Waterering System

I'M TRYING TO DECIDE HOW TO BUILD A WATER NIPPLE DRINKING SYSTEM (FOR THE CHICKENS THAT I DO NOT YET HAVE); I'M STILL WORKING ON MY COOP AND ULTIMATELY THE YARD AREA. SOME OF THE FORUM THREADS HAVE PROVIDED SOME GREAT INSIGHT INTO USING THE WATER NIPPLES BUT I STILL HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. WILL A 55 GAL RESERVOIR CAUSE TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE IN-LINE NIPPLES? IF YES, THEN WHAT IS THE LARGEST CAPACITY TANK THAT WOULD WORK? I PLAN TO BUILD A STORAGE PLATFORM OUTSIDE THE CHICKEN COOP TO HOLD THE DRUM; THIS WAY I CAN RESUPPLY THE WATER WITHOUT GOING IN AND OUT OF THE COOP. THE DRUMS HAVE THREADED BUNGHOLES AND I WANT TO THREAD A SPIGOT INTO THE BUNGHOLE AND THEN BUILD A PVC SERVICE LINE FROM THE SPIGOT. I WILL INCORPORATE A QUICK DISCONNECT BELOW THE SPIGOT SO THAT THE DRUM COULD BE REPAIRED/REMOVED/REPLACED IF NEEDED. IT WOULD ALSO GIVE ME ACCESS TO THE LINE FOR EASY CLEAN-OUT, ETC. AT THE CONNECTION TO THE SPIGOT I PLAN TO USE A TINY SCREEN (MUCH LIKE THOSE USED IN WASHING MACHINE LINES) TO CATCH ANY SEDIMENT, SAND ETC. FROM THE WELL; THIS WOULD GIVE ADDED PROTECTION TO KEEP THE NIPPLES IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK HERE, OR DO I NEED TO RETHINK THIS THING? I'M ALSO UNCERTAIN AS TO WHICH NIPPLES I SHOULD USE. I REALLY LIKE THE ONES WITH THE SNAP-ON SADDLE AND TWIST-IN NIPPLE ON PICTURETRAIL. THESE WOULD BE EASIER TO USE FOR CLEANING OUT THE LINE, ETC, BUT THERE MAY BE DISADVANTAGES THAT I'M NOT AWARE OF. I ALSO LIKE THE INSTALLED 1/2" x 1/8" PVC TEE FOR 1/2" PIPE. I'M GUESSING THAT THE NIPPLES COULD BE UNSCREWED FOR LINE CLEANOUT. IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN THE SADDLE-TYPE INSTALLATION REQUIRES 3/4" PVC. AM I MAKING ANY SINCE WITH THIS THING? I'M OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS.

 

hope the caps didn't offend anyone. sorry. Big letters help me see better. thanks for the great feedback. i do plan to lay the drum on its side because of the spigot. i can run the supply line with very little drop from the bottom of the barrel. all i need is enough room to make a turn from the quick disconnect coupler. the larger the pvc pipe, the easier it will be to make the line. a rain collection system is a great idea, but if i can use a 55 gallon drum, then i should have enough supply to last at least a week, maybe longer. i'll only have 12 to 14 chickens. i'm thinking about having four nipples. this should give the ol' hens plenty of ports to get water. it gets very hot here in the summer time. thanks for the other post sites. i actually saw these during my investigating different threads and that is what lead me to build a nipple line. i wouldn't be cleaning the lines "regularly", but it would be nice to have a line that I could clean if necessary - just trying to think ahead. if i had a completely sealed line with no way to remove the nipples it would be difficult to clean out. when all of the water comes from a well you never know what will be pumped into the house. i have to clean out the washing machine screens about once a year. little pieces of grit, sediment, etc collects on the screen. the same thing can happen to a nipple water line, i guess. anyhway, thank yall for great advice and suggestions. do any of you use the saddle/twist type nipples?

 

one more question: at the picturetrail website they show a picture of a pvc tee that has the water nipple installed. are these available here on byc?