We're pleased as pie to welcome back the fine folks at MSN Money's blog "SmartSpending". Karen Datko has taken our ponderings local on Dumpster Diving Etiquette, and rounded it out with advice and insights on the subject from others. Some great stories and info in the comments as well, which were piling up fast last time I checked.

To find out more about us, click here. We are a personal finance blog focused on frugality, stewardship, and current events, while also telling our story as a family and the personal finance decisions we have made. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out our NtJS Cafepress shop! Just need to design a dumpster diving t-shirt now....


Just to follow up on Karen's post and some of the comments:

• We always advocate safety first - don't be dumb, nothing is worth getting injured or maimed over.
• Always obey your local laws, though I hadn't though of this angle before.
• Always, always, always be respectful. Never leave a mess, and leave when asked.

That being said - Happy dumpster diving!

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Everyday, on my way to and from work, there are piles of stuff sitting on the curb at various locations on my route. I sometimes wonder how some of these places are constantly amassing such piles of stuff. Furniture, toys, books, TVs, raw materials, you-name-it. Occasionally I'll see something of interest. My instinct is to stop and take a look. At least slow down and rubber neck a bit.

It's a habit I developed several years ago, living in a different area. You can only watch a certain amount of perfectly good stuff go to the landfill before you swallow your pride, and 'dumpster dive'. Now this rarely involved actual dumpsters, though those can be quite the treasure trove and quite dangerous. Usually just stuff leaned up against the trash can, awaiting the weekly trash service.

Why not? They don't want it. I could use it. Why let it got to the landfill and go buy new just because I'm too full of myself to take something from someone's trash pile?

Still, I was discrete about it - likely that no one ever noticed. In our previous locale, people left for work between 6 and 7:15AM. Since I left around 7:30-7:45, I had quite the pick of the litter, so to speak. Then there were the bits put out the night before. Anything is possible under cover of the night.

Now, in a less urban community, I'm less sure of my methods. The etiquette is different here, and in some areas on my way to work, I'm not sure that it's done at all. At least I'm not quite ready to find out. Still figuring it out.

What is the dumpster diving etiquette in your area?
What are some of your greatest finds?
Are you still to timid to attempt it?

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Retailers (for those of you less than handy)

• Rainbrothers of Columbus, OH
• Aaron's Rain Barrels & more
• Clean Air Gardening has barrels as well as diverters, pumps, and other paraphernalia
  

Be sure to share your finished projects with us. We'd love to see them and post them.

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So maybe you've read my How To on rainwater collection, and you're ready to give this a go. I know several people who have gotten to this point and stopped. They got the raw barrels, and for whatever reason, they just didn't finish. They've been setting there for years - unused. Time and priorities are always an issue, but there's no excuse for letting this one slip through the cracks. This job is about 2 hammers out of 5 on difficulty (but only because we are using power tools, otherwise it would be a 1), and about 1.5 dollar signs out of 5 (the cost of the barrels is variable, but the rest is quite cheap). Really, the barrel can be painted over a weekend of intermittent activity, and the rest of the work can be done in one evening. It's really not hard.

**NOTE** My How To is for non-potable use. There are ways to adapt this simple system for potability, but that lies outside of my relm of expertise.

We'll start with the tools list. It's not terribly long or complex. When I built my barrels, the only thing I had to buy was the 1" hole saw for the drill. If you are lacking in power tools, I wouldn't buy them just for this project. Try to borrow some if you can.

Tools needed:

• Drill with 1" hole saw
• Sawz-all, saber saw, or jig saw with a fine or all-purpose blade
  
• sharpie
• scissors
• makeshift compass (I used a screwdriver and some butcher's twine)
• plot of hole pattern
  
• tape measure
• spirit level
  

Now the materials. Other than the barrels, everything on the list can be found at your local home improvement mega-center. We discussed some ideas for getting the barrels in the previous article. Of the 6 that we made, 2 came from a garage sale, one from craigslist, and 3 from a neighbor. All had been acquired with the intent of making rain barrels, but stalled out at that point. Of the 3 that we purchased, we paid around $5-10 each. The ballast need not be anything fancy. This is simply to help hold the barrel in place when there is little to no water inside.

