How to Collect Rainwater Making a Barrel to Collect Roof Water
Step 1
Make sure rain barrels are legal in your area before you start. Rain barrels, and rain collection in general, are illegal in some areas due to water rights restrictions. Before you start constructing your collection system, look online or contact your local government to see whether it’s legal in your area.
In the US, nearly all states allow water collection and some even encourage it. However, in states like Nevada, rain water harvesting with rain barrels is illegal without a water right.
Step 2
Drill a hole near the bottom of a large plastic garbage can. Use a hand drill to carefully drill a hole on the side of your garbage can, about 5 inches (13 cm) from the bottom. This hole will be used for your spigot, so make sure to use a drill bit that’s a little bit smaller than or the same size as the spigot.
You’ll use this spigot hole to extract water from the barrel, so make sure it’s not so low that you can’t slide a bucket or watering can under it.
If you don’t want to make a water barrel, you can also purchase one online or from a home improvement store.
Step 3
Attach a spigot over the hole with waterproof sealant. Slide a metal washer onto the screw end of the spigot, then fit a snug rubber washer on over the screws to prevent leakage. Apply a thick layer of waterproof sealant over the rubber washer, insert the spigot into the hole, and let it dry for as long as instructed on the package.
Once the sealant is dried, secure it on the inside of the barrel by sliding on another rubber washer and metal washer.
If you don’t have waterproof sealant, you can also use watertight Teflon tape.
Step 4
Cut a hole in the lid to collect water from your home’s downspout. Use a box cutter to cut the collection hole, and make it big enough to accommodate the water flow from your downspout. Place it near the side of the lid, following the curve, so it can fit comfortably against the wall of your house.
Place the barrel under your downspout and make a mark on the lid for the hole location.
Don’t place it too close to the center of the lid; if your downspout is against the side of your house, there won’t be enough room for you to place the hole directly under it.
Step 5
Make a second hole to release overflow. If the barrel collects a lot of rain, it’ll need an overflow opening to release the extra water. Using your drill or box cutter, cut 1-2 smaller holes in the lid to accommodate this extra flow.
If you want to collect the overflow water, build a second rain barrel. Run a short length of hose or PVC pipe from the second barrel to the overflow hole in the first barrel to allow the extra water to run through.
Step 6
Put landscaping fabric over the top to keep out pests. Before you secure the garbage can lid, cut a large piece of landscaping fabric and place it over the entire opening. Cut it large enough that about 1 foot (30 cm) of fabric sticks out over the can. Then, attach the lid to secure it in place.
Landscaping fabric is made of a fine mesh, which will allow water to pass through while keeping out mosquitoes and other pests.
You can buy it online or at home improvement stores.
Step 7
Place the barrel under your downspout to collect rainwater for a home or garden. Now that your barrel is constructed, simply set it below your downspout to collect water. To make it more convenient to use, create a small platform of bricks or another solid, durable material and set the barrel on top. This will give you more room to fill up water cans or buckets of water.
If you want to connect a hose to the spigot, raising the barrel up a bit will also give you more water pressure.
If you use your water for gardening, you can pour it out of the spigot as-is. If you plan to use it for cooking, drinking, or cleaning, filter it first.
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