This article was co-authored by Mike Garcia and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Mike Garcia is a Licensed Landscape Contractor and the Founder of Enviroscape LA, a full-service landscape design and construction firm in Los Angeles, California. With over 30 years of experience, Mike specializes in sustainable landscape practices. Mike holds an Ornamental Horticulture degree, C-27 Landscape Contractor and D-49 Tree Service Contractor licenses, and Permaculture Design, California Naturalist, International Certified Professional Pond Contractor, and Pond Building certifications. He is one of eight Internationally Certified Pond Builders in the world. Enviroscape LA has won landscape and water feature awards from the International Professional Pond Contractors Association (IPPCA), National Association of Pond Professionals (NAPP), and the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA). Mike is a past president of the CLCA and currently serves on their local Board of Directors. Enviroscape LA has been featured in PONDS USA Magazine, Pond and Garden Lifestyles Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. Mike has appeared on Extreme Home Makeover, HGTV's Landscapers Challenge, and A & E's series Fix That Yard.
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Collecting rainwater for home and landscaping use is a great way to save money and conserve water. Depending on the amount of rainfall your area receives, you may be able to collect enough to help with your water needs. In this guide, we’ll teach you how to make your own rainwater collection system. We’ll also cover the legality of rainwater collection, along with some common uses, benefits, and best practices. In no time at all, you’ll know how to add this environmentally friendly system to your own household.
Collecting Rainwater: Quick Overview
One of the easiest ways to collect your own rainwater is to use a big plastic trash can or barrel. Just drill a hole near the bottom and attach and seal a spigot. Cut one hole in the lid for a gutter downspout and one for overflow. Place landscaping fabric over the top of the can or barrel to keep mosquitoes out. Put the lid on and set your collector beneath a downspout so it collects rainwater.
Steps
DIY Rain Water Collector
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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 in (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.[1]
- Make sure that your garbage can is clean, and that it wasn’t used to store any hazardous materials that could potentially contaminate your rainwater. Food-grade plastic containers are also great to consider for a rain barrel.[2]
- Alternative: Feel free to buy a premade rain barrel if you don’t have the time or equipment to make your own. Before you set it up, make sure that it comes with a screen, overflow tube, and hose.[3]
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Insert a spigot into the hole. Slide a metal washer onto the screw end of the spigot, and then fit a snug rubber washer 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.[4]
- 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 any waterproof sealant, use watertight Teflon tape.
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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.[5]
- Place the barrel under your downspout and make a mark on the lid for the hole location.
- Don’t place the hole 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.
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Make a second hole to release overflow. Suppose the barrel collects a lot of rain. In that case, 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.[6]
- 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.
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Put landscaping fabric over the top to keep out pests. Before you secure the garbage can lid, cut a large piece of landscaping fabric or metal screening and place it over the entire opening. Cut it large enough that about 1 ft (30 cm) of fabric sticks out over the can. Then, attach the lid to secure it in place.[7]
- Landscaping fabric is made of a fine mesh, which will allow water to pass through while keeping out mosquitoes and other pests.
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Place the barrel under your downspout. Now that your barrel is constructed, simply set it below your downspout to collect water.[8] To make it more convenient to use, create a small platform of bricks or another solid, durable material and set the barrel on top.[9] This will give you more room to fill up water cans or buckets of water.[10]
- Thoroughly clean your gutters before collecting rainwater from your downspout.
- If you want to connect a hose to the spigot, raising the barrel a bit will also give you more water pressure.
- Place a rain barrel underneath each downspout to collect more rainwater.
- 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.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I make good use of rainwater?Community AnswerYou can use it to water plants, keep it in a bowl for stray birds, wash your car with it or for bathing your pets if you have any. These are just some of the things you can do with rainwater.
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QuestionWhat is used for purifying rain water?Community AnswerFor non-drinking purposes, such as bathing or clothes washing, running the water through charcoal and sand will clean it of most impurities. For drinking, additional purification is required through heating, chemical, ozonefiltering or other methods, in order to kill bacterial growth and pathogens.
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QuestionHow can I feed the collected water to bore?Community AnswerThe water which you collected from the rain saucer, or from the roof of the house is supplied to the big containers with a pipe line and is connected to the bore.
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-a-rain-barrel-save-water/
- ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/files-ou/Publications/Rainwater-Harvesting-in-Utah.pdf
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/water-wisely-start-your-own-backyard/rain-barrels
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-a-rain-barrel-save-water/
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-a-rain-barrel-save-water/
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-a-rain-barrel-save-water/
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-a-rain-barrel-save-water/
- ↑ Mike Garcia. Licensed Landscape Contractor. Expert Interview. 20 November 2020.
- ↑ https://extension.illinois.edu/rainfall-management/harvesting-rainwater
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-a-rain-barrel-save-water/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFey0NUXAVc&t=210s
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/water-wisely-start-your-own-backyard/rain-barrels
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/landscape-design/rain-gardens#shape-and-size-1778662
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1S_qVwzfsA&t=4m33s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_PkvWoHfoo&t=14s
- ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/rainwater-cisterns-design-construction-and-treatment
- ↑ https://www.energy.gov/femp/rainwater-harvesting-tool
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM2g-P1VaJY&t=0m37s
- ↑ https://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/files-ou/Publications/Rainwater-Harvesting-in-Utah.pdf
- ↑ https://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/stormwater-management/
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/water-wisely-start-your-own-backyard/rain-barrels
- ↑ https://www.energy.gov/femp/rainwater-harvesting-tool
- ↑ https://extension.illinois.edu/rainfall-management/harvesting-rainwater
- ↑ https://extension.umn.edu/water-wisely-start-your-own-backyard/rain-barrels
About This Article
To collect rainwater, you can attach a rain barrel to your home's downspout so when it rains the water flows directly into the barrel. If you want to collect rainwater without a roof or downspout, you can use a tarp instead. Just lay the tarp out on an elevated area and run a drainpipe from the lowest corner to a collection tank. For smaller amounts of rainwater, you can put out pots, watering cans, or even an inflatable kiddie pool whenever it rains. To learn how to redirect rainwater to your garden, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
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"This brought an awareness of importance of saving rain water which is simple and easy."