Rain Barrel – Simple, High Quality, Made with Easy to Find Parts
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