I built a water tower on both sides of our house to collect rainwater in a barrel and use for drip irrigation.
By elevating our rain collection barrel, I could build enough pressure to use drip irrigation in our nearby garden beds. If I set the barrel on the ground, I don’t think I would have gotten good results with evenly distributing water throughout the drip line.
I set 4 4x4 posts and wrapped them with cedar, and built a 2x4 platform on top for the barrel to better spread its load on. I made a hinged door so I could store garden implements inside the water tower.
I found an irrigation timer which is powered by AA batteries and does not require water pressure to actuate the solenoid - many timers use lower power setups which depend on city water pressure to open the solenoid which would not work in this case.
I also installed a hose reel on the side of the water tower since the drip does not cover our entire garden and will still fall short during dry patches.
