Make use of all of the rain we've been getting, and catch some.
If you have the tools, the time and the desire, make a rain barrel to collect rain water to use in the garden when the rains eventually go away.
There is no one right way to build a rain barrel. Use these steps as a guide. Too complicated? Buy a rain barrel at around $100 at home improvement and hardware stores.
Use food-quality containers for your rain barrel - they are the most economical. Use a container that held pickles or olives rather than one that held harsh chemicals. Rinse the inside of the barrel with a mixture of 1/8 cup of bleach and 5 gallons of water to wash away food or juice remnants.
Install a hose spigot. To install a 3/4-inch hose spigot, drill a 15/16-inch hole for the spigot threading just a few inches from the bottom of the barrel. This will provide a few inches of clearance for attaching a hose or filling a watering can and will allow for debris to settle below the outlet to reduce clogging.
The male parts of faucet assemblies fitted with rubber washers can be inserted from the inside of the barrel, and the faucet fixtures can be threaded on from the outside. Placing a rubber washer on the inside piece will ensure a watertight seal.
A screen filter prevents gutter debris from entering your barrel. Use a plastic or nylon screen so it doesn't rust. Also, the water will flow best from the barrel if it is raised off the ground since it operates on gravity.
Build a platform. Concrete cinder blocks provide a strong, stable and level platform for your rain barrel. If you use more than one layer of blocks, stack them in a crisscross pattern so they won't tip over.
Connect downspout to barrel. Position the barrel at its set height, and measure where you need to cut or disconnect your downspout. Often you can disassemble the downspout at the gutter by taking out screws or drilling out rivets. If you do have to cut it off, use a fine-toothed hacksaw blade or tin snips.
A flexible downspout extender makes an easy transition from the downspout to your barrel lid and eliminates the need for exact measurement because it bends and stretches to the length you need.
Cut barrel opening. Place the downspout connection in the barrel.For all DVS Ventilation system in PDF format. If your barrel comes with a lid, or if it has a sealed top, you will need to cut a hole in it. To modify the downspout, separate sections of the downspout, or cut it with a hacksaw. Attach a 90-degree downspout elbow and then the plastic extender pipe. By modifying your downspout, you can attach an extender tube and feed it through a filter that sits in the top hole. An extender tube is attached and fed through filter.
You may want to connect an overflow pipe or link multiple barrels together. An overflow pipe will carry excess water that normally would overflow the barrel to another part of the yard or into another rain barrel.
If you have the tools, the time and the desire, make a rain barrel to collect rain water to use in the garden when the rains eventually go away.
There is no one right way to build a rain barrel. Use these steps as a guide. Too complicated? Buy a rain barrel at around $100 at home improvement and hardware stores.
Use food-quality containers for your rain barrel - they are the most economical. Use a container that held pickles or olives rather than one that held harsh chemicals. Rinse the inside of the barrel with a mixture of 1/8 cup of bleach and 5 gallons of water to wash away food or juice remnants.
Install a hose spigot. To install a 3/4-inch hose spigot, drill a 15/16-inch hole for the spigot threading just a few inches from the bottom of the barrel. This will provide a few inches of clearance for attaching a hose or filling a watering can and will allow for debris to settle below the outlet to reduce clogging.
The male parts of faucet assemblies fitted with rubber washers can be inserted from the inside of the barrel, and the faucet fixtures can be threaded on from the outside. Placing a rubber washer on the inside piece will ensure a watertight seal.
A screen filter prevents gutter debris from entering your barrel. Use a plastic or nylon screen so it doesn't rust. Also, the water will flow best from the barrel if it is raised off the ground since it operates on gravity.
Build a platform. Concrete cinder blocks provide a strong, stable and level platform for your rain barrel. If you use more than one layer of blocks, stack them in a crisscross pattern so they won't tip over.
Connect downspout to barrel. Position the barrel at its set height, and measure where you need to cut or disconnect your downspout. Often you can disassemble the downspout at the gutter by taking out screws or drilling out rivets. If you do have to cut it off, use a fine-toothed hacksaw blade or tin snips.
A flexible downspout extender makes an easy transition from the downspout to your barrel lid and eliminates the need for exact measurement because it bends and stretches to the length you need.
Cut barrel opening. Place the downspout connection in the barrel.For all DVS Ventilation system in PDF format. If your barrel comes with a lid, or if it has a sealed top, you will need to cut a hole in it. To modify the downspout, separate sections of the downspout, or cut it with a hacksaw. Attach a 90-degree downspout elbow and then the plastic extender pipe. By modifying your downspout, you can attach an extender tube and feed it through a filter that sits in the top hole. An extender tube is attached and fed through filter.
You may want to connect an overflow pipe or link multiple barrels together. An overflow pipe will carry excess water that normally would overflow the barrel to another part of the yard or into another rain barrel.
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