Materials list (minimum for one barrel):

• 1 uncut heavy-duty plastic 55-gallon barrel [cost variable]
  
• fiberglass window screening [about $3 per barrel, comes in rolls]
  
• (2) 2' bungees with hooks [$1 each]
  
• 3/4" brass spigot [$7]
  
• outdoor caulking [$3, but I'll bet you already have some]**
  
• flexible gutter extension [$3]
  
• zip-ties [$2]**
  
• 3/4" P-trap [$3]
  
• rocks/bricks/ballast [free, look around the yard]**
  
• cinder blocks [$1 each]
  
• paint and primer [use whatever is handy]**
  
• brushes and rollers [ditto]**
  
• sandpaper [use what you have]**
  

The items with ** are ones that I had on hand. ~$22 + the cost of the barrel, which you might be able to get for free. (Go ask!)

Step 1: Plan
Choose the location(s) for your rain barrels. Maybe you want yours hidden from view or proudly displayed. Your call. Likely, you'll want them to be within a foot or two of your downspouts. Otherwise you'll have to pipe the water to the barrel. Not impossible, but something to consider. Also consider how you will use the water. If the barrel(s) need to be elevated - 3 inches or 3 feet - you'll want to plan for that. At peak capacity, we had utilized 3 of our 4 downspouts with 1, 2, and 3 barrels at those locations. We opted for extra capacity in our back yard as it was easier to hide (stupid subdivision covenances), and that is where we needed the water.

***Disclaimer*** Steps 2 through 6 are only for the barrel under the downspout. If you are daisy chaining, those will follow a different method. See Step 7 below.

Step 2: The Inlet
The whole point of the barrel is to get water into it. The method we chose (the pie-wedges) was suggested by one family who sold us some barrels. It involves cutting pie-wedge shaped openings in the top and then covering it with window screening. These openings may seem like overkill, but stay with me. I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that there is more than water coming down your downspouts. Leaves, tree pollen, shingle gravel, small woodland creatures. You don't want these in the barrel. You'll need a 'filter' of some sort. With this method, the water will come down your downspout and spill out onto the screening. The water will filter through whatever area is not blocked by roof debris, thus all the openings. After a rain, you'll clearly be able to see the debris and clear it simply by brushing it off.

These large openings also act as a vent to let the air out as it is replaced with water. I don't care what anyone says, large or small water tanks, venting MUST be addressed. It is a fact of life and physics. You may have a different water inlet method, and that is fine, just be sure that you have an exiting air vent or you will have problems.

The pie-wedges are not something you'll want to just 'wing it' on. The last thing you want is for this to break and end up with a big gaping hole in your barrel. The webbing that remains between the openings will support the screening on top as well as help maintain the structural rigidity of the barrel. I took the time to layout a hole pattern for the wedges, with one 1-inch hole at each corner. This file is available for download at the end of the article and on the right side under "NtJS Downloads". Once plotted, I poke a hole at each point and place the plot on top of the barrel. I use the sharpie to mark a dot at each location, 18 in total. Now comes the drill and 1" hole saw. Be forewarned - the plastic can be upwards of 3/8" thick on the top. You may go through a couple of batteries just getting through the holes for one barrel. have your charger handy. A corded drill may work better here. **Note: the barrels are not terribly heavy when empty and have low friction. You may need a friend to steady the barrel or find a way to secure it while you drill and cut. I used bungee cords to hold it against a bench on the deck.


Next you'll need the power saw to 'connect the dots'. Start on the outside edge and go 'tangent to tangent' for a clean final appearance. You may want to draw some guides with the sharpie and a straight edge. I used the makeshift compass and sharpie to draw the arc between the outer most holes as I wanted that cut to be concentric with the lip of the barrel. But thats just me, you could skip that. Take your time with this part. This is the easiest part to screw up. If all goes well, you'll have something like what is in the picture.


