How to Collect Rainwater

In this Article:Article Summary Making a Barrel to Collect Roof Water Collecting Rainwater with a Tarp Trying Alternative Collection Systems Community Q&A

Collecting rainwater for home and landscaping use is a great way to save money and conserve water. Depending on the amount of rainfall your area receives, you may be able to collect enough for all of your water needs!

Choose the right collection method for your lifestyle, such as a barrel for rooftop collection or a tarp to utilize a change in elevation. Then, carefully set up your system to harvest the rainwater as easily and efficiently as possible.

1 Make sure rain barrels are legal in your area before you start. Rain barrels, and rain collection in general, are illegal in some areas due to water rights restrictions. Before you start constructing your collection system, look online or contact your local government to see whether it’s legal in your area.^[1]
In the US, nearly all states allow water collection and some even encourage it. However, in states like Nevada, rain water harvesting with rain barrels is illegal without a water right.^[2]
2 Drill a hole near the bottom of a large plastic garbage can. Use a hand drill to carefully drill a hole on the side of your garbage can, about 5 inches (13 cm) from the bottom. This hole will be used for your spigot, so make sure to use a drill bit that’s a little bit smaller than or the same size as the spigot.^[3]
- You’ll use this spigot hole to extract water from the barrel, so make sure it’s not so low that you can’t slide a bucket or watering can under it.
- If you don’t want to make a water barrel, you can also purchase one online or from a home improvement store.
3 Attach a spigot over the hole with waterproof sealant. Slide a metal washer onto the screw end of the spigot, then fit a snug rubber washer on over the screws to prevent leakage. Apply a thick layer of waterproof sealant over the rubber washer, insert the spigot into the hole, and let it dry for as long as instructed on the package.^[4]
- Once the sealant is dried, secure it on the inside of the barrel by sliding on another rubber washer and metal washer.
- If you don’t have waterproof sealant, you can also use watertight Teflon tape.
4 Cut a hole in the lid to collect water from your home’s downspout. Use a box cutter to cut the collection hole, and make it big enough to accommodate the water flow from your downspout. Place it near the side of the lid, following the curve, so it can fit comfortably against the wall of your house.^[5]
- Place the barrel under your downspout and make a mark on the lid for the hole location.
- Don’t place it too close to the center of the lid; if your downspout is against the side of your house, there won’t be enough room for you to place the hole directly under it.
5 Make a second hole to release overflow. If the barrel collects a lot of rain, it’ll need an overflow opening to release the extra water. Using your drill or box cutter, cut 1-2 smaller holes in the lid to accommodate this extra flow.^[6]
- If you want to collect the overflow water, build a second rain barrel. Run a short length of hose or PVC pipe from the…