Getting Water out of a 55-gallon Barrel

We have three 55-gallon water barrels in our garage. It had been over a year since we had last filled them, so a couple of months ago I put it on my to-do list: "Rotate Water in Barrels".

I have had NO LUCK with the little water pump I bought to pump the water out of these barrels. Here is the only way we know to empty them (they are way too heavy to tip over when they are full.)

You need two people, A and B. First, open the hole in the barrel.

A: Attach a garden hose to the outdoor faucet. Turn on the water until it comes out the end of the hose.

B: Stand at the end of the hose, hold the end up about head height, and tell Person A to turn off the water. Keep holding the end of the hose up.

A: Unscrew the garden hose from the faucet and hold the end up at head height. Neither person should let any water out of the hose.

A: Should walk toward the lowest part of the yard, still holding the end of the hose high.

B: Go inside the garage, quickly insert the hose into the barrel, plunging it into the deepest part of the barrel. Don't let any air get into the hose. Yell at Person A to drop his end of the hose.

A: Drop your end of the hose. (It is best if your barrels are stored somewhere that is higher than the lowest part of your yard.) The water running out will pull the water out of the barrel.

In my yard, my barrels are only about 3 feet higher than the lowest part of my yard. Each barrel emptied in about 30 minutes.

Then I dragged the empty barrel out into the yard and rinsed it, and put it back into the garage. I was happy to see that the water barrels looked quite clean inside, no algae or anything had been growing in there. Then I cleaned off the hose as well as I could, and attached the hose to the faucet, and filled the barrel up again. That took about 20-30 minutes, quicker than emptying it. (Keep a close watch so you don't flood your garage.) I labeled the barrels, and plan to rotate them again in another 6-8 months.



Here are the water storage guidelines from ProvidentLiving.Org http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7534-1-4065-1,00.html
Water Pretreatment

Water from a chlorinated municipal water supply does not need further treatment when stored in clean, food-grade containers.
Non-chlorinated water should be treated with bleach. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon (8 drops) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every gallon (4 liters) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.
Storage

Containers should be emptied and refilled regularly.
Store water only where potential leakage would not damage your home or apartment.
Protect stored water from light and heat. Some containers may also require protection from freezing.
The taste of stored water can be improved by pouring it back and forth between two containers before use.