Step 3: The Outlet
There is a bit of planning needed here - measure twice, cut once sorta thing. We were using our barrels mainly to fill watering cans, occasionally 2-gallon buckets. Based on that and our plan from Step 1, we chose a height to drill our outlet hole. The other edge to that sword is that the higher you go up on the barrel, the less easily accessible capacity you have. Any water below that level will require tipping the barrel.

The beauty of this step is that a 3/4" fitting will screw directly into the hole made by a 1" hole saw. Once drilled you may do a dry fit first, but when you are ready to put the spigot on for good, smear a little silicone caulking on the threads and turn it into the hole. Just be sure to get it tight to the barrel and pointing the right direction (down). Don't strip it - you have one shot at this. We'll finish sealing it with caulking after the paint is dry.

Step 4: The Overflow
We've tried a few methods on this one and my best suggestion is to install a small P-trap like what is under your sink. With water in the 'P', mosquitoes can't get in to lay eggs, yet water can freely over flow out. Once again, you'll be using your 1" hole saw and treading the assembly into the hole. Location is at your discretion. One tip is that some folks like to put a hose connection on the outside of the overflow so that they can hook a soaker hose onto it and run it through the landscaping so not to waste the overflow and end up with a small pit next to the barrel.

You may think, "with such large openings in the top, who needs an overflow?" That's what I said. After trying to do without, and letting the water overflow out the top, I found that the water was pushing the screening up and causing gaps that let mosquitoes in. This was my best solution. Maybe you have a better one? Let us know.

Step 5: Paint
Even if your barrels are opaque, you may not want to skip this step. Our bright blue barrels were great at stopping algae growth, but otherwise an eyesore considering their surroundings. Our chocolate brown paint job was great for making these guys mostly disappear into the landscape. Materials can vary, but likely any barrel suitable for this application will be made of HDPE or PP. This is great for durability and cleaning. Not so great for paint. Results may vary. I scarred ours up with 60 grit sandpaper before priming them. Once cured, I applied the color coats. Use as many as are needed to get a consistent opaque color. This step is done last in an attempt to minimize scrapes and scars from processing.

My best advice here is to paint the sides first. This way you can hold onto the top to steady the barrel. Once that is done, then paint the top. Give your paint time to cure before adding successive coats. We used regular house paint. Spray paint didn't seem to be a good fit to us as you'll go through several cans on one barrel. If you have a friend with access to a paint booth, then it may be a good time to cash in a favor. Alternatively, if you have kids, they may want to help. Put on the paint smocks and let them have at it. Just be sure to smooth out the paint as they go.

Step 6: The Install
You're almost there. Once the paint is dry, cut a piece of the window screening and cover the top, wrapping the excess to the sides. Use the bungees to secure it in place by wrapping them around the screening. Use the scissors to trim off the excess.

Use some silicone to seal around your spigot and overflow. While that is drying, remove your aluminum downspouts and replace them with the flexible gutter extensions. These will allow you to lengthen and shorten as needed. Even go around corners, which is pretty handy. I used the zip ties to hold the end of the extension to the barrel by looping them through the bungees. I do not recommend having aluminum downspout contacting your screen as you see here. It is much more likely to wear a hole in the screen letting in, you guessed it, mosquitoes.

Prep the site, place your cinder blocks, and check for level. Once you are ready, set the barrel in place and load the ballast. Check the level of the barrel now. Trust me, now is the time to get this right. Attach the downspout, and pray for rain.

Oh! be sure that the spigot is turned OFF. Small detail.

Step 7: Daisy-chaining
This is a very simple way to add capacity to the single barrel system that we built above. These are even easier to make.

Materials list (for daisy chaining multiple barrels onto one down spout)

• 1 uncut heavy-duty plastic 55-gallon barrel [cost variable]
  
• a few feet of garden hose [cheap at garage sales]
  
• male-end hose repair kits (2 per daisy chain) [$2 each]
  

Step 7b: Layout
Carefully plan the location as in Step 1. They should be close together, but not touching. If they were then they may rub together and you'll lose your paint. Be sure that you have plenty of room and can build up any foundation that is needed. Set the barrels in place and make a preliminary mark for the inlets/outlets that we'll talk about next.

