Project guide

275 gallons off a modest roof, every decent storm.

The most common thing people build from a reused IBC, and the one most often built badly. Four details separate a system that works for a decade from one that becomes a green, mosquito-breeding nuisance by the second August.

Short answer

A roof sheds about 0.62 gallons per square foot per inch of rain — roughly 600 gallons from 1,000 sq ft per inch. Build with a first-flush diverter, mesh over every opening, an opaque or covered bottle and a winter drain-down plan. Rainwater harvesting is unrestricted in Pennsylvania and encouraged by some stormwater programmes.

Yield: 0.62 gal / ft² / inch
Norristown rainfall: ≈45 in / year
Tote grade: C, non-toxic prior
PA restrictions: None residential

Work order · 90-second form

Buy the tote or the finished system

We sell bare Grade C containers and complete harvesting builds with stand, diverter and screening.

Sizing

How much roof do you need?

Roof catchment yield by area and rainfall
Roof area	0.25 in	0.5 in	1 in	2 in	Annual (45 in)
400 sq ft	62 gal	125 gal	249 gal	498 gal	11,200 gal
800 sq ft	125 gal	249 gal	498 gal	997 gal	22,400 gal
1,200 sq ft	187 gal	374 gal	748 gal	1,496 gal	33,600 gal
2,000 sq ft	312 gal	623 gal	1,247 gal	2,493 gal	56,100 gal
3,500 sq ft	545 gal	1,090 gal	2,182 gal	4,363 gal	98,200 gal
5,000 sq ft	779 gal	1,558 gal	3,116 gal	6,233 gal	140,200 gal

The build

Seven steps, and the four details that matter.

01
Build the stand first
Every foot of elevation gives about 0.43 psi of head. A tote on a 24-inch stand delivers usable pressure to a soaker hose; a tote on the ground barely dribbles. The stand must carry 2,425 lb — welded steel or concrete block on a compacted, level base. Not pallets.
02
Fit a first-flush diverter
Detail one. The first few gallons off a roof carry bird droppings, grit, pollen and whatever the gutter has been accumulating. A diverter sends that volume to waste before the tank inlet opens. Without it, you are filling a tank with the dirtiest water available.
03
Screen every opening
Detail two. Fine stainless or fibreglass mesh over the inlet, the overflow and any vent. Mosquitoes need standing water and a way in; remove the way in and the problem disappears entirely. Check the mesh each spring.
04
Block the light
Detail three. A translucent bottle in daylight grows algae within weeks. Use a black UV-stabilised bottle, a fitted opaque cover, or permanent shade. This also slows UV embrittlement and roughly triples the container's outdoor life.
05
Plumb the overflow properly
A bulkhead near the top of the bottle, piped away from foundations to a soakaway, rain garden or the next tank in the bank. An unmanaged overflow puts several hundred gallons against your building at exactly the moment the ground is already saturated.
06
Gang the tanks low
Connect multiple totes bottom-to-bottom with a 2-inch manifold so they equalise and draw down evenly. Connecting them at the top means the second tank only fills when the first overflows, which wastes both capacity and head.
07
Plan the winter
Detail four. Drain below 10% before a sustained freeze, leave the valve open and the system vented. A partly full tote is the most likely to split. Everything about this is on the winterising guide.

Parts

What a good system actually costs.

Typical single-tote rainwater system, parts and cost
Component	Specification	Typical cost	Skippable?
IBC tote	275 gal Grade C, non-toxic prior	$60 – $95	No
Welded steel stand	24" elevation, 2,500 lb rated	$240	Use blocks instead
First-flush diverter	Downpipe mounted, 5–8 gal	$45 – $80	No — never
Inlet screen	Stainless or fibreglass mesh	$12	No — never
Overflow bulkhead + pipe	2" bulkhead, piped to soakaway	$35	No
UV cover	Woven poly, drawstring	$45	Only if bottle is black
Outlet adapter	S60x6 to 3/4" GHT with shut-off	$18	No
Manifold kit (per extra tank)	2" camlock, hose, valves	$65	Single-tank systems only
Complete build from our shop	All of the above, assembled	From $420	—

Rainwater questions

Legality and build details.

