5-gallon rack bucket — Designs

Why this kit

Stock pails are not rack-ready. This is the drilled process module that sits in a modular cradle or municipal bank. Kitchen collection pails stay undrilled and share the same lid kit.

What you build

Harvest port — underside near the open rim; ~20 mm past the metal band; threaded fitting; bottle hangs down.
Drain cluster — many ~4–8 mm holes at the low-end underside (leachate); no mesh.
Aeration — sparse ~4–6 mm on the sides and upper curve when tilted—not on the bottom curve.
Adult entry — larger ~7–9 mm ports (under 1 cm) in the open-end / top third on sides and upper curve only, so adults can fly in without spills from the bottom.
Lid — completed BSF-5G-LID on the open end.

Schematics

Build from these drawings—not from marketing photos. Scroll the set; each figure is the measuring source.

Side elevation at ~36° — drains on low underside; aeration/adults off bottom curve

Harvest port — ~20 mm past the metal band

Hole layout at ~36° — drains low; aeration and adult ports on sides/upper only

Materials

Gather these before you cut. Optional items use unit optional or qty 0 for notes.

Qty	Unit	Item	Spec	Notes
1	each	Vessel	5 gal (19 L) food-grade HDPE bakery/restaurant pail; clean	Process/rack only—do not drill collection pails
1	each	Threaded harvest fitting	Bulkhead or 3/4 in PVC male adapter through underside ~20 mm past metal band; washers + nut	~20 mm past metal band; PET 28-400 preferred
1	each	Collection bottle	1–2 L PET (or jar) with matching thread; hangs DOWN	Bottom cut off for emptying if needed
1	lot	Drain cluster	Many ~4–8 mm on low-end underside (closed-bottom corner)	Leachate only; no interior mesh; deburr
1	lot	Aeration holes	Sparse ~4–6 mm on sides + upper curve when tilted (mid shell)	Keep off ground-facing bottom curve—nothing should drain/fall out
1	lot	Adult entry ports	~7–9 mm (under 10 mm) in open-end / top third on sides + upper curve	Adults fly in to oviposit; never on bottom curve when at 36°
1	tube	Sealant	Silicone (food-contact rated if available)	Harvest fitting only
1	each	Lid kit	BSF-5G-LID completed stock lip lid with sub-lid	See /designs/5-gallon-lid/
1	set	Tools	Drill; hole saw/step bit; 4–9 mm bits; deburr; wrenches; inclinometer	Clamp pail when cutting harvest hole

Optional spreadsheet download: materials.csv

Build guide

Mark, cut, fit, and water-test steps are on the full build guide (HTML; works offline in the PWA). Print that page or any schematic from the browser for paper.

Mark underside stripe and head (open) vs closed ends on a clean food-grade pail.
Cut harvest hole ~20 mm past the metal band on the underside; install threaded fitting.
Drill the low-corner drain cluster; add side/upper aeration and adult ports in the open-end third (keep off the bottom curve); deburr; no interior mesh.
Fit the lid kit; water-test bottle and drains over a tray; seat in cradle.

Photos (looks like this)

Illustrative only — never for measuring. Prefer schematics above for hole zones (drain cluster vs aeration vs adult ports vs keep-out bottom curve).

Illustrative tilted rack bucket showing drilled aeration rows and harvest bottle near the lid — Illustrative AI still — drilled process shell with visible aeration rows and underside harvest bottle. Exact hole zones and keep-out bottom curve: see the hole-layout schematic above.

Illustrative close-up of drilled drain holes weeping into a leachate tray — Illustrative drain-cluster detail — dense weep holes into a tray. On the build, cluster that pattern on the low underside when the pail is at ~36°, not as a measuring template.

License: CERN-OHL-P-2.0 · Design ID BSF-5G-RACK