Contributed by Sarah DePhillips
In my four years on BlueBarrel's customer service team, I fielded lots of questions about setting up a rain barrel drip irrigation system. Gravity-fed drip irrigation pairs wonderfully with rain barrels to water gardens, shrubs, and trees. If you're mystified by the irrigation component of your rain barrel setup, you are not alone! In this post, I'll walk you step-by-step through setting up our Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed with Inline Emitters. This is the emitter type we recommend for vegetable gardens, or any row-plantings with regular spacing.
(See this post for how to set up our Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed with Bubbler Emitters, which you might prefer for ornamental gardens, or any layout with irregular plant spacing.)
These steps will be useful once you have the parts in-hand. If you're looking for more general information about how to think through a gravity-fed irrigation setup, including videos and a number of different gravity system types, start here.
How to use BlueBarrel's DIY Gravity-Fed Irrigation Kit with Inline Emitters:
Step 1. After setting up your BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System, attach a 100-micron Streamlined Drip Irrigation Filter to your drain valve. Available in our online store, the filter screws directly onto the drain, no extra pieces needed. The streamlined shape of this filter does not restrict flow as much as standard irrigation filters.
Step 2. The filter has male threads coming off perpendicular to the drain. That's where you'll attach your No-Pressure Irrigation Timer (if using), or your drip line, or an extension hose. If your garden isn't right next to your barrels, you can run a garden hose to the point where you want your 1/2" irrigation line to start, or you can use the 1/2" line itself to reach the garden. As shown, I used a garden hose to span the distance between barrels and garden.
Step 3. Next comes the Swivel Adapter, included with our drip kits. This part transitions from a standard garden outlet (a hose in my case), to the poly tubing in the drip irrigation kit. Depending on your setup, this piece will either go directly onto your filter (or timer if you're using one), OR go at the "garden" end of your garden hose. This is where your 1/2" irrigation tubing will start.
Step 4. Press the included 1/2" tubing firmly into the swivel adapter. If your garden has rows, it's a good idea to run the 1/2" perpendicular to the rows. The actual rows of pre-drilled 1/4" drip-line will tee into this 1/2" main line.
Step 5. Using the Hand-Held Punch Tool in your kit, punch a hole in the 1/2" main line where you want your first 1/4" emitter-line to begin. Remove the punch and insert one of the Barbed Connectors, pushing it into the hole firmly.
Step 6. Press the 1/4" pre-drilled emitterline over the other end of the barbed connector until the connection feels snug. Run the line the length of your garden row, staking it in place where necessary.
Step 7. At the end of your row, cut the 1/4" emitter-line. Insert a Goof Plug (included) to cap the end of the line.
Step 8. Repeat steps 5-7 for each row, or each place you want to run 1/4" emitter-line off the 1/2" mainline tubing.
Step 9. When all your rows are in place, leave a few feet of extra 1/2" tubing at the end and cut it off. (You'll need the extra length to create your crimped end.) Use the included Figure-8 End Fitting to crimp it off and secure the end.
Step 10. Turn on the water (or let your timer do that for you) and watch (and listen!) for the magic. There's nothing like the sound of drip emitters "waking up" with their first flow of water.
Another Example Rain Barrel Drip Irrigation Setup: Raised Beds!
Additional photos provided by BlueBarrel customer Robert in Virginia.
"I built a trellis to carry the water from the roof to my BlueBarrel System location. The instructions with the RainKit were well written and easy to follow. I made one adjustment that I thought I would share: using a 2" ABS drain pipe (pictured) to the barrels. A 2-1/4" kitchen strainer fits perfectly between two MIP and FIP couplings."
Look more closely at the 9-barrel system to notice Erik used custom spacing to work around small obstacles (an existing irrigation manifold and standpipe). He also rounded a corner to mimic the curve of his home.
Leaf Eaters
In the back yard, Erik had less space for barrels, but he managed to fit two right next to a corner downspout.
Many of our customers ask us how to get water from other sources into their BlueBarrel Systems. This is easy to do because the vent pieces in our DIY RainKits are fitted with a screened hose-swivel, and the user can simply connect a garden hose to fill barrels when there is no rain.
