- 1). Find a 55-gallon barrel. The blue barrels some restaurants and grocery stores use are lightweight but durable and easy to handle. Bleach the inside of the barrel with 1/8 to 1/2 cup of bleach and rinse thoroughly before use.
- 2). Decide where you will place your rain barrel. Stationing it in the backyard under a downspout makes for easy installation and hides it from view if you live in a neighborhood with property restrictions.
- 3). Drill a 15/16-inch hole for the spigot threading approximately 3 inches from the bottom of the barrel. This height allows enough room to attach a garden hose or fill a watering can and allows debris to settle at the bottom and not clog the spigot. Push the spigot into the hole, checking for a tight fit.
- 4). Make sure the ground where the barrel will be is fairly level, and then stack the cinder blocks two by two on that spot. Gravity is the key to getting the water to flow, so the barrel must sit high enough for the water to drain out of the hose when you turn on the spigot.
- 5). Place the barrel on top of the cinder blocks. Depending on how your downspout is made, you will need to cut off part of the downspout with a hacksaw, drill the rivets out, or remove the screws holding the downspout together.
- 6). Secure the barrel under the remaining part of the downspout. If the barrel has a lid you want to use or the lid is not removable, cut a hole in it for the downspout to fit through. If the barrel does not have a lid, place screen wire over the opening to keep debris from falling in and insects (such as mosquitoes) out.
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