Tap a hole in plastic barrel?

[Travelover]

I have a couple of 55 gallon plastic barrels with two threaded bung holes each in the top.

I'd like to have a hose bib on the bottom of each to draw out water, but I need to have a 1/2" threaded hole in the side, near the bottom. I do have a 1/2" pipe tap. I can't reach inside to thread on anything on the inside because the two bungs holes are only 3" or so in diameter - it would be like assembling a ship in a bottle.

Any tricks on how to do this? Obviously I can just drill a hole and run in the tap, but I wondering if some trick is involved to get a clean thread that will seal and be relatively strong. Maybe use heat?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I just drilled a hole and screwed a faucet into the hole, nothing on the inside holding it. they have held up for years so far.

 

[George2615]

Two things come to my mind.
1) Drill and tap the hole and use a thread sealant on the bib you screw into the threads.
2) Drill and tap the hole and if using a metal hose bib heat it with a torch and thread it in while hot. The heat should slightly melt the threads you tapped to the bib.
3) If you use a plastic bib you may be limited to option 1.
I used method 2 with good results (no leaks) many years ago for a rain water collection barrel for watering a flower bed garden. Heated a brass spigot and threaded it into the plastic drum then attached a garden hose to it.
Maybe someone else has a better idea.
Let us know what works.

 

[GBeck]

turn the barrel upside down...now the hole you need is at the bottom

 

[LBrown59]

turn the barrel upside down...now the hole you need is at the bottom

So how do you fill it from the bottom.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Drill a 1 inch hole in your barrel with a hole saw. Get a spigot with 3/4" NPT male thread. The larger the flange at back of the spigot, the better. Wrap the threads with teflon tape. Thread into the hole. When you're close shoot some silicone between the barrel and the spigot flange. Snug it up tight, without going gorilla on it.

This is the procedure outlined by a set of plans for rain barrel construction that I got from the city of Springfield last year. The one thing that I added to it is that I used a 1.5 to 1 inch electrical box bushing (look by the service panels and conduit) between the spigot and the barrel.

It's held up to over a year of blistering heat and sub-zero cold and hasn't leaked a drop.

If a rain barrel is what you're working on, here's a link to the PDF, which is very good.

http://www.jrbp.missouristate.edu/RainBarrellInstructions.pdf

 

[Cat_Driver]

You need to put in some of these

Companion Flange 150 lb Female Thread PVC Threaded Pipe Fittings - US Plastic Corporation

 

[Tig]

So how do you fill it from the bottom.

You fill it first, then turn it over, silly.

 

[J_J]

I have a couple of 55 gallon plastic barrels with two threaded bung holes each in the top.

I'd like to have a hose bib on the bottom of each to draw out water, but I need to have a 1/2" threaded hole in the side, near the bottom. I do have a 1/2" pipe tap. I can't reach inside to thread on anything on the inside because the two bungs holes are only 3" or so in diameter - it would be like assembling a ship in a bottle.

Any tricks on how to do this? Obviously I can just drill a hole and run in the tap, but I wondering if some trick is involved to get a clean thread that will seal and be relatively strong. Maybe use heat?

You might do a test on the barrel with PVC glue and see if it will bond. If it does, drill your hole and set the fitting in the hole with PVC cement. Another trick would be to put a threaded fitting on a length of PVC and put it inside the barrel, coming through the barrel, and put a fitting on the new fitting to secure it and then unscrew the pipe that you used to insert the fitting. Piece of cake, if you know what I mean.

 

[Egon]

Are we to assume that the drain will be by gravity?

Is there any reason the barrel must stand up rite. It could lay on it's side with the two bungs orientated on the vertical axis.

You could also use a barrel tipper.

As mentioned the barrel could stand upside down. Piping for filling and draining should be no problem. You would only need to use the one bung to work with although you may have air pressure equalization issues on an ongoing temporary temporary basis.