon.  It finally arrived yesterday.
The brass rod and float ball came from Lowes.
This float valve is different than the one I used in my first overflow rain barrel.  That was a mini float valve rated at 1.5 gpm.  That barrel takes forever to fill.  This new float valve is rated at 12.5 gpm.  Those flow ratings are at 60 psi.  I'm relying on gravity to move water.  You get 0.433 psi per foot of elevation.  I don't have a lot of elevation change, so I'm dealing with psi in the single digits.  All of that said, I don't know if the new float valve will move more water or not, but I figured it was worth a try.

I drilled a 3/4" hole near the top of the rain barrel and screwed the valve in.  Below are pictures from different angles.
Then I adjusted the arm so the valve would close at when the water reached what looked like the appropriate height. 
Then I attached a 1/2" barbed elbow to the threads of the float valve and attached the irrigation tubing that's connected to overflow barrel #2.
This is a picture from barrel #3 showing how far away barrel #2 is.  You can also get some sense of the elevation difference between the two barrels.
The last step was to connect the new barrel to the PVC chicken waterer
Eventually I plan to connect this barrel to a bigger tub for the ducks.

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