How To Make A Rain Barrel
Ever since we spotted a rain barrel in action on our visit to Matt & Kristin’s house last fall, Sherry and I have been itching to harness the power of our own otherwise wasted rainwater. So we participated in a recent rain barrel making workshop offered locally and we’re here to pass along the play by play.
First things first – why rain barrels? Well, placed under one of your downspouts, rain barrels conveniently collect rainwater that you can use to water gardens and lawns, wash cars or even fill birdbaths and ponds. A 1000 square foot roof yields about 600 gallons per inch of rainfall, so that’s a lot of water (and money) to be saved. We’ve even seen ‘em hooked up to a soaker hose for easy and free garden watering. Novel idea, eh?
Rain barrels are relatively easy to make, but finding the barrel can be a challenge. Which is why many people will purchase them already assembled for upwards of $120. Needless to say, we were thrilled to find a local workshop that provided the tools, equipment and instruction for only $40. They provided everyone with a 50 gallon food grade plastic barrel… that just happened to have a previous life as an olive shipping vessel. Funny, huh? Sherry said it made her mouth water.
The first step was drilling the hole for the faucet. You’ll want to drill it as low as possible (since the water below the hole won’t flow out) but not too low that you can’t attach a hose or place a watering can under it (which obviously would be no good). Here’s Sherry sitting on our barrel to keep it from rolling while one of the volunteers operated the hole saw (a regular drill with a hole-cutting attachment). In less than 20 seconds, we had a hole for our faucet.
You’ll want to keep the barrel on its side and then use your faucet (or “hose bibb”) to thread the plastic edges of the hole. You’ll do this by screwing it all the way into and back out of your newly made hole once. It may take a little bit of force to get the faucet threads to catch, but be careful not to push it so hard that you damage the plastic threads you’re creating. In under a minute we had made our threads and removed the faucet for the next step…
Once you’ve unscrewed the faucet, you’ll want to apply a thin line of caulk around the edge of the hole:
Then you’ll place a reducing washer over the hole, with the caulk acting as the adhesive. Reducing washers have a raised lip on the inner rim, and that raised portion should go against the barrel.
With the reducing washer firmly in place, you can screw your faucet back into place for good (this will be a lot easier since you’ve already created threads by screwing the faucet into the hole and removing it a few steps back). When it’s firmly in place, it should look something like this:
Now that you’ve created a watertight seal on the outside – here comes the fun part – you’ve gotta do the same on the INSIDE. Yep, time to crawl inside the barrel. You’d think this would be the perfect job for a petite person like my 5′2″ wife. Nope, somehow I got that assignment (and Sherry kept her job as barrel sitter to keep me from rolling away).
Inside the barrel, you’ll be repeating the process with the caulk and reducing washer – so remember to bring those with you when you go in. You’ll also want to bring a flashlight, because it’s dark in there (and it may smell like olives). Once you’ve got your washer caulked in place, you’ll screw on a locknut to secure the faucet. You’ll probably need the help of some pliers to ensure you’ve got the locknut on there nice and tight.
Your partner should stay sitting on the barrel to keep it from rolling away throughout the process. Or if you’re Sherry, you could use the opportunity to snap photos of your husband looking like, and I quote, a “California Raisin.” All I needed were some oversized gloves and a saxophone.
That completes the process of attaching the faucet. We did have the option of repeating the process at the top of the barrel with a “rigid nipple.” Basically, it’s an overflow spout that you could use to connect multiple barrels together. Since we’ll be a one barrel family for now, we’ve just opted for the overflow to come out the top (meaning when the barrel fills up with water, the excess spillover will do just that- spill over the top).
