How to Build a Rain Barrel

isnt that a breeding area for wesnile?

To elaborate on your point. I have seen some from late 19 century in Mexico. I have even seen drawings of some in ancient Rome.

Fiskars has a few good rain collection products too!!

Try local food processing facilities. Sometimes they will just give them to you or sell them for $10-$15 each. If that doesnt work out try a Agri supply or feed supply store. I get the black pickle barrels like the one at the end of the video for $10 each and they are food grade plastic so in the event you had no water you could use the water from the barrels, after treating it by boiling and filtering.

My grandparents did this way back int he day so none of this is new science. Anyone can collect rain water and use it for gardens and such. You do not need a degree to figure this out lol.

I like the rain barrel design from Aquabarrel - watch that YouTube vid

My theory is that the more filters you have, the higher quality water you will have. So I put the pantyhose sock at the end of the downspout and tie or bungee coed another screen from my pool across the top of the barrel. You can also put a leaf and twig screen at the top of the downspout, if you choose. We get cleaned and sealed 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels for 23 bucks in lots of 100 for our community, $25 in lots of 50, delivered.

The 2nd 3/4" hole is on the other side of the drum (with respect to the first one that is drilled through the cap). What he said is "..another nearby on the side.. an inch or two below the top." He failed to clarify that the topside of the barrel becomes the bottom (where the spigot is screwed into the hole in the cap) and the hole on the other side becomes an overflow hole at the top (with a pointless spigot since you want that always open for overflow). You can get 55-ga drums at Soda bottlers

Why the second hole located on the side next to where he drills the hole in the bottom. They say that then they flip it over create a 3 inch hole - all the while showing them drilling another 3/4 inch hole. Then they show them putting a second spigot at the top contradicting themselves and making you wonder for what - if it is an overflow then say so. Gas is too expensive to make 5 trips to HD anymore.

i got five free metal ones from a paint distributor but when i lived in texas i got a couple from a chemical company there obviously i cleaned it well...lol..

Where do you get the barrels at to start with?

Where do you buy the barrels at to start with?

I put a 75-foot soaker hose on my overflow so that it waters my grass anytime it gets overfull. Hose also discourages mosquitos from trying to enter and breed in the barrel and you can leave the overflow spigot open all the time. I cut the downspout short and put panty hose on the end to filter the water coming down, making a little sock, that I attached with a hose clamp. If the sock gets full just empty it. I bungee corded a screen across the top too for additional filtering.

I have mine going directly into the barrel.

Notice the little bit of water sent through the downspout - it spills over the top of the inlet and then where does it go?


And they tell you about getting the water away from the foundation but have you put a garden hose for the overflow????