Making a Rain Barrel

Materials:

• A clean 30-55-gallen barrel or garbage can
• 1 "S" shaped elbow (for a downspout) with pop rivets or sheet metal screws
• 2-3 concrete blocks
• 1 piece of window screen
• 1 spigot with 3/4-inch pipe threads and a 1-inch standard hose fitting
• One 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch coupling
• One 3/4-inch x 1/2-inch bushing
• One 3/4-inch pipe threat with a 1-inch hose adapter
• One 3/4-inch lock nut
• 4 metal washers
• 1 roll Teflon tape
• 1 tube silicon caulk

Tools:

• HacksawScrewdriver or pop rivet gunDrillPencilRulerSpadeLevel
• Adjustable wrench

Directions:

For your rain barrel, you can either get an actual barrel from a food ingredient supply company or use a plastic garbage can. Do NOT use any container that has stored motor oil or gasoline. After you've found a barrel you can use, follow these steps:

1. Clean the barrel or garbage can with soap and water to remove any residue.Locate an area for your barrel under a downspout from your gutter. Level the area with a spade if it is not level, and set the concrete blocks over the level area.Put the barrel on the blocks.Take the "S" shaped elbow and place it on top of the barrel and against the downspout, being sure that the bottom of the elbow should reach about an inch or so above the barrel. Mark the downspout to indicate where you'll need to cut it off.Take the barrel off the blocks and set the elbow aside and measure 2 inches below the pencil mark on the downspout. Make another pencil mark there.With the hacksaw, saw the downspout at the LOWER pencil mark. Fit the new elbow over the end of the downspout and screw it in place with the pop rivets.Find a bucket in which you'll be collecting water when you need to water your garden.Place the bucket beside the barrel and drill a 3/4-inch hole in the barrel about an inch or so above the lip of the bucket.Squeeze caulk around the hole on both the inside and outside of the barrel.Wrap a piece of Teflon tape around the threaded part of the spigot to form a seal. Put the spigot into the coupling.Put a washer on the other side of the coupling, and slide it through the hole from the outside, so the spigot is on the outside of the barrel.From the inside, put another washer over the threaded part of the coupling. Fasten everything with the bushing.On the other side of the barrel, drill another 3/4-inch hole a couple of inches from the top. This will be your overflow valve.Squeeze caulk around the hole on both inside and outside.Place a washer on the hose adapter and push it through the hole.From the inside, put on a washer and Teflon tape, and fasten everything together with the lock nut.If your barrel has a lid, saw a hole in it where the downspout elbow will drain into.Cover the hole with a small piece of screen (or you'll risk attracting mosquitoes and other flying creatures).
2. Set the barrel on the concrete blocks and make sure the downspout is leading into the screened hole.

From the Garden Gate Web site