Speaking of the top – the barrels we were provided already had 6″ holes drilled in their lids. So all we had to do was screw the lid on over a tight mesh mosquito screen to keep any standing-water-lovin’ bugs out of our barrel. Here’s Sherry with our finished product:
That would’ve been the end of our workshop adventure, but I guess some other people working near us took note of my locknut-tightening skills. Before I knew it I was climbing into not one, not two, but three other barrels to help other barrel-makers ensure that their faucets were secure. And should we be surprised that Sherry seized the opportunity to take more photos of me in those barrels?
Once I finished barrel diving, we got the thing crammed into the backseat of our car and took it home for placement in our backyard. We picked a downspout at the edge of our driveway that was completely hidden from the front of the house, and mostly hidden from the side (let’s be honest, rain barrels don’t scream curb appeal). Luckily the placement will be super convenient for Sherry’s new back garden (stay tuned to see what sorts of edible goodies and purty bloomers she’s planning to grow).
Then we just had to adjust the height of our downspout so it would spill into the top of the barrel. We detached the elbow at the bottom of the spout and dug out the underground plastic tubing that had been in place (and because we didn’t have any fancy metal snips with us, we broke out a box cutter once we figured out our desired height). Here’s Sherry making the cut while I stood by and watched. She’s hardcore. Maybe she was trying to make up for all the barrel-crawling I did?
It did the trick, and with the gutter cut to the right height we just reattached the existing end spout and slid the barrel into place underneath it. Voila. Bring on the rain.
We should note that it’s extremely important that the barrel sits on level ground (you may want to use a shovel to level the ground and even lay some sand to be sure). A full barrel can weight up to 450lbs so you don’t want it tipping over on you. Of course we’re going to have to do a few more rain dances before ours will get that heavy. Bring it on Mother Nature.
Do any of you guys already use rain barrels? Any advice or tips for us newbies?
If you’re in Richmond and are looking to make a barrel of your own, check out upcoming workshops through Chesterfield County ($40) and Tricycle Gardens ($75).
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Comments
On behalf of your Irish readers I have to say that the idea of a rain barrel is really quite amausing! I live in the south west of Ireland where we get 1250mm of rain on average! If only we could invent a sun barrel… :)
I was just admiring some rain barrels yesterday in a garden mag I got in the mail. Speaking of them having curb appeal, they actually have some really saucy rain barrels. They are kind of expensive though compared to your homemade one.
King County, WA has a rain barrel program (http://tinyurl.com/d35snz). I believe the restriction on collection of rain water is limited to water intended to be used inside the home.
I am loving this post! My husband and I are interested in going to the next workshop on 3/28, but we don’t live in Chesterfield. Any idea if this is open only to county residents, or could us city-dwellers (who, ironically, both work in Chesterfield!) go to it? We haven’t been able to get in touch with anyone yet to get an answer.
Thank You ~ Thank You ~ Thank You for posting this! I have been wanting to get a rain barrel for some time! Water is so expensive here and it rains a lot, so what better way to harness that power.
I signed up to do the seminar in Chesterfield County next Saturday!
I figure the money we save on water this summer will more than pay for the barrel. I love green grass.
I got quite a chuckle out of the pictures of John inside the barrel. LOL! I thought the same thing about the California Raisin. “Heard it through the grape vine”.
Have I mentioned that I love your blog. Its going to kill me if we have to move out of state.
Hey Blair,
You’re totally welcomed with open arms even if you’re not a Chesterfield county resident. We don’t recall them asking for our address when we signed up and they mentioned that some people drive in from 45 miles away to be in the class so it’s a-ok to come from other counties! Happy rain barreling…
xo,
Sherry
John, you’re a really good sport to climb into those barrels for Sherry and for those other folks. Think of the pictures as proof of your kindness, not anything like how silly you look with your legs sticking out of the barrels. ;-)
We love rain barrels! We got three, and all working great!
I would add one more tip – Install 3/4” spigot instead of 1/2”. They are $7-$9/piece, but it will totally worth it!!
When we bought our first rain barrel, it had 1/2” spigot, and it drains REALLY SLOW! Beside raising the base to create more water pressure, 3/4” spigot will definitely add more water pressure for you.
