How to Build a Wooden Rain Barrel
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a rain barrel will save its owner approximately 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months. Uses for rainwater abound: watering gardens, indoor houseplants and laundry. And some swear by rainwater for washing hair. Garden stores sell plastic rain barrels with leaf screens and spouts for between $75 and $250, but you can set one up for less than $50. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wooden barrel from winery or whiskey distillery
- Electric drill or hole saw
- 3/4-inch hose bib, PVC or metal OR 3/4-inch deep socket coupler and 1-to-3/4-inch male adapter
- Length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe (for overflow drain)
- 90-degree elbow, PVC (for overflow drain)
- Silicone sealant
- 1/2-inch mesh hardware cloth (for leaf screen)
Instructions
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Get a wooden barrel from a winery or whiskey distillery. A rainwater collection system can be as simple as a single plastic garbage can positioned under a gutter downspout, but that won't have much nostalgic charm. With the growth in popularity of wineries, the availability of wooden barrels has greatly increased. If the barrel was drilled for a bung, be sure the cork is still in place, or you'll need to patch it before you can use it as a rain barrel.
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Drill a hole about 2 inches up from the bottom of the barrel to install a gravity feed system. Choose either a 3/4-inch hose bib or a straight PVC deep socket coupling, to which you can attach a 1-inch-by-3/4-inch threaded adapter to accept a hose coupling. Use a drill-bit or hole-saw size that will allow a tight fit on the hose-bib threads or PVC coupling. For example, for a threaded 3/4-inch hose bib, use a 7/8-inch drill bit, and force the threads of the hose bib into the wooden barrel's stave. Liberally coat the threads of the hose bib or the exterior of the PVC coupling with silicone before forcing it into the hole. Coat around the hose bib or coupling with more silicone, and let it dry well before putting water into the barrel.
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Install an overflow pipe by drilling another hole approximately 2 inches down from the top of the barrel, and inserting a short length of PVC pipe, again gluing the pipe into place with silicone. Attach a 90-degree elbow, and run another length of PVC pipe down toward the ground. You may want to attach additional pipe to deliver any overflow water to a nearby flowerbed, garden or stretch of lawn.
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Position the barrel under your gutter downspout. You can have the downspout either right above the barrel or inside the barrel. If you plan to dip water directly out of your rain barrel, you can remove the entire top, or you can cut a hole just large enough for the downspout to enter the barrel. If you choose to have the downspout above the barrel, cut a piece of 1/2-inch mesh hardware cloth to cover the opening or the entire top of the barrel. This will act as a screen to keep leaves and debris out of the water.
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Raise your rain barrel at least a foot off the ground to attain enough pressure to feed water through a garden hose. Your rain barrel system will gain about .43 PSI for every foot the barrel is lifted above the ground. One to 2 feet should be plenty of height. Use cinder blocks or pavers to build a platform.
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Add a second barrel and a simple siphon arrangement if you want to capture more water. Use a siphon hose to maintain the water level between the barrels. Drill a hole slightly larger than the hose you'll use for the siphon about 2 inches below the top of each barrel. With each barrel at least half full of water, coil the hose and sink it in one of the barrels. Weight one end of the hose by tying it to a brick or other heavy weight. Tightly cork the other end of the hose while it is still underwater, and move it to the other barrel. Weight this end of the hose as well, and remove the cork with the hose still under water. Siphon action will pull water from one barrel to the other.
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Tips & Warnings
If you can't find a wooden barrel from a winery or whiskey distillery, you can use a plastic barrel or plastic garbage can, and surround it with closely spaced short wooden staves fashioned from waste wood and stapled to a form of 1/2-inch mesh hardware cloth to get the visual effect of a wooden barrel.
Prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your rain barrel by making sure that any openings in the top of the barrel are covered with mesh screening, and that the collected water is used on a regular basis. You can purchase small floats of insecticide called mosquito dunks that will help to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching.
During the winter months, your rain barrel should be kept no more than three-quarters full to allow for freezing water to expand without cracking the barrel staves.
If you have removed all or a portion of the top of the barrel, be sure to keep it securely covered with sturdy wire mesh. The amount of water in a rain barrel represents a drowning hazard for animals, children and even adults. Fasten the wire mesh to the barrel, or keep it weighted with bricks or other heavy objects.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit wooden barrel image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com
