Miguel's homemade rain barrel

[miguel]

I've always wanted to make my own rain barrel, and on Sunday I finally did! I am sure there are better, larger rain water containment systems you could make, but this is the one I made and it works for my purpose. I may extend it in the future, but right now I'm just satisfied it works the way I hoped it would.

If you have ever watched one of the countless YouTube videos on how to make your own system, you know most of them don't get too specific about what parts to buy...they hold up a part or lay them all on a dirty towel and expect you will know where to get them and what they are named. Being partially mechanically inept, this always frustrated me! To make this as painless as possible for anyone who wants to make their own system, I have included a complete manifest for all the components I used in making my system, including URLs to the specific parts at Menards. Of course you can find these or similar components in any hardware or farm store, Menards just irritates me less than Lowes and Home Depot!

One ommission...I didn't address putting a screen or lid on this system. Of course that will be critical to keep out insects like mosquitos and other natural debris, but that is something I will deal with next weekend. Basically, you can either cut a hole in the can's lid and affix some screen material to it or rig up said material over the entire opening, as you prefer. I will edit this post when I knock that part out, hopefully next weekend.

Required components:

32-gallon trash can (or any sized, sturdy plastic container/drum) $12.88 @ Menards
32 Gallon Trash Can with Lid at Menards

Watts 1/2" boiler drain shutoff valve (quantity = 1) $5.97 @ Menards
http://www.menards.com/main/p-2276689-c-9505.htm

Watts 1/2" CRB Lock Nut, AC-829 (quantity = 1) ~ $2 @ Menards (can't find link on Menards' website, but they have them in plumbing department...)
Watts Plumbing Products | W-17004829 - Fittings AC-829 PB111 1/2 CRB Lock Nut FIP

Danco #16 O-Ring (quantity = 2) $0.59 each @ Menards
Danco #16 O-Ring at Menards

Components you may already have if you are "handy":

garden hose (standard, attaches to drain shutoff valve)
Garden Hose at Menards

5/8" spade bit (to drill round hole in trash can) $2.58 @ Menards (I already had one!)
Tool Shop® 5/8"Spade Bit at Menards

teflon tape (to wrap threads on shutoff valve, I forgot to do this...) $0.99 @ Menards (I already had some, but I still forgot to apply it!)
1/2" X 480" Teflon Tape at Menards

What I did to turn all these parts into a functioning rain barrel:

1. Drilled hole in trash can with spade bit. I decided to drill the hole 6" from the bottom of the can. I might have been able to go lower, but I wanted to make sure I had enough room to attach the hose. Some hoses are stiffer than others, as you know.

2. Applied teflon tape to threads of shutoff valve. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just wrap a single layer around the threads and make sure it sticks.

3. Attached one o-ring onto shutoff valve. This helps seal the area around the hole/valve from the outside of the can.

4. Inserted shutoff valve into hole I drilled in the trash can in step #1. Make sure it is flush!

5. Attached the other o-ring onto shutoff valve on the inside of the can. (actually, Miguel Jr. did it since he fit into the can better than I did...) This helps seal the area around the hole/valve from the inside of the can.

6. Attached lock nut on the thread of the shutoff valve inside of the can. (Miguel Jr. did this, too...) At a certain point, you may have to hold the valve on the nozzle end outside the can to fit this nut on snugly. Don't kill yourself doing this, just make it snug, since the o-rings on each side of the can will help seal it.

7. Fill with water to test.

It has been raining on and off today and has held water. I attached the hose, opened the valve and drained it. It started to fill up again as it continued to rain, so I feel like I can say, "Mission accomplished!" as I write this.

I would post a picture, but it basically looks like a round, green trash can with a garden faucet sticking out near the bottom. If people really want to see it, let me know and I'll post a photo.

 

[voodoo304]

Great post! Put some olive or vegetable oil in it and it will float on top of the water "sealing" it from mosquitos. I hope to make one this year also.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

A couple of suggestions, if I may:

The spigot doesn't have to installed with the water hose connection pointed downward. You could have mounted it lower and turned it sideways to be able to access the water you'll "leave behind" by mounting it 6" up.

Or...Build a stand for your rain barrel. This will do two things: Provide clearance for your drain valve, so you can more easily connect your water hose; plus, it'll provide a little more gravitational assistance to your water as you use it to water whatever you're going to water.

 

[miguel]

That is a great point about the spigot...looks like I have a "that's how spigots ought to be installed" prejudice...I'm a spigot bigot!

And one of the first things Mrs. Miguel said was, "You should put it on a stand with wheels..."

And thanks, Voodoo. I am going to put some canola oil in there tonight.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

That is a great point about the spigot...looks like I have a "that's how spigots ought to be installed" prejudice...I'm a spigot bigot!

And one of the first things Mrs. Miguel said was, "You should put it on a stand with wheels..."

And thanks, Voodoo. I am going to put some canola oil in there tonight.