I have never heard of this! We just bought a house. Literally! We just heard work today that it’s all yours and I can’t WAIT to learn from you two. This is one project hubby and I will be taking on :)
Look at your local Craigslist for rain barrels. You can usually get them quite inexpensively,
Hey,
I live in Chesterfield County and went to a rain barrel workshop last year. It was so great because they made it so simple.
I havent’ read the other responses, so please excuse me if I repeat what someone else says. It’s a good idea to elevate your rain barrel on a couple of cinder blocks, for example. That way, the water comes out of the spigot easier (something to do with gravity and physics…).
I’m so glad you got your rain barrels up!
Jen
actually, rain barrels do scream curb appeal! there is an entire neighborhood in pittsburgh that is devoted to rain barrels and they are awesome to see in the front yard. I would be thrilled to buy house that came with one.
if you wanted to though, the organization in Pittsburgh that builds and distributes them (Nine Mile Run Watershed Association: http://www.ninemilerun.org/) has in the past auctioned off painted and tiled rain barrels that are beautiful. I am suprised you guys–with all your painting and beautifying skills–did not decorate yours!
I searched for a similar program local to me, and discovered one in Cumberland County, yay! A local high school’s ag department makes them and sells them every spring. I’ve signed up for one!
If anyone’s interested, here’s their website, which has DIY instructions and a handy parts list with approximate prices: http://www.cumberlandcd.com/rainbarrel.html
Good luck, everyone!
What a great idea guys!! I will definetly have to look into creating one of these when we move into our house this summer!! I think my bf’s work even has tons of old barrels, we might be able to use! Good on you for another eco-friendly tip!
John,
One trick I had to make the barrel a little more appealing to the eye was to use spray paint for plastics to have the color blend a little more with our house. This is the paint I used, the project turned out great.
awesome! we’ve been collecting rain in 5-gallon buckets for a few years, but this is much better looking!
I’ve seen these rain barrel workshops up here (Minnesota) and they had an additional section; where, at an addition cost, you could paint your barrel to match your yard decor. They used the new spray paint for plastics and stencils to create all kinds of cool designs.
I haven’t made mine yet, but I plan on using a leaf design to camo it into my woodland garden (overlapping leaves in shades of green).
I just thought to pass that along :)
Excellent write-up and we really enjoyed the photos. Our family will soon be adding a rain barrel, and this has helped us visualize the process. Thanks!
I made a rain bucket out of a $10.00 Trashcan. So far so good.
I have step by step pictures if interested.
Not as fancy as yours, but it does the trick
Two suggestions:
You don’t want the spill-over to end up next to your foundation or you’ll have moisture problems in the future. You want a diverter port toward the top of your barrel (that extra nipple you didn’t get) then attach a garden hose and have the run-off emerge farther away from your home. (Maybe into the flowers nearby?)
Your spigot is pretty high on the barrel. If other do this project, consider making the spigot lower and setting the barrel on landscape stones or timbers. You’ll be able to access the water at the bottom of the barrel and fit a watering can beneath the spigot.
Nice job, otherwise!
Thanks for the tips Kim! We’ve been loving our rain barrel and using it often!
xo,
s
Check the water laws for your state also. It’s a PITA, but we live in CO and the water laws/rights here are such that we are not supposed to have rainbarrels. I am sure there are many around, but as the government (local/state/federal) become more restrictive and invasive, do not be surprised if certain areas end up with ‘water police’, snooping over fences and behind homes. They are not sold in any nurseries and there are no classes for making your own. And we have classes for EVERYTHING green or environmental.
