How to Build a Simple Rain Collection System
Obtain a suitable plastic barrel, large plastic trash can with a lid, or a wooden barrel (e.g., a wine barrel) that has not been stored dry for too many seasons since they can start to leak., Find a location for the barrel under or near one of your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Obtain a suitable plastic barrel
Good sources for plastic barrels include suppliers of dairy products like milk and ice cream, metal plating companies, and bulk food suppliers.
Just be sure that nothing toxic or bad for plants and animals (including you!) was stored in the barrel.
A wine barrel can be obtained through a winery.
Barrels that allow less light through will eliminate the risk of algae growth and the establishment of other microorganisms. -
Step 2: large plastic trash can with a lid
You'll probably have to shorten the downspout by two or three feet to let the barrel slide under it, either by removing screws or rivets at a joint, or more likely by cutting off the last two or three feet of downspout with tin snips or a hacksaw.
Flexible downspouts can be purchased from most home improvement box stores.
They will direct the water from the downspout into the barrel.
An alternative approach that has eye appeal is to use a rain chain
- a large metal chain that water can run down.
If you don't own the property, be sure to get permission before altering the downspouts! , Keep in mind that a barrel full of water is very heavy, so be sure you allow for this in designing your platform. , You can often do this using a hole-cutting attachment on a power drill, or by drilling a series of smaller holes close together and then cutting out the remaining material with a hacksaw blade or a scroll saw. ,, Attach the hose bib using screws driven into the plastic barrel.
You'll probably need to apply some caulking, plumbers putty, or silicon sealant around the joint between the barrel and the hose bib to prevent leaks, depending on the type of hardware you're using and how snug it fits in the hole you drilled. , Attach a short piece of garden hose to this overflow, and route it to a flowerbed, lawn, hole drilled in the side of a second rain barrel, or another nearby area that won't be damaged by some running water if your barrel gets too full.
If you are chaining multiple barrels together, one of them should have a hose attached that can drain off the overflow. , The lower bib can also be used to connect multiple rain barrels together for a larger water reservoir. , Rain barrels don't achieve anything near the pressure of city water supplies so you will need to avoid the micro-sprinkler attachments and you will need to use button attachments that are intended to deliver four times the amount of city supplied water as you need. -
Step 3: or a wooden barrel (e.g.
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Step 4: a wine barrel) that has not been stored dry for too many seasons since they can start to leak.
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Step 5: Find a location for the barrel under or near one of your home's downspouts.
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Step 6: Create a level
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Step 7: stable platform for your rain barrel by raking the dirt
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Step 8: adding gravel
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Step 9: or using some bricks or concrete blocks to make a low platform for it to sit on.
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Step 10: If your barrel has a solid top
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Step 11: you'll need to make a hole of a suitable size for the downspout to pour into.
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Step 12: To reduce the risk of breeding mosquitoes and to keep debris from the roof from entering the rain barrel
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Step 13: fasten a piece of window screen to the underside of the barrels top surface around the water inlet.
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Step 14: Drill a hole of the correct size based on the hose bib you're installing on the side of the barrel
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Step 15: as close to the bottom as possible unless you plan to run PVC piping inside the barrel to a location near the top.
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Step 16: Attach a second hose bib to the side of the barrel near the top
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Step 17: to act as an "overflow".
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Step 18: Attach a garden hose to the lower hose bib and open the valve to allow collected rainwater to flow to your plants!
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Step 19: Consider using a drip irrigation system in conjunction with the rain barrels.
Detailed Guide
Good sources for plastic barrels include suppliers of dairy products like milk and ice cream, metal plating companies, and bulk food suppliers.
Just be sure that nothing toxic or bad for plants and animals (including you!) was stored in the barrel.
A wine barrel can be obtained through a winery.
Barrels that allow less light through will eliminate the risk of algae growth and the establishment of other microorganisms.
You'll probably have to shorten the downspout by two or three feet to let the barrel slide under it, either by removing screws or rivets at a joint, or more likely by cutting off the last two or three feet of downspout with tin snips or a hacksaw.
Flexible downspouts can be purchased from most home improvement box stores.
They will direct the water from the downspout into the barrel.
An alternative approach that has eye appeal is to use a rain chain
- a large metal chain that water can run down.
If you don't own the property, be sure to get permission before altering the downspouts! , Keep in mind that a barrel full of water is very heavy, so be sure you allow for this in designing your platform. , You can often do this using a hole-cutting attachment on a power drill, or by drilling a series of smaller holes close together and then cutting out the remaining material with a hacksaw blade or a scroll saw. ,, Attach the hose bib using screws driven into the plastic barrel.
You'll probably need to apply some caulking, plumbers putty, or silicon sealant around the joint between the barrel and the hose bib to prevent leaks, depending on the type of hardware you're using and how snug it fits in the hole you drilled. , Attach a short piece of garden hose to this overflow, and route it to a flowerbed, lawn, hole drilled in the side of a second rain barrel, or another nearby area that won't be damaged by some running water if your barrel gets too full.
If you are chaining multiple barrels together, one of them should have a hose attached that can drain off the overflow. , The lower bib can also be used to connect multiple rain barrels together for a larger water reservoir. , Rain barrels don't achieve anything near the pressure of city water supplies so you will need to avoid the micro-sprinkler attachments and you will need to use button attachments that are intended to deliver four times the amount of city supplied water as you need.
About the Author
Anna Powell
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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