Winter care on the winterising guide.

Rainwater harvesting — FAQ

Is rainwater harvesting legal in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Pennsylvania places no restriction on residential rainwater collection, and the state's stormwater management framework actively encourages it — some municipalities offer credits against stormwater fees for installed capacity. Keep the system clearly non-potable, and check local ordinances for anything about setbacks or above-ground tanks if you are installing a large bank.

How much rain can I collect?

Roughly 0.62 gallons per square foot of roof per inch of rainfall, before losses. One inch on 1,000 square feet yields about 600 gallons — a little over two 275 gallon totes. Norristown averages about 45 inches a year, so a 1,000 square foot roof sheds on the order of 27,000 gallons annually, of which a modest tank bank can practically capture a useful fraction.

Which IBC tote should I use for rainwater?

Grade C is entirely adequate for non-potable garden and irrigation use, provided the prior contents were non-toxic — which we will tell you. Choose a black UV-stabilised or covered bottle to stop algae, and fit mesh over every opening. For anything touching edible crops close to harvest, step up to food-grade stock.

How do I stop mosquitoes and algae?

Mosquitoes need standing water and an opening; deny the opening. Fine mesh over the inlet, over the overflow and over the vent, checked each spring. Algae needs light; deny the light with a black bottle, an opaque cover or shade. Both problems are entirely preventable at the build stage and extremely annoying to fix afterwards.

Buy it built

Complete harvesting systems from our Norristown shop.

Open

Parts list

Adapters, screens, covers and manifold kits.

Open

Farm-scale capture

Barn roofs, gang banks and irrigation integration.

Open

Two stained and weathered used IBC totes in a yard, showing discoloured bottles and worn labels

Good candidates

Structurally sound, cosmetically finished — exactly what a harvesting build wants

The yard reference · carried on every page

Twelve reference sheets, because you should not have to ask us for a number.

Specifications, grading definitions, prices, thread standards, flow rates, weights, gasket selection, wash chemistry, freight limits, circular-route arithmetic, failure modes and conversions. Open what you need; none of it is gated and none of it changes depending on who is asking.

Container specs16 rows

Every dimension for the two sizes that make up 93% of the market.

The two sizes that are 93% of the market
Attribute	275 gallon	330 gallon
Capacity	275 gal / 1,041 L	330 gal / 1,249 L
Footprint	48" × 40"	48" × 40"
Height	46"	53"
Tare weight	125–135 lb	140–155 lb
Gross, water	≈2,425 lb	≈2,900 lb
Max gross mass	2,800 lb	3,300 lb
Bottle mass	38–45 lb HDPE	45–52 lb HDPE
Cage + base mass	≈55 lb steel	≈62 lb steel
Stack, full	2 high	2 high
Stack, empty	4 high	4 high
Two-high stack height	92"	106"
Per 53′ van, volume	48	40
Per 53′ van, weight-limited	17 full	14 full
Fill opening	6" vented or solid	6" vented or solid
Discharge	2" butterfly, S60x6	2" butterfly, S60x6
Forklift entry	4-way	4-way

Grading standard10 rows

Our written definitions — the same ones printed on every quote.

Our written grading standard, in one table
	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C	Food grade
Wash	Documented	Documented	Rinse only	Documented + sanitise
Bottle	Clear–translucent	Light haze permitted	Heavy staining	Clear, odour-free
Odour	None	Faint, product-typical	May be present	None
Prior contents	Documented, benign	Documented	May be absent	Edible only, documented
Cage	Square, no node rust	Sound, cosmetic dings	Cosmetic damage OK	Sound
Gasket	New	New	As-is	New, FDA EPDM
Leak test	Passed, recorded	Passed, recorded	Not tested	Passed, recorded
Food contact	Only if food prior	No	Never	Yes
Price band, 275 gal	$165–$225	$110–$165	$60–$95	$225–$300
Share of our sales	18%	58%	17%	7%

2026 price bands8 rows

Published rather than extracted through a contact form.

