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Rain Barrel Use Instructions
Thank you for purchasing a Rain Barrel from Upcycle Products and the Washtenaw
County Conservation District. Your purchase helps support the work of the District in
Washtenaw County.
We hope you enjoy the satisfaction of using chlorine free rainwater on your plants
and lawn while helping to do your part to conserve our water resources.
Remember that your rain barrel is constructed from USED food-grade barrels. They
will have some scuff marks and scratches from shipping and handling.
They are inspected and cleaned, then modified into rain barrels. There are no
significant scuffs or scratches which would harm the structural integrity of the barrel
and lead to any leakage. The spigot is installed on the nicer looking face of the barrel.
Please use the information below to set up and use your rain barrel.
Setup Instructions
The following instructions will guide you through choosing a location for and using your rain barrel.
1. Plastic barrels are like plastic bags. When they are empty they tend to relax back to a form similar to when
they were first made. Flat spots on the body, dimples, and dents may be evident when empty. However,
when you fill them up they will restore themselves to a round condition and will look more uniform in their
shape.
2. Choose a spot for your barrel where you can either tap into or modify a downspout to fill your barrel from.
Locate your rain barrel to keep kids safe by keeping the rain barrel lid tight at all times to prevent children,
animals and insects from entering or falling in.
3. Once you have selected a location for your barrel, raise it up approximately 12” inches above the
surrounding ground using concrete or landscape blocks, landscape timbers, the available pedestal riser, or
other similar sturdy material.
This will allow you easy access to the spigot with a watering can or bucket. Additionally, the elevated barrel
will ensure your hose, if used, will flow properly to where you want to use the water. Water seeks its own
level, so if the end of your hose is higher than the spigot then water will not flow out.
Remember that a full 55-gallon rain barrel weighs over 450 pounds, so your support material will need to be
sturdy enough to support this weight.
4. Install an overflow hose to the top fitting on the rain barrel to direct water away from your house foundation
for times of high rainfall. Remember the intent of the downspout is to direct water away from the basement
and foundation of your home. So DO NOT re-direct water back to the base of the home from the overflow
fitting.
An alternative to the overflow hose is an available diverter that installs on
the downspout to fill the rain barrel while water continues through the
downspout; then automatically diverts all rain water down the downspout
once the barrel is full.
5. Measure and cut the downspout 6-8 inches above the top of the barrel.
Downspouts can be cut with a hacksaw. Use the existing downspout elbow
or a flexible spout attachment to direct the water to the top of the barrel.
Using a flexible spout allows you to locate the rain barrel around the corner
from a downspout, if necessary. Flexible spouts can be purchased at hardware stores or home centers.
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