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Some lessons learned

7 April 2009
Written by: Chris Posted under Rain Barrels General

Here are some things that I have learned over the last couple of years about building rain barrels:

  1. Buy the gray barrels that contained olive, pickles etc. They are easier to work with and blend in with the landscape better then the white barrels.
  2. Make sure that the lid screws on/off with relative ease.
  3. Make sure that you really wash the barrels well with soap and/or a pressure washer. Getting the olive brine out make everything smell just a bit better. Even after washing it will usually take 2-3 fill and drain cycles to really get rid of the smell. Having to clean them is really the worst part of using a recycled barrel.
  4. If you are putting the barrel in your car and it is on it’s side make sure that the lid is on tight otherwise rancid olive brine may drip into your car (I learned this one the hard way).
  5. Make sure that you inspect the barrel you are buying. Check for cracked lids and stressed seams.
  6. When drilling the holes for your tap test the size of the drill bit on something other then your barrel. If you drill the hole too big the barrel is useless as a rain barrel but with another 100 holes you could make a great compost bin.
  7. When installing your barrels make sure that they are elevated off the ground. 10-12 inches usually does the trick. This gives you a little bit of water pressure.
  8. Double screen the intake for the barrel. One layer of screen for the bug and one for any junk that comes down the downspout. (Leaves, sticks and acorns and small animals)


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