Step 7c: In/Out
The daisy-chained barrels use the same opening for the inlet as the outlet. There are various methodologies on this, but I chose this one for a few good reasons. First, I used garden hose as it is flexible and will stand up to the elements. Second, I wanted to do this as minimally as possible, so complex PVC structures were not happening. Last, by mounting the inlet/outlet low, all the barrels will have the same amount of water in them for holding them in place. Besides, if I mounted it high - where the overflow is - then I would need a spigot for each.

The hose repair kits consist of a treaded end (to thread into the barrel), a smaller end (that goes into the hose), and a clamp. We'll attach the clamp and hose later. Do what comes natural with the rest.

Step 7d: Vent
We've already discussed the need for vents, but on the daisy chain barrels, we don't have the large openings like we do on the main barrel. Fear not. Here are two ways to get plenty of ventilation. Either of these should be completed post-paint, put planned for and prepped now.

The first and easiest is made possible by the bung on top of the barrel. Ok, Beavis, I said bung. All of the barrels I had found had one or two threaded caps on the top - 3-4" in diameter. To use these, I simply unscrewed the cap, covered the top with window screening, and secured it with zip ties. Ta-Daaaaaa.

The second way was what I had to do with one barrel that already had a hole cut into the top. This time, I left the bung in place. I sized up a piece of window screening that would cover the hole and overlap the plastic by an inch or two. I ran a bead of silicone caulk around the hole, and pressed the window screening into it. Not too shabby, but a tad ghetto. Method 1 is much cleaner.

Step 7e: Paint
Same as Step 5 above.

Step 7f: Install
Mostly the same as Step 6 above. Be sure that these barrels are at the same height as the main barrel. To install these, you'll want to prep the sites and set the barrels in place as you had them before when we were marking for the inlets/outlets. Attach the garden hose and be sure there are no kinks. If there are kinks in the line, then you have too much hose. Trim a little and refit.


Other Options
If you are wanting more pressure out of your tanks, then I have one word for you: elevation. I was quite close to building an elevated platform for out 3 daisy-chained barrels just prior to selling them and moving. My best advice here is to over-build it. Over-engineer it. Remember how heavy these get when full? 8.33 lbs/gal x 55 gal/barrel x 3 barrels = 1374lbs!!!

If you are just dying to wash your car or run a lawn sprinkler off of these, then good luck. I wish you all the best. I've seen systems with pumps, pressure tanks, even one with plumbed spigots around the yard. This can be just as complex as you want it to be, but my guidance ends here.

My Hole Pattern
This is the pattern I used to layout the holes on top of the barrels. Pretty simple to use, but you will need a large format printer to plot it out. If you don't have access to one, or don't have access to someone who has access to one, then Kinko's is a good last resort. For full 1:1 scale, print the file at 24x36". I thought long and hard about charging for this file. In the spirit of eco-friendliness, this one is FREE. Download it here.

Somewhat Useful links
Pollution Prevention Factsheet
City of Austin Rainwater Harvesting Programs
The tutorial that got me started

***UPDATE*** Like our rain barrels? Let others know with a stylish and informative bumper sticker, coffee mug, or wall clock. Available now in our Cafepress shop!


***UPDATE*** Welcome Festival of Frugality readers! Please take a few minutes to check out some of our other frugal living articles. If you are new here, find out more about Not the Jet Set here.

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Spring is here! It sure feels nice outside, and I'm pretty sure that was the sun I saw the other day. April showers will surely bring May flowers, but what if those same April showers could stay with you for more of the hot, dry summer? Every year there are more and more areas forcing homeowners to stop watering their lawns due to water shortages. Even with out shortages, you may be reluctant to water your lawn and garden simply due to the cost of city water. A few years ago, we were introduced to the concept of rainwater harvesting. The general concept is to collect rain water, from storms large or small, to be stored and used during periods of drought. "Yeah, that sounds great, but how?"

