Rain Barrel

I went to Lowe's early because we had rain forecasted to hit in the afternoon. I decided to go with a commercial brand trash can because I don't think I'm too gifted to be able to work from two small openings on top of a barrel. Until I find a barrel that the lid comes off, I'll stick with this. It's pretty heavy duty plastic...and a little more money than I wanted to pay...$30.

Then the clouds start rolling in so not sure I'm gonna get this done in time. We were originally forecasted a 30%, then increased to 40%. By last night it was updated to 50%. Now I hear it's 80%. Yikes...I better hurry....

Of course, I have no power tools here at the house that I can use...so much for drilling a nice hole in the top. This ol' girl uses what she's got...a box cutter. My right arm and shoulder may never be the same but, hey, it worked. Under this green grate on the pvc reducer, I added window screen to keep the mosquitos out. You'll see on the last picture the hose sitting on top. I'm not sure if I want to leave the drain or have the hose more properly fit into the white pvc.

I then cut the hole for the spigot. I used a marker to outline the inside diameter of the fitting and, again, cut the hole with a box cutter. I used a washer on the inside and outside and used silicone to seal.

I also bought a couple cinder blocks for this to sit on. Now to take down the gutter so I can put on the flexible hose.

See how the hose sits on top of the drain. I need another flat block or two to raise the barrel and might leave off the green grate.

So...mission accomplished. Do ya notice the black clouds are gone and the sun is out? Yep, rain went right around us...not a drop. Now that's another story...

Happy Trails...

Berte