Make a Rain Barrel Using Hardware Store Parts Catch some falling rain and put it in your barrel, save it for a rainless day
No need for an expensive prefab unit when the parts are easily available at the hardware store.
We had no idea how much water we were losing during just a short rainfall. Now, that rain fills both our barrels, allowing us to store 110 gallons for later use. It conserves water and saves on the water bill.
The problem:
We get rain showers almost every afternoon in the spring and summer. After one particularly intense storm, we noticed a huge amount of water in the street, and thought “Hmm, rain barrels might be more useful than we realized.”
After looking at commercial rain barrels, it appeared the only choice was to accept low quality, or spend a ton of money. What to do? DIY of course!
The solution:
I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on brand new barrels from the hardware store, so I found used 55 gallon drums. It’s important to us to not harm our landscaping with chemicals, so I made sure to look for “food grade” or “food safe” 55 gallon barrels or drums.
You can do a web search, or check Craigslist, where I found a local company that deals in used containers. I specifically wanted removable lids to simplify building them and for easy cleaning.
The barrels we purchased had been used for shipping orange juice, thus the color! We got them for $15 each since the bright orange isn’t exactly in high demand! The juice had been contained in liners, so it never even made contact with the drum itself.
The video below shows the steps in detail and some modifications I made as I put them together.
Summary of Steps:
- Cut the overflow and hose bibb holes with a hole saw and drill
- Assemble the overflow pieces with screened hose washers to keep bugs out
- Install hose bibb using rubber and steel washers, sealing with silicone
- Cut hole for lid using a drilled pilot hole and a jigsaw
- Attach inlet, using 3″ PVC fittings with window screen sandwiched in between
- Connect downspout extension and filter to gutter/downspout
- Be amazed at how fast the water collects in your new rain barrel!
I would love to know see how your barrel works out for you. If you try my design, please make sure to leave comments and questions below.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission on items bought using them. These are the same recommendations I would make regardless of any compensation. For products that I have older versions of, I recommend the items that I would replace them with if I were buying them new.
Resources for Rain Barrel
These are the tools and supplies I used to build my rain barrels. You do not need all of them, so feel free to substitute with tools you have available.
Flex-A-Spout Downspout Extension
From Home Depot
Connect gutter to barrel
Flex Grate Downspout Filter
From Home Depot
Filter out debris
Kobalt 24-Volt Max 1/2-in Cordless Drill
From Amazon
Drill, battery and charger
Kobalt 24V MAX Brushless 2 Tool Combo Kit
From Amazon
Combo Kit with Drill and Impact Driver, battery, charger. Great value if you need both. See FREE Tips & Tricks PDF for Impact Drivers
Bosch 7.0 Amp 120V Variable Speed Jigsaw
From Amazon
Great corded Jigsaw. This is the one I used in the video. Expensive, but is powerful!
Black+Decker Jig Saw, 4.5 Amp
From Amazon
A less expensive jigsaw as an option
1/4 in. Aluminum Oxide Grinding Point Cylinder
From Home Depot
Smooth off the rough edges
1 in. Hole Dozer Bi-Metal Hole Saw w Pilot Bit
From Home Depot
Drilling holes in barrel
1/2″ x 100 ft. Poly Drip Irrigation Tubing
From Home Depot
Overflow hose
3 in. PVC DWV Male Adapter
From Home Depot
Adapts downspout filter to lid
3 in. PVC DWV Fitting Cleanout Adapter
From Home Depot
Adapts downspout filter to lid
Fiberglass Insect Screen
From Home Depot
Only about a square foot is needed, so screen remnants are fine
Foam Tape Weatherstripping
From Home Depot
Optional spacer for lid
Silicone All Purpose Sealant Caulk
From Home Depot
Used on openings for fittings
There are more DIY projects in the works, so stay tuned to Uncharted DIY. Feel free to comment, post photos of your Rain Barrel or ask questions about this project.
AZJen
07/19/2020 @ 12:10 am
I always thought making rain barrels would be really hard, but this made it easy! I made mine from a plastic drum, but it worked great! Thanks for showing me how to do this!!
Uncharted Steve
07/19/2020 @ 12:15 pm
I’m glad to hear it was easy! If you’d like to share photos, adding them to comments is now possible on each post. Thanks for the feedback!
Donna Bentkowski
06/30/2021 @ 3:54 pm
Rain barrel question-6-30-21-
1)Where did u buy your rubber washers and silver washers I can not find that size at Home depote ?
2)What can u use in place of a jig saw?
3)Can u use a reciprocating saw ?
