Weatherproofing

Yesterday we covered using 5 gallon buckets as protection from flooding. Today I have a little bit more to say on protection from the elements with buckets.

A 5 gallon bucket can protect against just about any weather condition that can cause damage – including wind, rain, sun exposure or even hail.

This is the chicken plucker we used last week to butcher a couple dozen old hens that aren’t producing eggs anymore.

chicken plucker

The chicken plucking process needs a strong and steady stream of water, which due to our motor design, has shorted out the engine when it got just a bit too wet.

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Flood Preparation with 5 Gallon Buckets

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen some of the worst flooding in American history. In 2005 New Orleans was drenched by Katrina, then in 2012 Hurricane Sandy filled up New York City’s famous subway system. Today, June 23 2013, floods are washing away great portions of Calgary – even though the city itself is nowhere near the ocean. So almost no matter where you live, floods from an increasingly bipolar climate can affect you.

flood damage in calgary

I’d like to propose an uncommon strategy for dealing with flood waters – keeping sealable 5 gallon buckets around to hide your possessions from water inundation.

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Cutting Open a 55 Gallon Drum

Recently we decided to brew up a batch of nettle tea, which is a good high-nitrogen fertilizer. It’s something we can make free since nettles grow so prolifically here.

Normally of course we’d use a 5 gallon bucket to make the tea, but we needed a large batch to use on a large growing area.

We have a bunch of these 55 gallon drums which we bought 2nd hand from a pickling operation for 20$ each. But 55 gallon drums only have a small spout where we wanted an open top like a 5 gallon bucket would have. So it was time to do a bit of surgery.

blue 55 gallon drum

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Tool Organizer

Tool organizers are the single most popular bucket accessory out there. These versatile utility covers slip onto a 5 gallon bucket similar to how you would put on a very large tool belt or tool vest.

tool organizer

In fact tool organizers are so popular that you can get ones specifically designed for the types of tools you’re holding – whether you’re a contractor, gardener, or even a seamstress!

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Ash Bucket

Few people still heat with wood, but it’s still a very economical way to warm a building, especially with highly efficient fireplace inserts or new clean-burning technologies such as the rocket stove.

The most popular way to deal with excess of fireplace ash is in a nice sturdy metal ash bucket next have next to your fire area. Just make sure you never confuse your cremation urns with your ash buckets!

ash-bucket-with-ashes

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