Monday, October 11, 2010

Drilling the Rain Barrels for the Hose Fittings

From In the Garden
This post is very near and dear to my heart because if I had had this information two years ago my rain barrels would've been done-two years ago! I honestly had no idea just how easy it is to make a rain barrel until I finally got all the right equipment and used it! I've had the rain barrels for over three years now but was lacking the right drill bit and was not sure on the right fittings. Fear of failure kept me from attempting to put the rain barrels together. All the 'how to' lists I had seen on rain barrels would not give specifics on what type of fittings to use and how to drill the holes for the fittings. I don't know, maybe I am a bit behind and that info comes innate to some? If so, then I apologize to all of you but for me the learning curve was a bit steeper even with help from you all. Here is what I learned to finally make it happen for me.

I used a forstner bit to drill the hole into the rain barrel. I was so afraid the hole would not work out right and the forstner bit intimidated me a bit. Don't know why but it did. My rain barrels were the standard plastic ones and I knew the plastic had to be at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. I did not think a normal twisty bit would work and I knew a hole bit would not work because they are iffy at best when I've used them to drill holes in gourds so I kept wondering what kind of bit would drill a good hole in hard plastic. One day Mr. Fix-it and I were shopping at Harbor Freight and he pointed to a forstner bit and said that was what I needed to drill my good round perfect holes into the rain barrels. I immediately purchased a 3/4 inch forstner bit since I knew my hose bibbs were 3/4 inch.

From In the Garden
Here are the hose bibbs with the 3/4 inch clearly marked on the outside of the brass fittings. Here is my problem. The 3/4" means the inside of the hose bibb and not the outside-the part that will have to fit into the hole. Uh oh. Okay, back to a hardware store with a tape measure and the hose bibb to ensure I got the right sized forstner bit. Turns out I needed a 1 inch forstner bit in order to fit the 3/4 inch hose bibb into the hole. Who the heck comes up with all these measurements and why can't they be straightforward? Like why isn't a 2 x 4 actually a 2 x 4?? Okay, that is another story but hardware and measurements are not strong points for me so I'm making sure to put this out there for other not so savvy measurement-hardware-drill bit shoppers who may also have some questions as I did. Bottomline: Whatever size hose bibb you buy make sure you buy the bit to fit the outside of the hose bibb and not the inside.

From In the Garden
I stabilized my barrel between two saw horses then proceeded to drill a hole approximately 3 inches up from the bottom in the location of the barrel I needed my hose for easy access. The forstner bit made the hole perfect! It is important to have a good tight and perfectly round hose in order for the hose bibb to fit snug and not leak. Prior to screwing in the hose bibb I applied plumbers tape to my threaded end of the hose bibb so that all the threads were covered. The last and final step was to screw in the hose bibb. This was the easiest part indeed-righty tighty-lefty loosey and the bibb is all in nice and tight and waterproof! Not a leak in sight! Okay, confession, I did not screw my first hose bibb in tight enough so I had a slight leak. It was an easy enough fix in that I simply gave it another turn-while full of water! More on that rain barrel in a later post....

in the garden....


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

21 comments:

  1. If I ever get around to finding some barrels I'm determined to make one! I love the one I have (which I bought at full price) but I want several more around the house. This dryspell would make them invaluable!

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  2. Luckily my handy hubby made mine. He did alittle research online and kind of came up with his own ideas. ;) Glad you got them working now! Your garden will be much appreciative of that for years to come.

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  3. Yep, when it comes to cleaning the shop and putting black iron and copper in the right bins I am constantly giving JOAT looks of doubt. Size doesn't look the size. Ha! (I had to laugh)
    Anxious to read the rest on these barrels, I might get one.

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  4. Dave, Check the Re-store or local car washes. I got a few of mine from an auto parts store and all were cheap or free.

    Racquel, One last step is to connect them to the gutters (except for one which will not be connected) and this has me stumped too but soon I hope. Your hubby sounds most handy!

    Dawn, Ditto on what I said to Dave. They are easy to find once you have an idea of where to look. Also, newspaper companies may have some plus old news sheet rolls you could use for mulch. I just need to finally hook up mine.

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  5. Progress!!! Yea! You're post is very helpful and clear.

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  6. I made mine maybe 5 years ago... and even without the optimal tools, it was pretty easy. :)

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  7. GSS, Thanks!

    Monica, I was simply intimidated:) I just have to get past that though if I want to accomplish anything.

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  8. My husband is addicted to that store, Harbor freight.