Ooooohhhh...a stand with wheels? That might just be a good idea...depending on where you'll be rolling it, how level/smooth it is, etc. I've tried carting buckets of water out, across the yard before and the "slosh factor" can cause a significant amount of water to be lost. If I were to put that stand on wheels, I'd try to figure out how to use wheel barrow wheels. I'd also put a lid over the barrel before rolling it too much.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Miguel, you're giving me a lot of dangerous ideas, like putting a food-grade plastic barrel on its side and strapping it onto a wheeled frame and cutting a hole on the top and putting a screen and funnel in there and my mind is wandering. Thanks!

Great post! Put some olive or vegetable oil in it and it will float on top of the water "sealing" it from mosquitos. I hope to make one this year also.

Not trying to knock this, as I have never tried this, but what about when the oil eventually goes rancid? Won't that affect water quality?

 

[miguel]

Miguel, you're giving me a lot of dangerous ideas, like putting a food-grade plastic barrel on its side and strapping it onto a wheeled frame and cutting a hole on the top and putting a screen and funnel in there and my mind is wandering. Thanks!
View attachment 27891

Not trying to knock this, as I have never tried this, but what about when the oil eventually goes rancid? Won't that affect water quality?

I think you are halfway to a patent with that fab illustration, Roland. Maybe printcraft can make some posters for you!

RE: the oil...I'm not sure, but several people have suggested it. I just need a couple of hours to get the screening material from the store and in place. Don't think the plants will mind if they get some rancid oil on them. It might help!

 

[John317]

I just got a rain barrel set up this year- trying to patiently wait until there isn't a chance of another hard freeze before tapping it into my down spout. Mine utilizes a pickle barrel to contain the water. Have it setting up on some cement blocks about 1.5 feet above the ground.

 

[Joe G]

 

[CathyInBlue]

Here you go. Designing Rainwater Harvesting Systems: Integrating Rainwater into Building Systems: Celeste Allen Novak, Eddie Van Giesen, Kathy M. DeBusk: 9781118410479: Amazon.com: Books
Lots a pictures in that book.

 

[miguel]

I am not sure how much more valuable this will make it, but here you go!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I have three different rain water catch tanks. One large fiberglass tank about 250 gallons and two 55 gallon white plastic barrels.

One thing I've found in the ten years or so that I've had them is that I prefer to dip out the water with plastic or galvanized metal watering cans. It just works better for me watering my raised beds, which aren't too far from the big tank. Using a spigot and hose to gravity feed the water out was just too slow for me, and the spigot just seemed like it was asking to leak eventually. I do have a spigot at the bottom of the big tank, but I only use that to drain it in the fall. I also have a sump pump with a garden hose fitting in case I want to put out a lot of water fast. But my 55 gallon barrels have no drain at the bottom and I'm fine dipping from those too.

Also, all I do for mosquitoes is to keep a screen cover over them and it keeps most of them out. I really don't mind a few in there. I used to put a couple of goldfish in my big tank each spring, but then I'm limited on how much water I can pull out in the heat of the summer when I need it the most.

 

[indyjohn]

Thanks for the pic. Nice work!

 

[CathyInBlue]

And then there's this technology.

This Tower Pulls Drinking Water Out of Thin Air | Innovation | Smithsonian

 

[Cameramonkey]

I have a split level with a raised deck. Always wanted to build one using rectangular tanks interconnected and hanging from the bottom of the deck. Would be awesome water pressure (for a rain barrel) as it would have at least a 3' drop. (4-5' by the time it got to my garden)

And WTF us up with rain barrels costing many times the cost of a trash can of equal size? I buy a rubbermaid 32 gallon trash can for 10-15 bucks. A 32 gallon rain barrel? $75-$100. The only difference is one side is typically flat, the lid might have a hole in it with a $5 PVC grate, and a hole drilled in the bottom with a $10 spigot. Hardly worth the upcharge.

 

[miguel]

And WTF us up with rain barrels costing many times the cost of a trash can of equal size? I buy a rubbermaid 32 gallon trash can for 10-15 bucks. A 32 gallon rain barrel? $75-$100. The only difference is one side is typically flat, the lid might have a hole in it with a $5 PVC grate, and a hole drilled in the bottom with a $10 spigot. Hardly worth the upcharge.

This!

Every time I looked at a "real" rain barrel, the dang things were $80 - $100. And I'd love to get some old custard barrel from Walmart or DQ, but I don't want a sky blue 50 gallon barrel sitting in my front yard, since the neighbors already suspect we are long lost relatives of the Clampetts...

 

[Dorky_D]

FYI, you can paint the plastic barrels with that plastic paint. I of course would lightly sand and use alcohol or another degreaser to remove any oily stuff. I am not sure how well that works, but there is a youtube video of it.

 

[miguel]

As a final follow up, I draped some screen material over the top of my rain barrel and cinched it with two medium-sized bungee cords. That should keep the mosquitos out.

 

[indyjack]

RE: the oil...I'm not sure, but several people have suggested it. I just need a couple of hours to get the screening material from the store and in place. Don't think the plants will mind if they get some rancid oil on them. It might help!

mineral oil will work better. just a little keeps the mosquitoes away, isn't harmful, and won't go bad...

 

[slackerisme]

This fitting would allow you to use a straight-thru valve for connecting the hose. You could put it pert near dead bottom. Cool idea, thanks for sharing.