Get a Rain Barrel

How to Make a Rain Barrel

(from www.greenhome.huddler.com)

Get a barrel and clean it. A good size barrel is a 55-gallon one. Look for one that is food-grade (that way you will ensure that it is not made with harsh chemicals). Clean the barrel with a mixture of 5 gallons of water and 1/8 cup of bleach.

Install a hose spigot. To install a 3/4" hose spigot, drill a 15/16" hole for the spigot threading a few inches from the bottom of the barrel. The hose spigot will allow you to connect a garden hose to your rain barrel and water your garden easily.

Move your barrel to its new home. Position your barrel under the downspout. Measure where you will need to cut/disconnect the downspout (check to see if you can disassemble the downspout at the gutter by removing the screws). If you need to cut into your downspout, try using a fine-tooth hacksaw. A flexible downspout extender can also help you make the transition into your barrel lid.

Cut the barrel opening. If your barrel comes with a lid, or if it has a sealed top, you will need to cut a hole in it. Place the downspout connection into the barrel (either directly in the case of no lid or through the whole if you have a lid).

Wait for rain.


Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer months. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a rain barrel can potentially save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months.
A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from rooftops to use later for lawn and garden watering.

Water collected in a rain barrel would normally pour off your roof directly or flow through roof gutter downspouts and become stormwater runoff.

A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from rooftops to use later for garden watering. Water collected in a rain barrel would normally pour off your roof directly or flow through roof gutter downspouts and become stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is the leading type of residential non-point source pollution. Saving water not only helps protect the environment, it saves you money and energy (decreased demand for treated tap water). Diverting water from storm drains also decreases the impact of runoff to streams. A rain barrel is an easy and free way to have a consistent supply of clean, fresh water for outdoor use.