# Forum Home Renovation Water Saving Garden Ideas  44 gallon drums as rainwater tanks

## breakerboy2000

Hello,  
I have 2 plastic drums i would like to convert to rain water tanks (non drinking) 
it will be gravity fed, wondering on the best way to position them to utilize the 2 openings in the top  (i will be welding a custom steel stand) 
I was thinking of positioning one upside down with one opening glued closed and the other connected with a pipe for the tap, and one right side up with one opening for the gutter run off, and the other for an overflow pipe,  - what would be the best way of connecting them to each other, with a pipe? how would I seal the joint after creating a hole in the plastic? ( the drums dont have lids, they are sealed closed with 2 outlets) 
thank you for your responses.

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## Farmer Geoff

Keep in mind that you need a way for air to get out as water comes into the drum and for air to get in as water comes out so I'd not be inclined to have one upside down. You could use a permanently charged siphon hose with tap on lower outer end, say attached to bottom of your tank stand. Or you could lay drum on its side with lower bung as outlet, upper as inlet with a breather hole somewhere in pipe to inlet. Otherwise cut the top off and then you can get inside to fit a flanged outlet near bottom of tank.  Personally I'd go with the siphon - getting a good seal for outlet on those bung holes could be tricky. 44 gallons is a small tank so you'll need a big overflow - probably best to cut a hole in top of the drum and tek screw and silicon a 90mm storm water flange and then pipe it away.

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## ringtail

I had 4 of them at one stage set up in 2 pairs. I layed them down end to end, joined with standard couplings from plumbers supplies. Large openings at the bottom joined with a 4 way junction ( 1 to each tank, 1 to a ball valve and one to the downpipe). The small holes were fitted with irrigation fittings and vent hoses attached and run up the wall. Worked really well, pretty ugly to look at though. I also had a metal drum water tank of 600 lt. I got a drum manufacturer to cut the bottom out of one drum, the top off another and top and bottom off a third. I then stitch welded and sikaflexed them together to form a tube. I welded up a stand and sat them vertically. I had them for 9 years, no leaks. They were food grade drums with a teflon lined interior.

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## SilentButDeadly

Got a few of them.  Hook them up standing up so that the stormwater fills first one and then the other and when both are filled..drains away.  Use a siphon set-up on the other tank hole (poly riser inside bush that fits bung within the tank, nipple or male elbow into same bush for outlet fittings) and use each tank separately.   
Standard poly and PVC irrigation parts fit those bungs.  Don't leave the bungs out for any length of time as the tanks can deform if empty and the bungs won't always go back in.

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## breakerboy2000

thought i would put a photo of the  the finished tanks. 
they work great.

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## Uncle Bob

Nice job on the stand!

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