There are severe fines for ‘circumventing’ this law. It doesn’t matter if the rain falls on a house that you own and rolls down your drainpipe into your water barrel, you are not allowed legally to ‘divert’ that water into a rainbarrel so you can use it to water your yard, your garden or anything. You cannot divert water in such a way that prevents it from soaking into the groundwater system. Period. End of discussion. Friend of mine recevied his engineering degree a few years ago, civil engineering and he is involved in water law here in CO and I got the whole lecture ;D
This may be a stupid question but what do you do with the water during the winter or in seasons when you are not going to need to water your garden etc?
No it’s a good question! We actually had the same one when we made it. We learned that in our climate (which only has a few deep freezes a year) it’s safe to leave it outside year-round with the spigot open in the winter (so it drains) to avoid any freezing & cracking. You can also drain it each winter and bring it into the garage if you’re dealing with colder winters (it’s not very heavy when it’s empty). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Good to know we live in Richmond too so I think its safe to say we have a similar climate : )
For all the Colorado folk who have commented on the illegality catching rainwater there is an article in the New York times that indicates the Colorado legislature finally figured out that law needed to be changed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/us/29rain.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper
I am going to make my own rain barrel today! Here is the link for all your Northern Virginians..
We live in Pennsylvania and rely on well water, rainbarrels are wonderful!!! My husband is a department head in a large nursing home and they get detergent sent to them in 35 and 55 gallon plastic drums and he brings them home and I bring out the power tools. Because I have a fairly large vegetable garden I use the extra connection at the top and make a ’string’ of hose to keep them flowing from one to the next. I drain them around the first frost (my gardening is long done by then) and I get them ready again once Spring thaw hits. They really are a huge benefit, I can keep a nice, productive garden and I don’t need to worry about my well level dropping over it.
Thanks for the instuctions. The only additional thing I might add is that you may want a second lid to keep the water from evaporating between rainfalls. I live in Texas and it doesn’t rain here very often but when it does it is usually a torrent. But if I leave the barrel open, much of the water evaporates before I need to use it.
Hello!
We purchased our rain barrel about a week ago. We dug a hole as deep as we could, filled it with rocks and sand. I’m watering the area to let it settle, then I’m going to add a base of unused bricks to create a level base. Then the barrel on top.
We did this because ours is only 65 gallons and might overflow, so we wanted it to go straight down, not out to our foundation or patio.
We are connecting a soaker hose to the spout that will be on all the time, unless there is rain in the forecast. I planted a shade garden next to the area (ferns, heuchera, hosta, japanese forest grass, hellebores, etc.) that will appreciate the slow trickle of the hose. Ours also has an attachment so I can use it to fill up watering cans for potted plants or my compost bins.
Thanks for your blog, it’s pretty cool!
Tricia: We took control of our overflow by using the largest overflow port and flexible hose we could find – now we easily and safely re-route ALL the excess/overflow after the barrel fills – we got the parts from Aquabarrel: http://www.aquabarrel.com/product_rain_barrel_plastic_parts.php
I was all set to constrict one when I went to my local barrel recycling facility in Chicago and they had pre made rain barrels they we selling for $45 (I managed to get 2 for $85 since that’s all the cash I had). Anyway I think it was probably worth it considering the cost of materials and labor to construct one. Not to mention looking looking a CA raisin. After 3 weeks of waiting we got a downpour last weekend that filled the 55 gallon drum in an couple of hours. My problem now is trying to get the water pressure up to a point where I can use it effectively. I attached the overflow spout to a soaker hose and had nothing come out. I plan to elevate it from the inch cinder blocks to maybe 18 or 24 inches by adding on a few more. Lastly I have a small water pump for a water feature (fountain) in my back yard which i may resort to using if all else fails
Sherry,
I love the idea of a rain barrel to save water to water plants, wash the car, etc. However, I live in southern California where it does not rain much!! Is it worth it to make one if it will not have much rainfall to get water from??
Thanks :)
Good question, Erin. You may want to consult with someone local, but it sounds like to us that any way to hang on to what little rain you get is worth your while. Hope that helps!
-John
This is perfect timing. We just added this to our weekend to-do list. Thanks!