You can buy rainbarrels already set up for this, but they can be expensive. Search on "rainbarrels". New England Rainbarrel Co. sells kits, and looking over their and other sites may give you some ideas. I believe that they may also sell just conversion kits for barrels.

Thanks Pablo_NH, I have searched but there doesn't seem to be any rainbarrels available in Australia so I'm having to make my own. I think it could be done with black polypipe and the right fittings if I knew what they were.

I'll contact New England Rainbarrel and see what the conversion kits would cost me via the net.

Thanks again, Luisa

I built a two-barrel system using old Rubbermaid trash barrels. I bored a hole near the bottom of each one and installed plastic spigots, using some rubber washers to get a decent seal. Then I took some scrap garden hose and put female connectors on both ends and connected the two barrels. By opening both valves, rain from the downspout fills both barrels. With a Y-adapter on one of the spigots, I can drain one or both barrels into the vegetable garden down the hill.

Two problems I'm still wrestling with--how to keep mosquitos from breeding in the standing water (I've tried feeder goldfish from a pet store, but that requires that the barrels stay open, and I've tried mosquito "donuts," though I don't like adding a pesticide to the rainwater); and how to drain the barrels quickly when they're already full and storm clouds gather overhead.

That said, my home-built rainbarrels have been a great addition to my garden. Hope this helps.

Dug

If you get "Dunks"- the popular donut type water treatment, they don't contain a pesticide per se, but bacillus thuringensis- a bacteria. This is a naturally occuring bacteria that infects the larvae. I use it in my rain buckets- it's very effective.

Thanks Dug, this is very useful and I should be able to use it to get something together myself!!
Thanks again, Luisa

Thanks, pablo_nh, that's what I was referring to--Dunks. Guess I didn't read the packaging very closely. Now I'll use them freely with a clear conscience.

Luisa,

Here is a bulkhead fitting that will help in the plumbing.

Eric

Here is a link that might be useful: bulkhead fitting

Thanks Eric_wa, this has been useful.

I've been thinking again about where to put a tank and since the side of teh house is still too useful for heavier vehicle traffic (2 loads of cow manure recently!) that simply has to be kept clear. A row of barrels would work there but not a tank.

However, I have also thought that maybe, if I'm careful, 2 smaller squat tanks could go at the back of the house, leaving a gap between them to walk through. That way they'd be angled away from the drive-through points for both vehicle access lanes.

I've also got in touch with some PC people locally and am working on developing a property plan, which will make it a lot easier to work out what goes where.

Thanks again everyone!!

Luisa