# Rain barrel pump?



## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

You can pressurize the drums with air if you have a regulator which will go low enough....too much pressure and the drum just may rupture. I've done it with waste oil drums and it works well if you are careful.:thumbsup:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Your local irrigation supplier should have an appropriate in-line irrigation pump that you can install to go one when your automatic irrigation valves open. What size and flow rate you will need will depend on what your sprinklers draw. You can certainly find one online too. 

You might just use the rain barrel water for drip irrigation in the flower beds. It has less critical pressure and flow rate requirments since it works slowly and in gallons per hour rather than gallons per minute like conventional sprinklers.

Do make sure you plan on some sort of easily serviced filtration for the system if using rain barrel water or you will be forever cleaning clogged drip emitters or lawn sprinklers.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

gjones, yo really need to overseed this fall with drought resistant grass. As for your situation, you could go to Ace or Lowe's, and get a pump that you drop in when wanting to water, and remove when done. As for the amount you have available. what ever the level is that you have in there, if it is not a full 55 gallon's, it will not last that long to give your grass a good drink.

How much square footage are we talking about, for the yard you want to water? Keep in mind, that if there is no rain, you are just pretty much like a guy in the desert holding a sieve to collect water.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i have a 55gl rain barrel. when watering grass, 55gl is just a drop in the bucket. 

i have a short hose on mine, and use the water for the immediate area by the barrel.


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## Steve855 (Jul 28, 2019)

Found this 7 year old thread which is better for my questions than the newer ones. I'd be interested to hear what the OP did. 

Anyway, my rain barrel is a 275 gal IBC tote at a high point in my yard. It's also up on one row of cinder blocks, and I may add another row. 

I'm looking for a pump to be in-line. It will sit just under the tap and will then feed a sprinkler which, again, will 9 out of 10 times be downhill from the rain barrel. It"s not a super steep yard, but it easily drops 6-8 feet or so from barrel location to the lowest point. 

I understand sprinklers generally run on about 30PSI. I'm equally or maybe more concerned with increasing that flow rate. 

I appreciate any ideas on pump size, type, and/or specific references to products. 

Thanks very much.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> Found this 7 year old thread which is better for my questions than the newer ones. I'd be interested to hear what the OP did.


Ayuh,..... So why didn't you just start yer own thread, rather than hy-jackin' this antique,..??..??

The op hasn't been here in 5 years,....


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## Steve855 (Jul 28, 2019)

On mobile. Couldn't see that detail on the OP Thanks. 

Furthermore, forums usually hate repeated questions when there's already something out there... looks like inquiring party just posted without looking at all for the answers. 

So...that's my 'why,' any ideas on the 'what' for me?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

I don't like when someone hijacks a current thread but asking the original OP if they solved the problem is not a bad idea, but often that person has moved on and no answer will come from them. 

https://ypard.net/2018-02-27/calculating-water-pressure-your-rain-barrel


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## Steve855 (Jul 28, 2019)

Great link. Thank you very much.


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