Catch the rain

By Beth McMahon Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Horticulturist

It never seems to rain enough in our part of the Texas Hill Country. That’s why when it rains, we should catch as much water as we can.

Harvesting rainwater can be as simple and cheap as putting buckets underneath roof drip spots or get as complicated to be your replacement for well or city water.

There is a step between these two methods that looks better than random buckets around your house and is cheaper than a full rainwater system. This is the rain barrel, and these are quite easy to install for landscape plant watering use.

I am not the best at building things, as you can ask any of my high school ag teachers. So, the following instructions come from our AgriLife Extension Handout “Making a Rain Barrel”. Do not worry Mr. Townsend or Mr. Lumpkins, these parts should fit together better than that bookcase I made.

First, get a plastic food grade barrel that wasn’t used for soap or oil products. You can also use a plastic trash can.

Wash it out and drill a ¾-inch hole four inches from the bottom. Apply a sealant around the outside of the hole, and force or twist the spigot in.

Next, on the top of the barrel, drill a five- to six-inch-wide hole. This is where the water will enter in. After you drill this hole, you will need to drill an overflow hole.

On the side of the barrel, near the top, if using a twoinch pipe, use a 2 3/8-inch drill bit to drill in another hole. Thread in a two-inch male adaptor PVC pipe piece through this hole. The threaded end should be inside the barrel.

On the inside of the barrel, tighten a two-inch nut onto the male adaptor. Apply sealant around the male adaptor PVC piece. Then glue or screw on a 2-inch PVC elbow to the male adaptor, outside the barrel. Turn the elbow downward so the water can drain out if the barrel overfills.

Finally, around both the elbow and top hole, glue some screening to keep out insects like mosquitoes. Allow the sealant to dry before use. For those without power tools or crafting skills, you can purchase pre-made rain barrels.

Sometimes HOAs have regulations on where items like rain barrels can be placed. If you have an HOA in your neighborhood, check these restrictions first so you do not have to drain the water from the rain barrel to move it later.

To make the rain barrel look more attractive and help it to last longer, you can paint the barrel after lightly sanding it. Or you can try hiding it with a fence or getting a rain barrel disguise. The fake rock look is an option, though these never fool anyone into thinking they are real rocks.

Rain barrels should be dark colored so that algae cannot grow easily. Dirt and debris may get in, so it’s best if you wash them out once a year.

The best location for your rain barrel is under a gutter or if your house is gutter-less, where two roof slants meet. Rain chains can help guide water into the barrel if you do not have gutters, but you will have water loss with this method.

Make sure your foundation is steady and flat where you locate the rain barrel. A full 50-gallon barrel can weigh up to 400 pounds. It’s also best to elevate them somewhat. This makes it easier to work underneath them and gives you a little water pressure.

One has to have rain to catch water for the rain barrel, but fortunately it doesn’t take much. According to AgriLife Extension’s “Making a Rain Barrel”, an inch of rain that falls on one square foot of roof can yield about 0.6 gallons of water. If you were to funnel all the water from a 1,000-square-foot roof, you could catch up to six hundred gallons of water from an inch of rain.

You should wait for it to rain though. Using your hose to spray your roof so it fills up the barrel is cheating and should not be done to make yourself feel better about the lack of rain.

If you have any questions about rain barrels or would like pictures on how to make one, please contact me at 830-9973452, or by email at: Elizabeth.mcmahon@ag.tamu.edu