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DIY Rain Barrel..

Made a new rain barrel this year! :)

here is a photo of the old one:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u45/scottychaos/CP/CP2008-087.jpg


I made a video of the new one:

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I didnt really explain in the video:
I only cut two openings in the trash can..one for the downspout..
I tried to make the hole as close to the dimensions of the spout as possible,
I traced the end of a small piece of downspout to make an outline on the lid,
then cut out the hole with a dremel tool and a cutoff wheel.

then cut out a small round opening for the drain tube, and screwed in a threaded PVC fitting,
and added a short length of PVC tube..

I didnt keep track of prices..but the whole thing was probably around $25..
trash can, piece of plastic gutter, plastic downspout, two downspout "elbows"
and the drain fittings..

thanks,
Scot
 
Yeah we're in the middle of a heat wave right now! We've been breaking records here and in the city, lol.

I thought about making something to collect the rain and that is the best idea I've seen so far. I have a couple questions. Is there ever a problem/worry with the roof material leaching anything harmful into the rain water? Do you have to keep the gutter really clean, or are there no trees nearby to clog it up?
 
Yeah we're in the middle of a heat wave right now! We've been breaking records here and in the city, lol.

I thought about making something to collect the rain and that is the best idea I've seen so far. I have a couple questions. Is there ever a problem/worry with the roof material leaching anything harmful into the rain water? Do you have to keep the gutter really clean, or are there no trees nearby to clog it up?

I have been collecting rain water off of various roofs for 15 years..
never had the slightest problem..
On my old rain barrel, that collected water from the whole house roof, I had "shingle grit" wash down into the barrel..it just collected on the bottom of the barrel and I would wash it out at the end of the season..its never caused any problems.

There is a big tree nearby, but leaves are only a problem in the fall..
I suspect this fall I will have to clean out the gutter once or twice..
but thats not a big deal..
and usually in the fall I use very little water anyway, because its cool and the existing water in my bogs and trays doesnnt dry out quickly..
if it rains at least once a week in the fall, which it usually does, I might not need the rain barrel water at all..

Scot
 
Great video Scot...

I love DIY projects. Have you considered installing a small 'faucet' at the bottom of the barrel? I'm asking because that way you wouldn't have to open it every time you need water and when the water level gets low it would be easier than tilting the barrel over if you ever run out (though I doubt you will with that size roof). Most roofs are safe now a days though older ones did use to leach chemicals.

Also you can get some gutter guards fairly cheap ($1.50 a piece) to put on your gutters to save you the trouble of cleaning out the leaves in the fall. Also if you are seeing mosquitoes BT dunkers are safe to use in CP water so dropping one of those will get rid of that problem...

Great vid! :bigthumpup:
 
Cool, thank you! I think I might set something like this up afterall. I just have to figure out a way to make it temporary, as I rent. It would sure save me some trips to Wallmart for distilled if it works out.
 
thanks everyone..

French, I tried a faucet on the first incarnation of the old barrel..I attached a piece of clear plastic tubing to it, and used it once or twice to fill up the watering can:

CP2008-049.jpg


but I found it was SO much easier and faster to just dunk the watering can in the barrel to fill it up!
good idea in theory, but in practice I found the faucet thing was just not worth the effort..
(maybe I will do a 2nd video in a few days..showing actually watering the plants..)

I hit that first barrel with the lawn mower, knocking a small hole right in the bottom!
so I replaced it with an identical version 2, identical except I just left out the faucet on the second one..

Scot
 
Timely topic!
We are getting our first rain in several weeks as I type. Hopefully it will be enough to put significant water into my new rain barrels.
Thanks for the inspiration.
 
Great vid Scot! Thankfully I have one similar to yours right now, things are getting pretty dry around here..
 
As long as one can trust the water coursing through the gutter, it's a great idea.
 
  • #10
Never mind, I figured it out.
 
Last edited:
  • #11
I was half way through my 30 gallon reserve rain "barrel" but we're finally getting rain today! The 30 gal. is now full as are several 5 gal. buckets, a few 3 gal. pails too. What a heat wave this was. 3 days over 100f!
 
  • #12
thats a huge improvement! nice job. i wish i could do something like that but ill have to wait til i move. this crappy house doesnt even HAVE gutters...... :-(
 
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