2026 Mid-Atlantic price bands, 275 gallon
Type	Single unit	Pallet (4+)	Truckload (48)	Lead time
Grade C as-is	$60–$95	$56–$88	$52–$78	1–2 days
Grade B washed	$110–$165	$102–$152	$95–$140	1–3 days
Grade A rinsed	$165–$225	$153–$208	$140–$190	1–3 days
Food grade	$225–$300	$210–$278	$195–$260	2–5 days
Rebottled	$250–$340	$236–$316	$220–$295	3–7 days
New composite	$420–$560	$400–$530	$380–$500	5–15 days
Cage only	$35–$65	$32–$60	$30–$55	1–3 days
We pay you for empties	$15–$85	$20–$85	$28–$85	Collection ≤2 weeks

Threads & flow9 rows

Measured on our own line: full tote of water, vented lid, valve open.

Threads, adapters and gravity flow
Fitting	Specification	Initial flow	Time to empty 275 gal	Typical use
3" butterfly	3" flange, PP body	128 gpm	3.5 min	Batch dumping, viscous
2" butterfly	S60x6 outlet, EPDM seat	70 gpm	6.5 min	Standard discharge
2" camlock	S60x6 → 2″ male cam	62 gpm	7.2 min	Pump and transfer hose
2" NPT	S60x6 → 2″ male NPT	58 gpm	7.9 min	Rigid dosing plumbing
1" camlock	S60x6 → 1″ male cam	22 gpm	19.6 min	Drum filling, controlled
3/4" GHT	S60x6 → garden hose	9 gpm	45.8 min	Irrigation, wash-down
1/2" spigot	S60x6 → spigot	4 gpm	105 min	Hand filling, troughs
S60x6	60 mm OD, 6 mm pitch buttress	—	—	Modern standard outlet
S100x8	100 mm OD, 8 mm pitch	—	—	Legacy / EU — use a bushing

Weights by product10 rows

gallons × 8.34 × specific gravity + tare. The number people skip.

Gross weight by product — the calculation people skip
Product	SG	275 gal gross	330 gal gross	Stack?
Ethanol	0.79	1,940 lb	2,310 lb	Yes
Diesel / fuel oil	0.85	2,080 lb	2,480 lb	Yes — steel bin only
Vegetable oil	0.92	2,240 lb	2,670 lb	Yes
Water	1.00	2,425 lb	2,900 lb	Yes
Latex emulsion	1.05	2,540 lb	3,040 lb	With care
Brine 23%	1.20	2,880 lb	3,450 lb	No
Liquid fertiliser 28-0-0	1.28	3,065 lb	3,670 lb	No
Corn syrup 42 DE	1.33	3,180 lb	3,810 lb	No — partial fill
Sulphuric acid 50%	1.40	3,340 lb	4,000 lb	Partial fill
Sodium hydroxide 50%	1.52	3,615 lb	4,335 lb	Partial fill

Gasket selection10 rows

The cheapest decision in the specification, and the one most often wrong.

Gasket and wetted-part selection
Product family	Gasket	Valve body	Container	Avoid
Water, brine, glycol	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	—
Dilute acids	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	Brass, carbon steel
Caustics	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	Aluminium
Alcohols under 20% ABV	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	—
Alcohols over 20% ABV	Viton	Stainless	Stainless bin	Poly bottles
Vegetable and mineral oils	Viton	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	EPDM gaskets
Fuels, diesel, kerosene	Viton	PP or stainless	Steel bin	Poly bottles
Aromatic solvents	Viton	Stainless	316L bin	All poly parts
Food ingredients	EPDM (FDA)	PP (FDA)	Food-grade poly	Non-FDA elastomers
Flavour, essence, botanical	Viton	Stainless	316L bin	Poly bottles

Wash cycles8 rows

The cycle follows the residue. A default cycle is how you get a clean-looking tote that smells.