4)Can I use this. 1 in. x 4.5 in. Flat Boring Bit to drill my hole for my 3/4 in hose bib :https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1-in-x-4-5-in-Flat-Boring-Bit-48-27-0013/305537545?MERCH=REC-_-pip_alternatives-_-312953357-_-305537545-_-N&#product-overview
5)Can I just drill a hole for the hose bib ,place sealant around the hole and then just thread the hose bib into the hole and attach the hose adapter inside the barrel ,if I can not find the rubber and silver washers ?
Uncharted Steve
07/01/2021 @ 11:42 pm
Hi Donna,
Great questions!
1) I bought those rubber washers and metal washers at Ace Hardware. Home Depot and Lowes did not carry them in that size. Here’s a link to the rubber washers: https://www.acehardware.com/departments/plumbing/faucet-and-faucet-repair/plumbing-washers/4079927 and here’s the metal ones: https://www.acehardware.com/departments/hardware/nuts-and-bolts/washers/5304613 You might be able to find single metal washers at an Ace store, but they don’t list them on the site. Since I did two barrels at once, I didn’t mind a 10 pack.
2) and 3) The problem with a reciprocating saw is that the blades are thick, making it very difficult to make tight radius curves. I don’t think it would work and might ruin the barrel. I just added a link (above the comments) to a Black+Decker jigsaw that is quite inexpensive, but it would easily do the job.
4) I would highly recommend not using a flat or spade bit for a metal barrel (a plastic barrel would be fine). The flat surface will for sure grab the metal, causing the drill to bind. Not only could it ruin the barrel, but it might really injure your hand or wrist when the drill suddenly twists forcefully!
5) That might work, but over time you might find it leaking due to flexing of the metal. As long as you don’t mind keeping an eye out for leaks, and replacing the sealant as needed, I think it would be fine.
I hope this helps, and I’d love to see photos when you are done. You can post them right here in the comments. Have fun with the build!
Jason Byler
04/25/2023 @ 8:18 am
I have built several rain barrels out of plastic barrels, but recently acquired some steel drums that I want to make into rain barrels. How are yours holding up? What would you do differently if you were making one now? How did you keep the barrel from rusting?
Uncharted Steve
04/25/2023 @ 9:58 am
Great question, Jason! The insides of mine still look brand new, along with the barrels themselves. The paint on the top (outside) of the lids had started to peel a bit, but other than a bit of surface rust where the peeling occurred, they’re fine. I can rub the rust off with my fingers.
I’m going to repaint the lids this season and drill a few tiny holes in them so the water from snow doesn’t pool in the lids. Other than that, it appears that these will last for many years!
Eleni Gentz
07/31/2023 @ 12:29 am
Where will I find an orange barrel? I love the color!
Uncharted Steve
07/31/2023 @ 10:58 am
I got mine from a company in Colorado called “Container Reclaimer”. I don’t know if they have locations in other states. Mine were orange because they were used to transport orange juice – makes sense!
Scott Smith
05/22/2024 @ 12:44 pm
I just picked up some steel barrels and I’m glad I found your site! Most instructions are for plastic barrels. My question is about the inlet. You have yours attached to the lid. Many other designs just have the downspout empty onto the lid and filter through a screened hole cut into the lid. Your design has a few more parts and is a little more complicated, but also looks really great.
Is there a reason you went with the more involved inlet design?
Also, you mention the “gentle slope” for the inlet downspout. Is this an aesthetic thing, or is it somehow important to slow down the water?
Thanks a lot!
Uncharted Steve
05/22/2024 @ 2:56 pm
Great questions, Scott! It seems like most people talk about using plastic, but I also prefer the steel.
My reasoning for the downspout attaching to the lid is that we sometimes have three feet of completely unexpected snow and the sheer weight of the snow/ice would probably collapse an external screen. We can also have really high wind, and I didn’t want water being blown all over close to the house. I think it looks much cleaner too, and since the screen is between screw-on parts, it is super easy to clean or replace the screen.
As for the gentle slope, it’s mostly aesthetic. However, slower water seems to help with separating the leaves by the leaf filter. When it comes down fast and hard, the leaves tend to get plastered to the grate due to the force of the water.
Hope that helps, and have fun making your rain barrels!
Steve
Scott Smith
05/23/2024 @ 5:29 am
That’s great! Thanks for the fast reply. One more question: Is it very loud? One spot I’d like to put a barrel is pretty close to our neighbors house and I’m imagining a huge 55 gallon drum banging away as the water falls into it.
Uncharted Steve
05/23/2024 @ 9:16 am
One of mine is under the bedroom window and I haven’t noticed it being loud. It’s about the same sound level as the rain hitting the roof and gutters.