I'm Tom Butzler, and I'm going to show you how to make a basic rain barrel in these steps.

I'll show you all the parts you can buy at your local store, an how it helps manage water on your property.

[music playing] A rain barrel can be a great addition to your garden, as it provides water during times of drought.

It can also help manage stormwater overflow and save you from having to use your tap water.

You can buy a fully made rain barrel or build one yourself.

[music playing] When selecting a barrel, make sure it's a food-grade container.

Other barrels may have had harsh chemicals or other unsafe materials.

Also, a good size for the barrel is 55 gallons.

There are both closed-top barrels and screw-top barrels.

Closed-top barrels are easier to find, so we'll go over close-topped rain barrels.

Once you've got your barrel, make sure you have these materials-- screen, overflow outlet, spigot or faucet at or near the bottom of the barrel, garden hose adapter, garden hose connecting to spigot or faucet, raised platform to sit the barrel on to increase pressure, thread tape.

And as an option, a pond basket, colander, or other similar type filter.

Also make sure you have these other tools-- safety glasses, drill and a 1-inch hole saw jigsaw, a hacksaw, wrench, measuring tape, pencil marker, level, bricks or cinder blocks, and a flexible downspout.

[music playing] A rain barrel is typically connected to a downspout from your gutters.

Choose a downspout that's easily accessible and close to your garden.

Also, make sure the rain barrel is within 3 feet of the downspout.

The area of the location needs to be level and firm.

Use your level tool to see if the ground is already level.

If it isn't, you can level off the ground with a shovel or other tools.

Or you can use sand or gravel to level the area.

Elevate the barrel on top of the bricks or cinder blocks.

Elevating the barrel will help increase the water pressure coming out.

With a jigsaw, cut about an 8-inch diameter hole on the barrel top.

Or if you're using a filter like a pond basket, cut the opening to fit the filter without gaps.

Measure roughly 3.5 inches from the bottom.

Then drill a hole with the 1-inch hole saw.

Using thread tape, wrap 2/3 of the faucet threads with two layers of the thread tape.

Screw in the faucet by lining up the threaded portion of the faucet with the hole in the barrel.

Make sure to apply pressure so that the sealant will pile up behind the faucet as you screw it in, filling in any small spaces.

Lets not forget overflow.

Determine which side you want to locate your overflow.

The overflow can be on your right side, left side, or facing front.

But you shouldn't have the overflow face towards your house.

With a hole saw, drill a 1-inch hole roughly 4 inches from the barrel top.

Then prepare the garden hose adapter by wrapping 2/3 of the thread with two layers of the thread tape.

Screw in the garden hose adapter tightly.

You may need to use a wrench to assist you.

If using a basket filter to insert into the top of the closed-top barrel, simply cover the entire basket with a drain sleeve or other similar material and seat the basket in the inlet opening.

If building an open-top barrel, you can simply cover the entire top with either fiberglass or aluminum window screening large enough to cover the top.

Use bungee cords to secure the screen.

Trim excess screen as desired.

These will catch debris that comes off the roof into the gutter system, and it prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs in the standing water.

Now, the final step is connecting the downspout to your rain barrel.

Using a hacksaw, cut off a portion of the downspout above your rain barrel and connect the flexible downspout from the cut portion of the house's downspout to your rain barrel.

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