Sunday, February 20, 2011

Questions and Answers

If you have any questions, post a comment here and I'll do my best to answer quickly and concisely.

All answers will be added as new posts, but I'll link to them all at the FAQ page, for centralized access.

24 comments:

Ken Fletcher said...

#1 Haven't looked at the plans closely yet, but it appears the #10 can shelf are at an angle so they can roll, but the water barrels appear to be level. Is that correct, or are they at a slant also?
#2 Any problems with sagging in the middle of the barrels? With 400+lbs of water in each one it seems like they might. Any thoughts as to a middle support bar mirrored after the front/back supports?
#3 How did you get water into the barrels?
Great ides and great set of plans. I may get to work on that right away.

Carla said...

I LOVE this!!

But I also have the same questions that Ken has, and not just about support in the middle of the barrel but the type of joints on the wooden cross support (did you use nails, screws or brackets)?

Also, How did you afix the hose bib? And lastly, have you actually USED any of the water since this project to see if everything works well?

Thanks so much for the inspiration!!! After you answer some questions I'm TOTALLY having my hubby make these! :)

teresalovesjesus said...

I'm having difficulty downloading the plans. Please help.

susitna-flower said...

I was also wondering how you filled the barrels, but more importantly, where to buy barrels that would be "food grade" plastic?

WaterStorageRack said...

Hi!

Answers are coming - had to take some pictures to illustrate some of what I was talking about, and hope to have those posted later today.

However, Teresa, what exactly is the problem you're having? What happens when you click the link to go to Google Docs? What browser are you using? What OS? I've tested the ability to view/download the plans from a number of computers (I'm an IT guy) and haven't had any problems. If you can be as specific as possible then I can try to help you resolve the issue.

Sue B. said...

Great idea, I noticed you put a water turn off on one of the plugs. How did you do it and what kind did you use? Thanks

Sue B. said...

I found the answer to my question, you have done a great job, my husband and I are going to use your plan. Thank you so much. Sue

Corine Moore said...

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with the rest of us!!!! I am so excited to show this to my husband! :D
Corine :D

Anonymous said...

I would like to know what size the water barrels are. I'm thinking a 55 gallon drum would be too heavy, but I'd like to know. Also, where did you get the spigots (faucets) for the barrels?

WaterStorageRack said...

The faucets can be found at any home improvement store.

They are 55 gallon drums. They weigh about 450 lbs when they are full.
The primary construction of everything is 2x4's. Based on the fact that we're putting pressure against the grain (the notches for the supporting members are cut such that the grain of the wood is vertical), the load of a single barrel (the other rests on 2x4's supported by concrete) is well within fault tolerances for even really poor wood. Here's is the logic:

Generally, wood has a compression strength of upwards of 600PSI, depending on grade, etc. Assuming the weight of the barrel is relatively even (which is should be) amongst the 4 contact points of the notches, each notch should only need to support about 120 lbs (maximum), and given each notch has a surface area of about 2 square inches, that's 60 PSI per notch, or about 10% of the rated strength of typical wood.
Thus - the weight is distributed in such a way as to easily support the barrels.

Anonymous said...

It looks to me like all your cans roll forward, and you have a wall in the back so you can't fill from the back. How are you rotating these, to have the newest in the front and the oldest in the back? I'm used to the ones like Shelf Reliance's where you can fill from the front and they roll to the back, then down to the next shelf, and back out to the front for you to grab. Wondering how easy it would be to make a top shelf a little shorter and drop the back end to make them roll that way?

WaterStorageRack said...

Due to how our basement is configured, a front loading system was the only option for us. It hasn't ever been a problem thus far. Each row holds 6 cans so it isn't a huge inconvenience to unload 5, and then insert the new one to the back and replace the 5 older ones.

I am sure though, that you could come up with a roll and drop design that might work for you. The downside we encountered when discussing different designs was we lost the ability to maximize the number of cans the shelf could hold if we did a roll and drop.

Be sure to send us pictures when you're done and we'll post them up so others can see any modifications you make!

Rachel said...

Is this still available for download. When I click on the .pdf nothing happens. A download option does not become available. ? Thanks

Unknown said...

I was asked, how do you fill or refill the barrels?

Anonymous said...

Really like this, very nice job! I've been working on ideas in my head for a while and this gives me a great jump off point to incorporate my other ideas.

Anonymous said...

How much did all this cost you?

Anonymous said...

What was the total cost for this?

TiffaniS said...

I'm wanting to go 4 barrels high will the 2X4 up rights take the weight or will I need to beef it up?

Melissa said...

We are wondering how often you empty the water and refill. Thank you! Trying to talk my dad and husband into building me one.

Anonymous said...

How do you maintain the potability of the water over time?

Unknown said...

This project will be my Christmas present to my family and I. These plans are a hidden gem.

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Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your plans. I plan to build it within a couple weeks as soon as I complete another couple projects. Where do you get the hoses I see in one of the pictures? I assume at a hardware store but what are the hoses specifically? Any additional fittings? Again, thanks.

--Dan

Done This Before said...

There is a discrepancy between your photos and your design. On the end, next to the water barrel on the photo, you have a solid sheet of plywood for stability. There is none in the design. I used 4X4s for strength. I also connected them together at the top, for filling and at the bottom for emptying using PVC 2 1/2" pipe.

Home Depot or Lowes should provide all useful pieces. Also keep in mind that each tank hold 4oo lbs of water. Cross braces are necessary for this design. Yours has none.