I've always wanted to make my own rain barrel, and on Sunday I finally did! I am sure there are better, larger rain water containment systems you could make, but this is the one I made and it works for my purpose. I may extend it in the future, but right now I'm just satisfied it works the way I hoped it would.
If you have ever watched one of the countless YouTube videos on how to make your own system, you know most of them don't get too specific about what parts to buy...they hold up a part or lay them all on a dirty towel and expect you will know where to get them and what they are named. Being partially mechanically inept, this always frustrated me! To make this as painless as possible for anyone who wants to make their own system, I have included a complete manifest for all the components I used in making my system, including URLs to the specific parts at Menards. Of course you can find these or similar components in any hardware or farm store, Menards just irritates me less than Lowes and Home Depot!
One ommission...I didn't address putting a screen or lid on this system. Of course that will be critical to keep out insects like mosquitos and other natural debris, but that is something I will deal with next weekend. Basically, you can either cut a hole in the can's lid and affix some screen material to it or rig up said material over the entire opening, as you prefer. I will edit this post when I knock that part out, hopefully next weekend.
Required components:
32-gallon trash can (or any sized, sturdy plastic container/drum) $12.88 @ Menards
32 Gallon Trash Can with Lid at Menards
Watts 1/2" boiler drain shutoff valve (quantity = 1) $5.97 @ Menards
http://www.menards.com/main/p-2276689-c-9505.htm
Watts 1/2" CRB Lock Nut, AC-829 (quantity = 1) ~ $2 @ Menards (can't find link on Menards' website, but they have them in plumbing department...)
Watts Plumbing Products | W-17004829 - Fittings AC-829 PB111 1/2 CRB Lock Nut FIP
Danco #16 O-Ring (quantity = 2) $0.59 each @ Menards
Danco #16 O-Ring at Menards
Components you may already have if you are "handy":
garden hose (standard, attaches to drain shutoff valve)
Garden Hose at Menards
5/8" spade bit (to drill round hole in trash can) $2.58 @ Menards (I already had one!)
Tool Shop® 5/8"Spade Bit at Menards
teflon tape (to wrap threads on shutoff valve, I forgot to do this...) $0.99 @ Menards (I already had some, but I still forgot to apply it!)
1/2" X 480" Teflon Tape at Menards
What I did to turn all these parts into a functioning rain barrel:
1. Drilled hole in trash can with spade bit. I decided to drill the hole 6" from the bottom of the can. I might have been able to go lower, but I wanted to make sure I had enough room to attach the hose. Some hoses are stiffer than others, as you know.
2. Applied teflon tape to threads of shutoff valve. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just wrap a single layer around the threads and make sure it sticks.
3. Attached one o-ring onto shutoff valve. This helps seal the area around the hole/valve from the outside of the can.
4. Inserted shutoff valve into hole I drilled in the trash can in step #1. Make sure it is flush!
5. Attached the other o-ring onto shutoff valve on the inside of the can. (actually, Miguel Jr. did it since he fit into the can better than I did...) This helps seal the area around the hole/valve from the inside of the can.
6. Attached lock nut on the thread of the shutoff valve inside of the can. (Miguel Jr. did this, too...) At a certain point, you may have to hold the valve on the nozzle end outside the can to fit this nut on snugly. Don't kill yourself doing this, just make it snug, since the o-rings on each side of the can will help seal it.
7. Fill with water to test.
It has been raining on and off today and has held water. I attached the hose, opened the valve and drained it. It started to fill up again as it continued to rain, so I feel like I can say, "Mission accomplished!" as I write this.
I would post a picture, but it basically looks like a round, green trash can with a garden faucet sticking out near the bottom. If people really want to see it, let me know and I'll post a photo.
If you have ever watched one of the countless YouTube videos on how to make your own system, you know most of them don't get too specific about what parts to buy...they hold up a part or lay them all on a dirty towel and expect you will know where to get them and what they are named. Being partially mechanically inept, this always frustrated me! To make this as painless as possible for anyone who wants to make their own system, I have included a complete manifest for all the components I used in making my system, including URLs to the specific parts at Menards. Of course you can find these or similar components in any hardware or farm store, Menards just irritates me less than Lowes and Home Depot!
One ommission...I didn't address putting a screen or lid on this system. Of course that will be critical to keep out insects like mosquitos and other natural debris, but that is something I will deal with next weekend. Basically, you can either cut a hole in the can's lid and affix some screen material to it or rig up said material over the entire opening, as you prefer. I will edit this post when I knock that part out, hopefully next weekend.
Required components:
32-gallon trash can (or any sized, sturdy plastic container/drum) $12.88 @ Menards
32 Gallon Trash Can with Lid at Menards
Watts 1/2" boiler drain shutoff valve (quantity = 1) $5.97 @ Menards
http://www.menards.com/main/p-2276689-c-9505.htm
Watts 1/2" CRB Lock Nut, AC-829 (quantity = 1) ~ $2 @ Menards (can't find link on Menards' website, but they have them in plumbing department...)
Watts Plumbing Products | W-17004829 - Fittings AC-829 PB111 1/2 CRB Lock Nut FIP
Danco #16 O-Ring (quantity = 2) $0.59 each @ Menards
Danco #16 O-Ring at Menards
Components you may already have if you are "handy":
garden hose (standard, attaches to drain shutoff valve)
Garden Hose at Menards
5/8" spade bit (to drill round hole in trash can) $2.58 @ Menards (I already had one!)
Tool Shop® 5/8"Spade Bit at Menards
teflon tape (to wrap threads on shutoff valve, I forgot to do this...) $0.99 @ Menards (I already had some, but I still forgot to apply it!)
1/2" X 480" Teflon Tape at Menards
What I did to turn all these parts into a functioning rain barrel:
1. Drilled hole in trash can with spade bit. I decided to drill the hole 6" from the bottom of the can. I might have been able to go lower, but I wanted to make sure I had enough room to attach the hose. Some hoses are stiffer than others, as you know.
2. Applied teflon tape to threads of shutoff valve. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just wrap a single layer around the threads and make sure it sticks.
3. Attached one o-ring onto shutoff valve. This helps seal the area around the hole/valve from the outside of the can.
4. Inserted shutoff valve into hole I drilled in the trash can in step #1. Make sure it is flush!
5. Attached the other o-ring onto shutoff valve on the inside of the can. (actually, Miguel Jr. did it since he fit into the can better than I did...) This helps seal the area around the hole/valve from the inside of the can.
6. Attached lock nut on the thread of the shutoff valve inside of the can. (Miguel Jr. did this, too...) At a certain point, you may have to hold the valve on the nozzle end outside the can to fit this nut on snugly. Don't kill yourself doing this, just make it snug, since the o-rings on each side of the can will help seal it.
7. Fill with water to test.
It has been raining on and off today and has held water. I attached the hose, opened the valve and drained it. It started to fill up again as it continued to rain, so I feel like I can say, "Mission accomplished!" as I write this.
I would post a picture, but it basically looks like a round, green trash can with a garden faucet sticking out near the bottom. If people really want to see it, let me know and I'll post a photo.
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