A 275-gallon IBC tote stores about five times as much water as a typical 55-gallon rain barrel, on a footprint of roughly 40 by 48 inches. Schools, community gardens and small farms use them for rainwater catchment. Here is how to do it well.
Choose the right tote
Use a tote that held food or other non-hazardous contents. Plants take up what is in the water, and people may eat the produce. A tote that held syrup is a reasonable choice; one that held a degreaser or pesticide is not. Ask what the tote held before you buy it.
Plumbing the discharge
The factory 2″ valve can be stepped down to 3/4″ garden-hose thread with an adapter. Gravity pressure from a tote is low, which works for drip irrigation and soaker hoses. For sprinklers, add a small transfer pump.
Raising the tote on a solid, level base increases pressure at the spigot. A full 275-gallon tote weighs well over a ton, so the base must be built for that load.
The overflow
A tote can fill in a single heavy storm. Fit an overflow bulkhead in the upper sidewall and route it somewhere downhill: a swale, a drain or a second tote. Do not let water back up to the fill cap.
Algae and sunlight
White HDPE lets light through, and an uncovered tote in sun will grow algae. Options:
- Shade it with a tarp or a simple shelter. Cheapest.
- Paint the exterior with a light-colored exterior paint to block light without adding heat.
- Wrap it with an opaque or reflective cover.
Mosquitoes
Cover the fill opening and any vents with fine mesh. Mosquitoes will find any gap.
Cold-climate care
Where winters freeze hard, drain the tote before the first freeze or insulate it. Ice can stress the bottle, split fittings and push the fill cap off.
Multiple totes
Two totes connected at the discharge double your storage with a single fill point. Larger arrays need a more carefully designed manifold and a base that can carry the combined weight.