Stormwater management is a big deal, as run-off can negatively impact the environment. Watersheds play an important role in the ecosystem, creating environments for fish and wildlife to flourish. It’s important that water run-off from roads, parking lots, roofs, and other surfaces impervious to rain can soak into the ground rather than flood these watersheds. This is because the ground can filter pollutants out of the stormwater before it reaches the watershed. Many cities have practices in place to help reduce run-off, and one such helpful practice is the humble rain barrel.
Rain barrels can be installed along a gutter downspout. As stormwater collects on the roof, it’s diverted into the rain barrel, which can be used to water a garden. Landscape Contractor Jenn Nawada and carpenter Nathan Gilbert help a homeowner install one in her yard so she can do just that.
Rain Barrel Installation
- Find a suitable location for a rain barrel. Ideally, it will be toward the low point in a gutter system. Dry fit the elbows and downspout to fit the area, cutting them to length with a hacksaw and tin snips. Connect the different fittings using rivets.
- Using the appropriate size hole saw for your gutter and fittings, drill a hole through the bottom of the gutter. Apply a bead of silicone caulk around the hole and place a downspout fitting in its place.
- Install the gutter downspout assembled earlier. Attach the gutters to the house using gutter brackets.
- Following the directions in the kit, drill a hole in the side of the downspout and install the rain barrel diverter. Then, drill the appropriate holes in the rain barrel and install the rain barrel fittings.
- Remove the rain barrel from the area and mark the grass for the drainage garden you’ll install. Use the shovel to remove the grass and topsoil.
- Lay an in or two of sand. Use the screedboard to flatten it out, making it as level as possible. Turn the screedboard on its side and tamp the sand into place by striking the screedboard with a mallet.
- Apply two inches of stone dust over the sand. Use a level to get the stone dust as level as possible. Install the landscape blocks on top of the stone dust, using the level to keep them consistent and the mallet to pound them into place. Place the barrel on top and connect it to the gutter using the kit.
- Use the shovel to mix some of the excess sand and stone dust into the topsoil that you removed earlier. Place this mixture around the rain barrel.
- Dig holes and plant around the rain barrel, leaving enough room to access the hose spigot for easy watering.
Resources
To prep the gutter to receive the downspout, Nathan drills a hole using a 2-1/8” hole saw and then cuts it to size with snips to fit the downspout outlet.
After dry fitting the downspout in place, Nathan uses a hacksaw to cut it to size and secures it to the siding with gutter straps and rivets.
To prep the base area, Jenn and Maggie use shovels to clear the topsoil. Once the topsoil is removed, 2x4s are used as a screed to compact and level the ground before adding paver stone dust or sand.
With the base area prepped, Nathan places the base block firmly in the sand before using a mallet to set them in place.
The oak barrel was sourced from Midwest Barrel Company.
Special thanks to the City of Tulsa Streets and Stormwater Department, Tulsa Remote, and Jasmine Teer.
Materials
- Silicone
- Gutter downspout fitting
- Gutter brackets
- Downspout elbows
- Extension pipe
- Rain barrel kit with diverter
- Topsoil
- Sand
- Stone dust
- Blocks
- Ground cover