Wash cycle by residue class
Residue	Cycle	Temp	Chemistry	Water	Cost	Outcome
Water-soluble benign	Cold triple rinse	Ambient	None	22 gal	$18–$28	Grade A/B
Sugars, syrups	Hot caustic + sanitise	148–156 °F	1.5% NaOH	45 gal	$35–$55	Food grade if prior allows
Proteins	Hot caustic + sanitise	150–158 °F	2% NaOH	48 gal	$40–$58	Food grade if prior allows
Oils, fats	Degrease + hot rinse	135–150 °F	Alkaline surfactant	52 gal	$45–$70	Grade A/B
Surfactants	Extended rinse + defoam	Ambient–120 °F	Defoamer	40 gal	$30–$48	Grade B only
Latex, emulsions	Mechanical + strip	125–140 °F	Alkaline	50 gal	$50–$75	Grade B/C
Acids, caustics	Neutralise + rinse	Ambient	Counter-agent	35 gal	$32–$50	Grade B
Unknown	Triple rinse, downgrade	Ambient	None	22 gal	$20–$30	Grade C only

Freight limits8 rows

Volume capacity and weight capacity are different numbers, and weight wins.

What fits on what — volume and weight limits
Vehicle	Full, 2 high	Weight-limited full	Empty, 4 high	Liftgate
53′ dry van	48	17	96	No
48′ flatbed	40	17	80	No
26′ box truck	24	8	48	Yes
16′ box truck	12	5	24	Yes
Sprinter van	4	2	8	Yes
20′ sea container	20	17	40	No
40′ sea container	42	17	84	No
Drop trailer, 53′	48	17	96	No

Circular routes7 rows

Ranked by burden avoided. Landfill is not on the list.

The seven circular routes, ranked by burden avoided
#	Route	CO₂e avoided	Water avoided	% of new-unit burden	Share of intake
1	Reuse as-is after rinse	88 kg	190 gal	100%	60.9%
2	Wash and return to service	83 kg	163 gal	94%	22.3%
3	Rebottle	55 kg	118 gal	62%	6.0%
4	Salvage cage for another unit	36 kg	76 gal	41%	3.0%
5	Upcycle into a built product	31 kg	66 gal	35%	0.9%
6	Granulate to HDPE regrind	30 kg	62 gal	34%	6.9%
7	Landfill	0 kg	0 gal	0%	0%

Failure modes8 rows

What actually retires a container and where each one goes afterwards.

What actually retires a container, and whether it is fixable
Failure	Where it starts	Share of retirements	Fixable?	Route
Bottle stress cracking	Base radius	41%	No	Granulate bottle, keep cage
Freeze split	Mid-height, at the old liquid line	16%	No	Granulate bottle, keep cage
Contamination beyond wash	Absorbed into the wall	14%	No	Granulate bottle, keep cage
Bottle deformation	Whole wall, from overfill or heat	11%	No	Rebottle
Cage node corrosion	Welded intersections, corner columns	10%	Sometimes	Mill the steel
Missing prior-contents record	Paperwork, not the container	8%	No	Grade C only
Base rail damage	Fork pockets	—	Yes, on steel	Repair or replace base
Gasket failure	Outlet and lid seals	—	Always	Replace, $4

Delivery corridors7 rows

If you sit on a route we already run, small loads become viable.

Scheduled corridors from 800 River Rd
Corridor	Key stops	Frequency	Minimum load	Buy-back
I-76 West	Conshohocken, King of Prussia, Reading, Harrisburg	2× weekly	4 units	Yes
I-95 South	Philadelphia, Chester, Wilmington, Baltimore	2× weekly	4 units	Yes
I-95 North	Trenton, New Brunswick, Newark, Elizabeth	Weekly	6 units	Yes
NE Extension	Lansdale, Quakertown, Allentown, Bethlehem	Weekly	6 units	Yes
US-30 West	West Chester, Downingtown, Lancaster, York	Weekly	6 units	Yes
US-202 North	Doylestown, New Hope, Flemington	Weekly	4 units	Yes
Delmarva	Dover, Salisbury, Easton	Fortnightly	10 units	By arrangement

Conversions12 rows

The arithmetic that comes up daily.

