How to Build a Water Barrel

Garden Water Barrel

There are plenty of ideas online for building a water barrel that range from extensive to simple design. Lots of people are thinking of conserving water---from using less water in their washing machines to collecting rain water---and generally finding more ways to conserve in all areas of home life. Whether it is motivated by concern for our environment or to save a few dollars from leaking out of our wallets, it is always prudent to stop waste. Building your own water barrel can help you conserve and is also a fun weekend project.

Things You'll Need

• Barrel
• Spigot
• Silicone caulk
• Concrete block
• Spigot kit
• Marker
• Keyhole saw
• 6-inch plastic atrium grate
• 2-inch male/female connector kit
• 8-inch length of 2-inch PVC pipe

Instructions

1. Find a food-grade 55-gallon barrel. Sometimes, you can go to your local recycling center and get them for free or for a nominal charge. If the recycling center doesn't have any barrels, try calling a factory where barrels might be used---but not for toxic chemicals. It should not be too hard to find one.

2. Make a stand for your barrel by stacking some bricks or concrete blocks so that the barrel will sit about 2 feet off the ground. This will give the water a little more pressure when you are using it to water your garden. If you are handy with wood, you could make a wooden platform as well.

3. Cut a 1-inch hole in the bottom side of the barrel about 1 inch up from the bottom edge. Insert a spigot and caulk in place with the silicone caulk. Allow it to set for at least 6 hours before attaching a garden hose.

4. Mark a 6-inch circle in the top of the water barrel and cut it out with a keyhole saw. Set a plastic atrium grate into the opening. This will filter out any leaves or twigs that might be washed down from the gutter.

5. Divert the rain from the gutter by attaching a flexible gutter section to the gutter pipe so that the flow is directed into the atrium. Attach a hose to the spigot at the bottom of the barrel.

6. Attach a 2-inch overflow pipe to the top side of the barrel. You can do this with a male/female 2-inch connector kit. This will allow an outlet for the extra water produced during heavy rainfalls.

Resources

• Friends of the Rappahannock