The Rain Barrels That Mark Built

In 2007, we purchased four 55-gallon plastic drums, and Mark drew up some plans to convert them to interconnecting rain barrels (NTS means not to scale):

Mark cut holes in the lids of two of the barrels to collect the rainwater.  Mark purchased metal colanders that were slightly smaller than the holes, and drilled holes in their rims for screws to create a way to hold them in place, resting across the top of the lid.  The colanders were to strain out leaves and other debris.  These barrels had one spigot that he placed near the bottom of the barrel.  When the gutters were installed in early 2008, the downspouts on the back corners of the house were set up to drain into these barrels with the colander in the lid:

The other two barrels had two spigots Mark put in at the bottom, on opposite sides (180 degrees apart), and no holes cut in the lids ...

... and each pair of barrels, one with one spigot and the hole in the lid and one with two spigots and no hole in the lid, were connected at the bottom with a short hose.  This was to move water so we could collect twice as much.  Mark bought the necessary supplies to build the connecting hoses on his own - one is pictured below.  The connecting spigots were shut off and the connecting hoses removed when freezing temperatures were expected.

Here's what the rain barrel setup behind the house looked like in May 2022.  I had to move the second barrel from the downspout pictured to the right in this photo, because there wasn't room for it any longer with the growth of a nearby rose bush and the need to adjust the positioning of the rain-catching barrel.  After this winter, I plan to move the jasmine vine that you can see next to the barrels on the left, and put it over next to the porch (on the right side in the photo) so I can actually enjoy their scent.  I'll put that last barrel next to the two on the left, and have a chain of three there.

I use the rainwater in the summer to water the (few) pot plants as well as the rose bush and jasmine in the back beds, and the miniature rose bush and three crepe myrtle trees in the front beds (and hopefully an esperanza in the future).  It's been so dry this summer that almost all of the water is gone; which gives me the opportunity to clean the barrels (some dirt does accumulate at the bottoms) and level and build up the bases they rest upon (already done for the rain-catching barrels by May 2022).  

© Amanda Pape - 2026 - e-mail me!