    It is good you are sharing how you did this task. I am sure it is helpful to many who are working on rain collection systems in their yard. I was lazy and bought a rain barrel with a hose already attached but if I add another barrel, this will be good to know.

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  9. You will really enjoy having so many rain barrels for all your gardens. I was wishing I had one this past summer. Good job girl!!!

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  10. Great going girl. Thanks for all the info. Will have to seriously think about one {or more} for my garden as they have started a 5% raise on my water & sewer. OUCH.

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  11. Thank you for a detailed demonstration of the process. My 'Mr. Fix-It' has shown no interest in this department. Therefore, it may become my job to explore this idea. I've been 'waiting on' my Fiskar's rainbarrel but doubt that's ever going to become reality. Eventually I'm going to have to 'just do it' and stop thinking about it. Your determination has paid off...you should feel proud;-)

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  12. Rosey, I love that store but do you know our ONLY local store was flooded in the May floods and has not reopened? It is a shame as they are a super good store for some great hardware finds. The good news is they plan to rebuild. Our community is still trying to recover from it all.

    Mom, I hope I can figure out how to attach them to the gutters now. One of the barrels is earning its keep in the greenhouse but I fill it with the hose. Still they are easy to hook up. You could use one by your deck for those houseplants!

    Lola, They are pretty easy and economical too. I am surprised by just how easy and inexpensive.

    Jan, I'm more embarrassed it took me SO long to get around to drilling them. So easy! Now if I can only attach it... You can do it too!

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  13. I sure could use some rain barrels around here. It has been way too dry this summer and fall. I'll have to check some out for future use. Carla

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  14. It still sounds complicated to me Tina! That's why none have been purchased here. :-(
    I'm glad you figured it out ~ I may have to come back to your post if I ever get the courage to buy one.

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  15. You have no fear, Tina. It's one of the things I admire most about you. I've been thinking that some kind of rain collection system is needed here. It's usually either rain feast or famine, only lately it's been all famine. Barrels would sure help balance the score when the next feast comes along.

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  16. We have 5 barrels that we purchased, since neither my husband nor I are very handy with tools. They were life savers this summer when it was bone dry for weeks on end. Congrats for putting your barrels together!! :0)

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  17. I've heard rain barrels were easy to make yourself, but somehow what one person thinks is easy is not so simple to a mechanically-challenged person like myself. I've never even heard of a forstner bit! And it was only recently that I learned the righty-tighty lefty-loosey trick:) I'm impressed you figured this all out, Tina, and now have some working rainbarrels. Now, if we'd only get some rain...

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  18. Hi Tina, great job! And, I loved the bicycle post too! Been busy with the kiddos and fall break. And, right now we are actually getting some rain -I can't believe it! I'll take any little bit that falls our way it's been so dry. Hi Lola, Jean, Nina, Skeeter and Dawn -have a wonderful week! Ciao

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  19. Carla, Boy I tell you this year has been a very bad year. Even worse than 2008 and I didn't think that could ever be beat! Hopefully you'll find some barrels and can put them to use in your garden. Good project for the girls maybe.

    Kathleen, I think I made the project too complicated. We tend to do that sometimes:)

    W2W, You are much too kind as I surely get a bit afraid and intimidated in more situations than I let on. It is a human fraility perhaps? At any rate I totally understand the famine. It's been almost two months and nary a drop here. Finally-a bit of rain right now! I'm so happy I'm giddy!

    TS, Now there you go! A real testament to the usefulness of the barrels. I so hope I can soon begin using mine and know they'll help a bit. I am thinking two might not be enough but it is enough for now. Five sounds great! Wonderful post you wrote up!!

    Ha Rose! The righty tighty was taught to me too many years ago to count while in the Army. It is an old Army saying but still holds true no matter where you are. Can you relate how you learned it? On the barrels we sometimes make things so darned difficult it's not funny. There is one little rain storm in Tennessee tonight and wouldn't you know it-it is over my town:) Hopefully more to come!

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  20. Anonymous it is SO DARNED AWESOME TO FINALLY GET SOME RAIN! Everything and everyone is happy! I knew things were dire when the weatherman was commenting that since August 22 we have not had any rain and even then it was sparse. It's worse this year than any I've seen and I've lost so many plants and just can't keep up. I've been reading about the STEM and am so excited Boy 2 is in it and doing well! Sounds great. You guys take care and enjoy this rain!

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  21. I know what you mean about feeling intimidated by a project, only to have it end up being easy. I bet you'll enjoy using them next summer.
    BTW those measurement things drive me crazy too :)

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