Conversions used every day in this yard
From	To	Multiply by	Worked example
US gallons	Litres	3.785	275 gal = 1,041 L
Litres	US gallons	0.2642	1,000 L = 264 gal
US gallons of water	Pounds	8.34	275 gal = 2,294 lb
Pounds	Kilograms	0.4536	2,425 lb = 1,100 kg
Inches	Millimetres	25.4	48" = 1,219 mm
Cubic feet	US gallons	7.481	51 ft³ = 381 gal
Cubic yards	Cubic feet	27	1.4 yd³ = 37.8 ft³
psi	Feet of head (water)	2.31	1.7 psi = 3.9 ft
Feet of head	psi	0.433	24 in stand = 0.87 psi
gpm	Litres per minute	3.785	70 gpm = 265 L/min
kg CO₂e	Miles not driven	2.5	88 kg = 220 miles
kg CO₂e	Mature trees, one year	0.0476	88 kg = 4.2 trees

Vocabulary, in twelve lines

IBC: Intermediate bulk container — anything between a drum and a tanker, in practice 110–550 gallons on a forkliftable base.
Composite IBC: An HDPE bottle inside a welded steel cage on a pallet base. The 275 and 330 gallon workhorses.
Tare: Empty weight of the container: 125–135 lb for a 275, 140–155 lb for a 330.
Gross mass: Container plus contents. Most 275s are rated to 2,800 lb; exceed it and the bottle bulges rather than bursts.
Node: A welded intersection in the cage where load actually transfers. The correct place to inspect.
S60x6: The standard outlet thread: 60 mm OD, 6 mm pitch buttress. Hand tight only.
Prior contents: What the container last held, logged against the original label. The single most consequential fact about any used tote.
Rebottle: A new HDPE bottle fitted into an inspected existing cage — virgin interior, 38% less embodied carbon than new.
Food grade: FDA-compliant resin plus an edible-only prior history plus a documented wash. All three, together.
UN 31HA1: Marking for a composite IBC approved for liquids. Belongs to the assembly and carries a service life.
Regrind: Granulated recycled HDPE. Post-industrial IBC regrind goes to pipe, conduit, pallets — never food contact.
Avoided burden: Environmental cost that did not occur because a container was reused instead of manufactured. Not an offset.

All 58 terms

The yard, in numbers

18,412: containers returned to service, rolling 12 months
91.9%: of intake leaves as a container, not as feedstock
1.62M kg: CO₂e avoided against a new-container baseline
543,000 lb: HDPE granulated into clean regrind in 2025
318,000 lb: steel baled to a regional mill in 2025
0 yd³: container material landfilled — six consecutive years
2,600: containers on the ground at the January peak
11%: of offered loads refused, and referred on
22: people at the Norristown yard, four of them drivers
6: states served by our own trucks

Where and when

IBC Totes PA LLC
800 River Rd
Norristown, PA 19406
hello@ibctotespa.com
quotes@ibctotespa.com
No telephone line — written quotes only.

Opening hours
Mon	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Tue	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Wed	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Thu	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Fri	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Sat	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sun	Closed

Next step

Every tote we keep alive is one that never gets made.

Get a written quote Sell us your empties

275 gallons off a modest roof, every decent storm.

Build the stand first

Fit a first-flush diverter

Screen every opening

Block the light

Plumb the overflow properly

Gang the tanks low

Plan the winter

Legality and build details.

Rainwater harvesting — FAQ

Buy it built

Parts list

Farm-scale capture

Every tote we keep alive is one that never gets made.