Tag Archives: Efficiency

Gamma Seal Lids

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Category: 5 Gallon Bucket Accessories
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The Problem with Snap Lids

bucket opener 5 gallon

Taking standard snap lids off of 5 gallon buckets is extraordinary difficult. I’ve encountered lids that have taken ten minutes and several rest periods to get off. The trick is actually to pull out on the rim rather than up.

Several inventions have hit your local bucket outlet to deal with this problem, including the bucket opener pictured to the left. It opens buckets in under a second, and saves your fingertips for another day. Check out our bucket wrench article if it suits your fancy.

The Solution: Spinning Lids

For a more permanent solution, here’s the Gamma seal lid. It screws on and comes with its own grips  to make screwing and unscrewing easier. Gamma seal lids are much easier to open, yet are just as waterproof as your vanilla bucket.

gamma-seal-lid-grain

Gamma seal lids come in two parts, the rim and the center piece. The rim is affixed permanently to the bucket, with help of a rubber mallet. Continue reading →

Rainwater Collection

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Category: 5 Gallon Bucket Uses
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Rainwater Catchment in BucketsThe pacific northwest monsoon season is arriving in my neighborhood. I use the term “neighborhood” loosely, as I’m spending a few weeks living on a sailboat.

Life on the water finds even more uses for buckets than life on shore. On rainy days, just a few catch enough water to meet all my drinking and cooking needs. The water is delicious and clear, unlike our municipal source which has a faint yellow sediment tint this time of year.

The only filter I need is an old t-shirt tied over-top one of the buckets. Its main function is to filter out sand, which is ubiquitous on the boat. In my system, the two open buckets are poured manually into the filter bucket when I need water.

Rainwater Collection Filter

The rains here are aggressive enough that I don’t need a panel to collect enough water, but if I used a clean tarp to increase my collection surface I would have enough water to start a water bottling company! What would you pay for a bottle of fresh, pure, five gallon bucket water?