Roughneck Rain Barrel

This afternoon I went to the hardware store, spent $38.22, and came out with everything I needed to make a Roughneck Rain Barrel. My plan is to use the water I harvest from my roof to water my plants and my chickens, wash the car, and fill up my squirt guns. It was fun and easy and took less than 2 hours to complete and made me feel very green and environmentalish.

Step 1 Parts and Tools

Parts:
1 32 Gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck trashcan - From my garage
1 roll of window screen - On hand from fixing the patio door last summer
1 90 foot hose - $15.00
1 Nozzle set - $3.00
1 set of 3 conduit locknuts - $0.99
2 1/2 inch boiler drains - $9.48
4 flat metal washers - $2.10
4 rubber washers - $5.32
Total with tax - $38.22

Tools:
Utility knife
Scissors
Staple Gun
Pliers
Screwdriver

Comments

[matthewabel]

"We should get a rain barrel" I said to my wife. Years ago. (Now, we live somewhere it isn't feasible). So I looked specifically for a "rain barrel" for months! And here comes this simple solution I will certainly be implementing when the time comes.

[SamK92595]

 I'm not sure if you should use that water for chickens, after touching your roof its not necessarily as clean as it should be.

[DonnieDillon]

My chickens roll in dirt, eat old carrot tops and other veggies, and drink from puddles in their chicken run. I don't think a little roof water is going to hurt them. Thanks for thinking of their health though:)

[midh]

I would agree with SamK, depending on the type of roof of course. Do you have wood shingles or shakes that have been treated with chromated copper arsenate—CCA to make them resistant to rot and moss? Water from a copper roof or copper gutters also should not be used. Zinc (galvanized metal) anti-moss strips—usually mounted at the roof peak— also produce toxic chemicals you don’t want, or if you have had your roof treated with moss-, lichen- or algae-killing chemicals within the last several years. Note that nowadays there are asphalt shingles on the market which have zinc particles imbedded in the surface. Asphalt-shingle roofs may leach various complex hydrocarbon compounds, so most people avoid using water from asphalt-shingle roofs or flat tar roofs for plants/animals meant for human consumption.

[DownEastJan]

Hi, I have no running water. While I do have a spring a few miles away I can stock up on drinking water, I am hoping to use it for washing @ the very least. My roof is cheap rolled roofing (so probably does hv chemicals, thanks 4 the reminder, sometimes the obvious alludes me) . I'm hoping to make a trough style/looking gutter from cedar slabs (free 2 us Here in rural hell Lol -Maine, coastal if info helps) Thinking a bead of chaulking down center will prevent leaking, is silicon ok do u know? Thanks for any help/advice. We can use it ;)& will b Much appreciated. MsJan

[Efitall]

You might find your watering system more effective if you raise your barrel, then attach it to a drip hose instead. The gravity feed from the barrel (providing it's got enough water in it) is enough to work a drip system pretty well.

[mole1]

If you want to run a seeper hose to take care of overflow, you can putt a second 'overflow' barrel next to the first - connected by a very short length of hose near the top. Connect a seeper hose at the bottom of the overflow barrel. You will still have a full barrel for squirt guns and watering by using the faucet at the bottom of the first barrel, but excess water won't be running out over the top of the first barrel because it doesn't have enough pressure to move through a long hose.

[Joe_6-Pack]

I made mine with a square can so it would sit against the house. I have the screen-ended downspout coming into a hole in the upper left side of the back wall so I still have the ability to remove the lid. About 1/2 inch lower than the downspout hole on the right side of the back wall is connected the overflow which feeds right into the original downspout of the house, leading it away from the foundation. The can itself sits atop a 3 foot stand, so the gravity feed through a hose connected to the spicket is sufficient enough for one of those "seeping" hoses that runs through the vegetable garden. When I need oomph I hook my power washer to it, and the gravity feed is enough to reach the pump. Free water is awesome! Your design is very clean. Wish I would have seen it before I built mine.

[harvey639]

why don't you put a 12v water pump and battery next to the rain barrel to give you enough pressure to render your hose effective maybe a 12 solar panel could be added to charge the battery. obviously you would have to put the pump and battery in a waterproof box of some sort.

[bighamms]

are you getting enough water pressure to render the hose effective.

[DonnieDillon]

Unfortunately I m not. Fortunately since the lid is just a trash can lid it is very easy to open and scoop out the water, especially after moving the screen as suggested by Davey Bobo and Wayne31r.

[wayne31r]

How about just securing the screen to the opening on the cover? Then it would be easy to take the cover off to dip a watering can in the barrel.

[wayne31r]

Sorry. I just realized that someone had made the same basic suggestion.

[bluetrain]

Groovy.....and here I was trying to make it difficult....jeez.....thanks for the info and instructions.

[SMRUDOLPH]

Very well done. I have to chime in with all the rest and say "Ah! I could actually DO this." With modifications suggested by other commenters, this is perfect. Thanks, Donnie!

[barrycdog]

I like this. Using a trash can is a clever idea. Hard to find a plastic barrel

[Davey BoBo]

Great instructable, I just have one suggestion:

Instead of stapling a large section of screen across the rim of your trashcan, you could try stapling a smaller (1'x1') piece inside the hole you cut into the lid of the can. This would still seal your water off from debris/insects but would make periodically replacing the screen easier, not to mention those squirt pistols that you have to submerge underwater to fill up.

[DonnieDillon]

That is a really good idea. I may go and change that this week. Thanks!

[bustedit]

I agree, finally an instructable I do not need a doctorate or a lazer cutter to attempt. Thank you.
I have a question, though. I know those particular barrels are pretty flexible. Do you think it will stand up to the weight of all that H20 when near full?

[DonnieDillon]

After a couple of rainy days the barrel is now full. There are no leaks and no sign that the thrash can is in any danger of failure.

[mrmoneybagss]

There's a typo in step 3.

"3. Se the scissors to trim off the excess screen."

"Se" should be "Use".

[peterfoote]

A good first Instructable, a couple suggests though.

1. Rethink your screen. It's always nice to have an easy way to remove it if it gets ripped. You might not think it, but in a downpour the weight of the water on top of the screen might tear it from the sides.

2. I don't know where you live, but here in Nova Scotia, we have some serious winters. Taking that into account, I've made mine rain barrel removeable so it doesn't freeze. So when I remove it from my downspout I slide on the old piece of downspout back on to divert unwanted water away from my foundation.

[bfarm]

I would add a large overflow that drains away from the foundation of the house.

[jatoha]

Ah, now THIS I could do!  Thank you so much!

[iPodGuy]

Well done!

Easy instructions, minimal parts, great pictures...  Anybody could do this.