FCMP RC4000 Gallon Heavy Duty Outdoor Home Rain Catcher Barrel Instruction Manual
- June 14, 2024
- FCMP
Table of Contents
FCMP RC4000 Gallon Heavy Duty Outdoor Home Rain Catcher Barrel
Assembly and Installation of RainCatcher 4000
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Take the garden hose that comes with your barrel. It has a convenient thumb valve at one end. Attach the other end of this hose to the smaller outlet spigot (5/8″ or 1.5 cm diameter) at the front base of the barrel and secure it with the small clamp provided. If you have any difficulty attaching it just immerse the tube in hot water for approximately 30 seconds. The tube should then fit easily over the spigot and you can clamp it on. Once it is secured, lift the valve end up to the top of the barrel and place it in the slot on the top of the barrel. This will keep the outlet hose off the ground and easily accessible.
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Next take the plastic overflow tube that is included with your barrel and attach it to the overflow spigot on the back of the barrel (the center spigot, which faces down). Secure this tubing with the tie strap provided. This tubing will extend straight down and travel underneath the barrel, to exit out the front of the barrel at the bottom. When the barrel is full, excess water flows out of this overflow tube, and can easily be diverted. Be sure to direct this tubing away from building foundations to avoid flooding when the barrel overflows. You may want to place pieces of slate or a patch of pebbles at the end of the overflow outlet tube to prevent water from washing soil away.
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Next place the debris screen on the top of the barrel. This strong aluminum mesh screen will keep out leaves, shingle grit, sticks and other debris, as well as safely protecting animals and pets from entering the barrel. As needed, you may remove the debris screen and rinse it off for easy cleaning.
Caution
* Rain water can only be used for garden watering purposes. Do not use for consump-tion (human or animal).
* This rainbarrel is equipped with a debris screen which has sturdy spokes for the safety of small children and pets. DO NOT modify or remove these spokes –doing so would compromise the design of the barrel making it unsafe to use.- Please note that the barrel must be placed on as flat a surface as possible. It is recommended that you use a leveled base of pressure treated wood or a patio stone to prevent shifting or tipping.
- Before positioning your barrel, you will also need to shorten your current down spout so that the water will exit into the barrel. Begin by measuring how much you will need to cut out of the spout so that the shortened spout will be approximately 2 inches (5 cm) from the top of the barrel screen. First remove the curved end portion of the existing spout and trim the straight portion of the spout to the desired new length. Once you reattach the curved end portion to the vertical spout portion you are ready to place your barrel underneath it. The 2 inch (5 cm) clearance above the barrel is required to allow you to remove the filter for cleaning.
Dealing with Overflow Water
The RainCatcher 4000 has a capacity of 54 US gallons or 205 litres. This
may seem like a lot of water but when you consider that a roof area of 1,000
square feet will capture 625 gallons from just a one inch rain fall, you know
that your barrel is going to fill quickly. This is why the RainCatcher 4000 is
equipped with an external overflow tube and why we have designed this product
to also be linked in-series.
Linking RainCatcher 4000
Barrels In-Series:
Please note that the RainCatcher 4000 has two in-series spigots to the left
and right of the back of each barrel. This allows for unlimited barrel
arrangements.
- To link two barrels, assemble each barrel as described in the previous panels.
- Cut off the end of the in-series overflow spigot on the right hand side of one barrel and the left spigot on the other. This is best done with a small hacksaw or sharp utility knife. You need only trim .25 inch (.6 cm) off of each spigot.
- Set the two barrels side-by-side with the open spigots facing each other.
- Take the small hose from your Hardware pack. Secure this hose to each spigot with tie straps provided.
- As the first barrel reaches capacity, the overflow water will automatically flow to the adjacent barrel and store there until needed. Repeat this procedure to add additional barrels.
Warning – Winter Storage
* If you live in a cold climate, drain the barrel and hose completely.
* Hoses should be stored inside. Place the barrel upside down to avoid water freezing and cracking the barrel.Forest City Models & Patterns Ltd. Warranty
- One (1) Year Warranty on Manufacturer Defects. Warranty excludes cracking from improper use.
- For warranty issues, please contact
- Forest City Models & Patterns:
ABOUT COMPANY
- Forest City Models & Patterns Ltd. 157 Gerald Parkway, PO Box 257 Thorndale, Ontario, Canada N0M 2P0
- Phone: 519-858-5795
- Fax: 519-858-9196
- e-mail: csr@fcmponline.com