Carrboro: Rainbow Drive
For this homeowner, they required two 500-gallon cisterns positioned off the eastern side of the home. The cisterns were connected with a hose allowing the water from both tanks to be used for watering the multiple garden beds in the back yard.
The first cistern was positioned at the front corner downspout on the eastern side of the home. A passive drawdown device was installed for gradual emptying of the tank in the winter months. A hose connection was incorporated at the bottom to connect this tank to the second tank positioned downhill at the back corner of the house.
The second tank includes all of the same features as the first tank with the addition of a simple tank gauge and an internal pump. A hose connector was installed near the top of the tank and is connected to the internal pump.
The passive drawdown can be turned on or off using the red valve. Brown drip irrigation tubing leads water across a small stretch of the property with 10 emitters that allow for a gradual emptying of the tank. The blue valve supplies the connection between the two cisterns. The black corrugated pipe is attached to the overflow at the top of the tank.
Here you can see the internal pump inside the second cistern. With this pump setup, a simple disconnection of the white union piece allows for the pump to then be removed whenever the homeowner wishes.