Rain Catchment Workshop 2007

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Here is the finished product!

You can see that the original rain gutter downspout was split into two. One side goes into the barrel, and the other side goes down and out to the tree.

First thing Jonathan did was to level the ground where the barrels would sit. He added two bags of sand (could have used more) and set the cinderblocks into the sand.

This foundation keeps the barrels from falling over and raises the level of the spigot so you can easily fill watering cans from the barrel.

A thin tube or hose will also work by gravity from the barrels, as long as the end of the hose is below the level of the water in the barrel.

Because we would be attaching two barrels together, we needed to cut out the top of the barrels. This would allow Jonathan to reach into the inside of the barrel to attach a washer to secure the connecting pipe. If you only want to have one barrel, you don't need to cut out the entire top, only a small hole to insert the downspout into.

Drilling a 3/4 inch hole for the connecting pipe to fit into.

Jonathan used a 3/4 inch galvanized nipple. You could also use PVC. First he coated the threads with clear silicone caulk. This will help to seal the nipple into the side of the barrel.

Screwing in the nipple by hand. (one for each barrel)

Pete held the nipple in place with a wrench, while Jonathan ratcheted on a big washer that fit around the nipple. This will help to further secure the connecting pipe, which is under some pressure when the barrels are full of water.

All of the above steps were repeated for BOTH barrels.

On one of the barrels (doesn't matter which one) Jonathan drilled a second hole and attached a spigot. He attached a 3/4 inch quarter turn ball cock hose bib.

He coated the threads of the spigot with clear silicone caulk before screwing it in. The spigot is under less pressure than the connecting pipe, so it does not require a washer on the inside to help secure it. You can add one for extra security, but it's not necessary.

Next Jonathan took a metal union and greased the threads with some kind of substance that keeps them from rusting shut.

Now that both barrels have their nipples screwed in, they are ready to be attached together. The nipples are attached with the 3/4 inch union. Jonathan uses two wrenches to make the connection nice and tight.

This is fascinating stuff!

Now the barrels need lids to keep out animals and mosquitos.

You can use any material that you have lying around. You can use bug cloth and wrap it over the top of the barrel and secure it with wire. Unfortunately this allows a little more evaporation.

Here Jonathan has decided to use plywood. Plywood will eventually rot and needs to be replaced after a couple of years, but it's cheap and easy.

He measures the diameter of the top of the barrel and traced a circle with a compass.

Cutting out the lids.

What the lids look like.

Here you see where we would attach the new system of downspouts.

First Jonathan removed the old downspout. Once the barrels were put into place, he eyeballed the distance and cut a shorter piece to attach in its place. At the end of the shorter piece he added a rain water diverter (which he is holding in this photo)

A rain water diverter (available online) splits the dowspout into two, and allows you to manually adjust which side the water goes down.

The diverter allows you to chanel the rainwater away from your barrels when they are full, or during the season of hard frosts when you would want to leave the barrels empty. (December-February in Salt Lake City)

After the diverter was attached, he connected a couple downspout elbow to reach the barrel. He secured all the downspout pieces with some screws.

Cutting some downspout. (You can also cut it with a hacksaw).

Jonathan used the jig saw to also cut a small hole at the edge of the lid to allow the downspout space to enter the barrel. This photo shows how the downspout connected into the barrel.

Once again, the finished product!

Not shown in this photo series is the leaf guard that was placed in the roof. This was basically a piece of metal mesh (cut with tin snips) that rested in the gutter, over the downspout hole. It's very important to keep your downspout free of debris because these things will easily clog up the spigot in your barrel!

THE END.