How to Build a Rain Barrel on a Budget

Keep your spring garden thriving all through the warm summer months with a DIY rain barrel. Setting up a rain barrel is fairly straightforward and has several money-saving and environmental benefits. Let’s dive right into the do’s and don’ts of how to make a rain barrel.

Benefits of setting up a rain barrel

• Capturing rainwater for use in your garden and/or in the home is a fantastic money saver.
• Stormwater run-off may cause erosion, flooding, and pollution of waterways. Installing rain barrels under your downspouts can reduce run-off during heavy rainfall events.
• Rainwater is naturally softer and free of harsh chemicals that tap water may contain. It is healthier for your plants.
• Using rainwater for your garden saves precious drinking water resources.

Cheap rain barrel setup: What do you need?

To get started with your cheap rain barrel setup, you need a few rain barrels. You may find second-hand food-grade plastic 55-gallon drums from a nearby food factory or beverage bottling plant. Or use old wine or whiskey barrels. A few more items you may need:

• A stand made from a few cinder blocks and a wooden board. This is not essential, but elevating your rain barrel slightly makes harvesting water so much easier.
• Inlet pipe.
• Overflow mechanism.
• Outlet pipe or spigot.

To keep things super simple, look for a DIY rain barrel kit. They are affordable and contain everything you need to set up your cheap rain barrels (even the attachments for your drill).

How to set up a rain barrel

1. Clear and level an area underneath your downspout large enough for the rain barrel to stand.
2. Place cinder blocks and board where the barrel is to stand.
3. Place the barrel on top of the cinder blocks.
4. Place a diverter into your downspout to divert the rainwater into your barrel.
5. Connect a pipe from the diverter to the top of your rain barrel.
6. Drill a hole large enough for the spigot attachment about two inches from the bottom of the barrel.

How to make a rain barrel: Mistakes to avoid

As you can see, building a rain barrel on a budget is easy enough to do. However, there are a few mistakes you may make, which could lead to contaminated water or other dangers. Bear these following five pointers in mind when you plan your cheap rain barrel project.

1. Material matters

Some cheap rain barrels may leach harmful chemicals into your water. Plastic barrels are usually your best option. They should be as opaque as possible. If the barrels are slightly transparent, the sunlight let in will cause algae to grow.

2. But first, rinse

Give the rain a chance to wash away any dirt, dust, or leaves that may have collected on your roof before you start collecting the rainwater.

3. Purify rainwater

If you want to use your collected water for gardening or flushing toilets, you don’t need to worry about this step. However, if you plan to use the water from your rain barrels as drinking water or for food preparation, you should purify it first.

4. Is it legal?

Before you get excited about your rainwater harvesting project, ensure it is legal in your state. Some states consider rainwater community property and do not allow citizens to collect rainwater.

5. Is it enough?

Are you planning to go off the grid with your water collection efforts, or do you want to collect enough for disaster survival? Make sure you have enough storage capacity to store sufficient water to last you for all your water needs (drinking, cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc.) between rainfalls.

Let it rain!

Rain barrels are an ideal way to save money and conserve precious rainwater in the summer months. Check out Save.com for more ways to save this summer, like these tips on how to save electricity or these tips for budgeting in 2023. If you love saving, visit Save.com to see whether our coupon book is available in your area.