It's far easier than you think. First, a few basics.

This may sound like just another 'hippie/tree-hugger', 'green living' solution with questionable ability to deliver on investment. Well, consider this: For ever 1000 sq. ft. of catchment surface, you can collect ~600 gallons of water for every inch of rainfall. How many gallons per year of rainwater are you missing out on as they rush through your downspouts and aimlessly back into the ground? How many times have you had 5 days of rain per week for a month straight, just to follow it up with 3 months of drought?

To begin collecting, you first need a catchment surface. Don't worry - you likely already have one. It's usually called your roof. Most roofing materials are acceptable, though if you are planning to drink your rainwater, you may want to do a bit more research as some roofing materials are less than ideal. Enamel coated metal roofing is typically best. Asphalt/composite shingles (what most people have) will work, but you'll have to deal with all of the gravel that washes off of the shingles.

While you may have a roof, you may not have rain gutters. These are also quite important. Without them, you are going to have a very difficult time collecting the water running off of your roof. If your gutters are intact and functioning, then read on.

Now we just need a place to store the water. You don't need gigantic plastic vats or underground cisterns to pull this off, though those can be pretty sweet. The simplest way is to use plastic drums. These are typically between 50 and 60 gallons each, about waist high, and easy for a DIYer to handle (when empty that is). Drums made of food-grade plastic and in great condition are easier to find than you may think. Some places sell them - new or used. Used can run you $30-50. Typically you can find someone who works at a warehouse, bottling plant, or factory where these are used and discarded daily. Put your feelers out, and keep your eyes open. Likely these will just require a couple rinses of warm, soapy water to have them prepped for rainwater. With a few modifications - opening in the top, valve at the bottom, and overflow provision- you'll be ready for rain.

That will give you a very basic system. A few things to keep in mind:

• Mosquitoes love standing water. No matter how small the opening, they will get in and turn it into a breeding ground. Home improvement stores sell non-toxic tablets to help with this. Even still, fiberglass window screening and silicone caulking are your friends.
• Water + sun light = algae. This is not a good thing as it will clog up your spigot. With water collection being the whole purpose of the barrels, light is the only other variable to remove. The easy fix is to paint your barrels or just be sure they are opaque to begin with.
• 1 gallon of water equals 8.33 lbs. So your 50 gallons of cloud juice would tip the scales at 416 and one half pounds. Once it has water in it, you will not be moving it. So choose your location carefully. Also be sure to place it on a solid base - cinder blocks work well. Be sure they are solid and level. The last thing you want is for one of these to fall on someone or something.
• This is a gravity feed. That is unless you've sprung for a pump, which I doubt. Hooking a hose up to your tank's spigot may not do much good unless the end of the hose is lower than the water level in the tank. Even then, we found a garden hose to be ineffective, other than for draining it without making a mess next to the barrel. Be sure you have enough room to fit a watering can or bucket under the spigot.
  

Barrels specifically made for rainwater collection can be purchased from various retailers. These will run you anywhere from $80 to $200. For us, this was not only about stewardship of natural resources, but plain ol' frugality as well. No deal on the pre-made barrels. We built our own and it really wasn't that tough. It helps to do several at once as you will quickly get the hang of the process. Though it is probably best to do just one for your first as you will likely learn a lot and may want to do something different going forward. We have a DIY rain barrel design that we will be posting next week - complete with materials list, tools list, design tips, system modifications, and drawings. Be sure to check back for it. At our previous house, we started with 2 barrels, but later added 4 more giving us a storage capacity of 300 gallons. With a catchment surface of ~2000 sq. ft., and 300 gallons of storage, our barrels were filled from just a 1/4" of rain. We were quite successful with our system and learned a lot from the experience.

We have lots more to share on this topic, so be sure to check back next week for our follow up post. This seems to be plenty to digest for now. The barrel building tutorial is live! See it here.

***UPDATE*** Welcome Festival of Frugality readers! Please take a few minutes to check out some of our other frugal living articles. If you are new here, find out more about Not the Jet Set here.

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