Step 5: Make the Reservoir
Before making the reservoir, calculate the potential weight. Originally, I spent a little too long with a pencil, paper and calculator trying to convert five different units and correctly apply my high school geometry. As of the time of this writing, I found it much easier to run the following query into Wolfram Alpha: What is the volume of a cylinder 4 feet long with a diameter of 4 inches? With the dimensions I entered, it told me that the volume is 2.611 gallons and this much water would weigh 22 lbs. Substitute your own figures so you can calculate the volume of water you can safely suspend.
- Glue/cement/seal the female adapters to the ends of the pipe.
- Holding the pipe horizontally, make a hole at the bottom towards of one ends and insert the stop valve. Seal it. Keep the valve near one end so the system can use every last drop of water with the reservoir at a slight incline.
- Make a larger hole at the top, close to the opposite end, for filling. Large enough to fit a garden hose or whatever you will use to fill it.
- Make a hole next to the stop valve. Insert and seal the male-to-barb elbow in place with the barb on the outside, facing the front. The "front" is the side you will stand on to view the water level.
- Fit the hose on the barb.
- Place the cork ball in the hose.
- Jam a small piece of screen mesh into the end to keep the skeeters out and the ball in.
- Glue or tie the hose against the pipe so it stands up.
- Look at the ball.
- Screw the male plugs onto the ends.
- Drink a fancy bottle of tequila.
- Put the cork in the fill hole.
- Hang up the reservoir near the planters.
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