A 275-gallon
rain barrel,
basically.
Retired IBCs make exceptional gravity-fed rainwater catchment. Roughly 10× the capacity of a typical poly rain barrel, sometimes for less money, always for less embodied carbon.
Same-day reply.
Every form goes straight to a human in Green Bay — no chatbots, no offshore desks. Mon–Fri responses within four working hours.
What you get
- One retired 275-gallon HDPE IBC. Triple-rinsed, no prior hazardous contents.
- 3/4" garden-hose bib pre-installed on the bottom valve.
- 2" overflow port drilled and bulkhead-fitted into the upper sidewall.
- 6" debris screen on the fill port.
- Optional: downspout-to-fill flexible adapter, mosquito mesh, opaque shroud.
Why an IBC beats a poly barrel
A standard 55-gallon plastic rain barrel costs $90–$140 new. Five of them cost you $450–$700, take 25 ft² of footprint, and require a manifold to balance fill. One repurposed IBC tote costs roughly the same as one barrel, stores 275 gallons (versus 275 split across five tanks), and gives you a single fill point and a single overflow.
Plumbing notes
The IBC’s factory 2" buttress valve is your discharge. We adapt it down to 3/4" GHT so any standard hose threads on. For gravity-fed drip irrigation you’ll get around 4–6 PSI at the spigot at full water column — plenty for soaker hose and most drip systems. If you want true sprinkler pressure, add a small pressure pump (we don’t sell those, but Northern Tool does).
Algae & UV
HDPE is mostly opaque but not perfectly so. In direct summer sun an uncovered tote will grow algae within a few weeks. Either shade the tote (a tarp works), spray with exterior latex paint, or order with our opaque shroud option.
Pricing & pickup
Base conversion: ~$135 + tax, picked up at Glory Road. Add $60 for the shroud, $25 for the downspout adapter. Local delivery within Brown County for a flat $40. Out-of-area shipping not recommended (cheaper to source locally), but we’ll do it on request.
Bulk orders
Building a community rain-catchment program, school project, or permaculture install? We’ve done classroom-pricing on 10+ unit orders. Reach out.