SSmttee, I too wanted to know how to set up a rain barrel. I posted in one of the threads but never found out. Big Box store is Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

There are instructions on the internet, but my best suggestion is to contact you county co-operative extension.
Most have rain barrel classes. They will provide you with a barrel and fittings for a fee. If you decide to do it on you own make sure you get food grade barrels, they are usually blue or white.

Sharbear email me, as, I live close and have several extra barrels.

Hey Smittee, I found this utube video about making a rain barrel...it is pretty rough but simple...

Here is a link that might be useful: Simple Rain Barrel

I think the best place to get a rain barrel is from your county's extension office. In Pinellas if you take a free class you can purchase one for $35. In stores they seem to be very expensive.

If you have gutters on your roof you would place the barrel under the downspout. If you don't have gutters you can put it under a place where the rain seems to gush off the roof. It is advised that you place it on some cinder blocks off the ground to increase the pressure. Be sure to cover any openings with screen door fabric to fight mosquitoes.

Hi
How much water do you anticipate needing?? What are the uses for the water?? I found 80 gallons insufficient for my needs not to metion the quality of the water delivery system, I maintain almost 1800 gallons with a semi built in pumping system so can be used for all puposes as well as making a lovely self cleaning water garden.lol
Spent less than 400 bucks on the entire system!!
I find this to be the MOST useful improvement to my grow area except maybe the underground irrigation lol
I wouldn't use it for drinking water though I bet I could. Only remaining improvement would be to make it rain on command lol. Even with all that water I have run low.
gary

Gary, got some pics? Sounds very interesting.

I simply placed a barrel up on blocks next to my back door under the drip edge of the roof (I don't have gutters) There is window screen over the top of the barrel to keep the Mosquitoes out as well as leaves and other debris.
I installed a hose faucet near the bottom so I can hook up a hose or use the water for other things. I also line up unused buckets along the drip line and when it rains I can use them to help top up the barrel quicker. I just have to be sure to keep the buckets emptied or they will breed mosquitoes.

anyway, that is my low tech rain barrel method.

Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx

TCLynx, where can I get a good heavy barrel in Port Saint Lucie?
Gary, do you have pictures? I would like to see your setup. It is hard to visualize.

Sharbear,
The best advice I can give is when they say put the barrel up on blocks, do that. I tried it without that, thinking it seemed like a beg pain to drag blocks from the other side of the house. Well... I couldn't get to the spigot at the bottom and the hose I tried to put on it crimped and I had to tear the whole operation down and start over. Easier to do it right the first time, when it's not full of water that has to be emptied before you can start over.
It's really easy to set up, but do raise it off the ground a bit first.
S

Shar

Ditto what Susannah said, the first thing is to raise them up, to get access to all the water.

I got mine expensive but Willy is not handy and neither I am :o)

When my neighbors came to see the garden and saw the rain barrels, they all want it. lol.

However they are very handy and bought the plain barrels for a fraction of the cost that we paid. Made the adjustments necessary and even paint them the color of their house!

We have 2 barrels and they have more than 6, each neighbor that went together to buy the cheap I think they said pickle barrels.

I got the twin green barrels and they work very well for me, even not handy people can put them together, :o)

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: rain barrels

BOY DO I FEEL REALLY STUPID. I dont know what I was thinking of;
I live in a mobile home and I guess I have never looked up? THERE ARE NO GUTTERS ON mobile homes..I am so dissapointed. All this wonderful information may be valuable to others, BUT IT is useless to me. DARN

That is unless one of you very smart people can figure out how to harvest rain water WITHOUT a downspout or raingutters

I am so sorry to have waisted your time, I have saved it all this valuable information, should my roof line change or Santa installs gutters for Christmas.

AGAIN PLEASE FORGIVE ME. :(

I have (1) rain barrel and I DON'T have a single gutter or downspout on my house. I have a valley on my roof where the rain collects, and that's where I have a rain barrel directly underneath. My DH cut the top with a hack saw and put screen on top to keep mosquitos and debri out. It works GREAT! I don't know "if" you have something similar that you can use? HTH...
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Hi Smittee, with all the rain forecasted for us for the next several days...I hope you are able to find a way to collect some of that precious rain...Please keep us posted and good luck!!

Actualy what I am going to do is while it is raining Is to go out in the rain (I am from Washington I have webbed feet lol) and see where the water leaves the roof. That way I may find a spot to collect the rain .

Hi
Pictures?? I'm pushing my frustration level by just getting on the internet let alone posting pix.lol ?? My setup wouldn't apply to any other garden anyway.
The "basic" collection system all have things in common.
Container to hold the water,Way to get the rainwater in.
Way to get the rainwater out .Way to keep the mosquitoes out and last how much water do I need and the quality.
I still keep a standard 80 gallon as well as two 30 gallon plastic garbage cans . This is the "clean " supply for the aquariums.
The main storage area is a 5x10 above ground container made of stacked 4x4 timbers lined with fiberglass tarp. This is used for the plants. This can be made any size and shape and since it becomes a "WAter garden" does not have to be located near the house or disguised.
The whole system cost around 400 bucks and holds approximately 1400 gallons. Above ground means that you can simply dip the water out or a simple siphon. Since it's a functional water garden you can keep fish in it so no mosquito problem even though wide open. A drawback to this is that you can only draw so much water from it. Usually around 300 gallons of useable water for irrigation.
I find that rain gutters are the only reliable way to get enough water to be worthwhile. Which means "dirty water" but insignificant in average rainfall for the above purposes. Wouldn't drink it !!
What I most like about the system besides the setup cost was that I don't lose a square inch of grow area.!!!
Imagine 1400 gallons of rain barrels? lol
Of course since I'm a water garden freak anyway ??? gary

I almost never go on the computer when I am home or else I would post the pics. Anyway I collect the water in a 250 gal container from a corner where the water converges. (YOu need to see the contraption). Anyway I have a cheapie pump from harbor freight for about $30 which works off a car battery. I then pump the water from the container to water barrels which are along the fence line - about 20 of them. If I need to water plants i pump it to the plants. Now if I get around to putting that drip system in I can pump it into the drip system. Currently I use it to water my fruit trees since the veggie garden is on a semi-hold status.