Made My Rain Barrel Diverter

16 years ago

If anyone is interested, I came up with a diverter for my rain barrel that is only $5.00 and works beautifully. My downspouts are buried so I didn't want to remove the bottom portion of each. After looking on line for a diverter and finding they cost anywhere from $27. to $45. I decided there had to be a better way.

If your barrel is full and another rain is coming you can divert the water right back down the downspout to eliminate overflow on the ground.

I went to L's or HD and bought a plastic FLEX ELBOW. They come in both downspout sizes and expands from

8-18". Several colors and cost $4.99.

1. Cut your downspout at the height you want according to the barrel height. Go about 6-8 inches above the top of the barrel.

2. Then cut the same downspout again about 10-12 inches below that cut. This will leave a 10-12" space of missing downspout. (Give yourself enough room to move the flex piece.) You'll need to push the f.p. up and down a little when adjusting for the position of barrel or downspout.

3. Using a downspout screw, I permanatly screwed the top end of the flex elbow onto the bottom of the top piece of downspout (the one coming from the roof). Be sure the d.s. goes inside the flexpipe so it wouldn't leak. This piece will never need to be removed.

When the barrel is already full and they are calling for rain.....

4. I put the bottom end of the flex piece into the top of the bottom downspout. Pull out the flex piece to extend to fit and the rain goes right into the original downspout.(the piece of downspout that runs to the ground) This is basically filling in the gap of missing downspout.

When I want the rain water to go into the barrel....

5. I pull the bottom of the flexpipe out of the top of the bottom piece of downspout. Extend and bend the flexpipe as necesary to line up with and empty into the barrel. You can add a short extention (cost $1.59) to the end if necessary. The flex Elbow has a give of 8-18" and moves easily, up, down and sideways.

I actually have my barrels sitting around a corner of the house from the downspout (due to shrubs) so I added an additional flex piece and bend it around the corner of the house to match up with the top of the barrel. You might find an electrial tie helps hold the two flex elbows together if there is a hard rain. I have no unwanted overflow running around the barrel once it is full.

NOTE: When a barrel is full, water can only come into the barrel at the same rate it is exiting through the overflow hose. In a storm, a full barrel overflows quickly.

Hope this helps someone. Any questions, let me know.

Kaaren

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Comments (13)

mbuckmaster
16 years ago
Very clever! That will come in helpful with all this rain we're getting this weekend (not that I'm complaining...let it rain!). Thanks for the tip.
pfmastin
16 years ago
Kaaren,
Sounds like it works like a charm! Would it be possible to post a photo?
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i just have one now and 3 more waiting to be installed -- i love mine! we are in durham and there is somebody at the whole foods here who does installations and such... but i think we are going to install the rest with stuff bought at the local hardware store. one of my water bills last summer was around $150, which is way too high for one month!! and it freaked me out a bit because i don't think i should be using that much water -- why when i could be conserving? so for me, two rain barrels pay for themselves in a month and everything after that is economic gravy PLUS i get the satisfaction of watering from a barrel that doesn't impact my drinking water supply. (seriously, runoff from my roof is better used by saving for my garden than by running along asphalt) having said that... the older i get and the more i learn, the more conservation-minded i become. if i can get around to it, then my few little vermicomposting worms will eventually become enough to take much of my vegan waste and "recycle" for me. :)
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I think the first thing I'd do in your situation would be to tap into the downspout, run a hose down into it and see if you come across any stored water that you could pump out and onto your garden. You may be able to use a plumber's clean-out wye for drain lines for this purpose. I might mention that we are in the process of installing a rainwater catchment system and to that end have 18,000 gallons of water tanks installed. An average year of rain [12 inches[ here in central California would collect about 22,000 gallons of water. We are simply going to plumb tightly up the walls of the house to the height of the tanks and run the downspouts into the piping. Sediments will collect in the bottom of the first tank in the system and the sediments can be cleaned out every few years. We don't have anything on our website about our rain catchment system yet but would invite you to check it out for good ideas on home food production and storage. Click on the Whole Systems Agriculture link below. We utilize the 12 Permaculture principles and pathways outlined in David Holmgren's book. Mr. Holmgren is the co-originator of the Permaculture concept. Good wishes, John Warner Madera Whole Systems Agriculture near Fresno, California No-tractor, no-tillage permanent mulch market growers since 1996 Here is a link that might be useful: Whole Systems Agriculture
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GP, The pipe outlet into the rain barrel has to be lower than the diverter. What is more important is that your diverter is accepting open channel flow from the roof. The line must be large enough in diameter to accept that flow rate or there will be overflow at the diverter exit unless the diverter is water tight and water can backup the pipe to the roof. Then you would have overflow at the roof gutter. Depends on the size of your roof area and intensity and duration of the rain. GL JMHO.
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agrowingpassion
16 years ago
People don't realize that a barrel can ruin an area with overflow. Great idea. I'm on my way to the box store. Many thanks for this great idea.
jimtnc
16 years ago
ncgardner - thanks for passing that on. I hooked mine up like that a month ago and was gonna mention it, but forgot. Anyway, if you can't find it at HD's, it's in the plumbing aisle/front section and I believe it's called Flex Adjustable Downspout, or something like that. Pretty close to the contractor desk.

I bought 2 of them and hooked them up just as ncgardner explained (good job explaining it). Works like a charm, but on the 2 downspouts on my rear house corners that I use I have 2 different sized downspouts so I have to do a little finagling but it still works okay.
mrsig
16 years ago
Maybe I'm missing something, but if you have adequate overlow control, you shouldn't have to use this method, which requires you to be around when the rain is coming/expected.

It is a good idea to run your overflow back into your diverted gutter, especially if you have the gutter running into a ground system like the OP described. But, if you set it up that way from the beginning, you don't have the added maintenance of having to run out every time a storm is predicted to a) check your barrel level and b) move the diverter from your barrel and back into your gutter.
jimtnc
16 years ago
Unfortunately, my barrels have too small an overflow at the top to handle the volume of what's coming in from the downspout, and I really doubt anyone has an adequate overflow opening to handle rain coming off a roof through a downspout into a barrel at the quantities that occur.

Also, if my barrels are full and rain is coming, I doubt seriously that it's that big a deal for me to move the flexspout from the barrel to the remaining downspout and travel as before. Otherwise, leave it over the barrel and let it flood the barrel if too much for the overflow. Just my $.02
ncgardner
Original Author
16 years ago
Mr. Sig - When the barrel is full, I just leave the elbow in the downspout. If I need water, I place it over the barell. I don't run out during the rain to switch it back and forth. I use my overflow hose to water the water-loving plants that are away from the barrels (some 20ft.) I run a solid hose for the first few feet then connect to a drip hose to dispurse the water along the way. I too have placed the overflow hose back into the downspout but I find this gives much better control of the overflow water. It takes care of ALL the water coming off the roof.
Note: WITH ONE INCH OF RAIN, A 1000 SQ FT. ROOF PRODUCES 640 GALLONS OF WATER. That is a lot of water for a couple of 55/65 gal. barrels.
ncgardner
Original Author
16 years ago
Mr. Sig - When the barrel is full, I just leave the elbow in the downspout. If I need water, I place it over the barell. I don't run out during the rain to switch it back and forth. I use my overflow hose to water the water-loving plants that are away from the barrels (some 20ft.) I run a solid hose for the first few feet then connect to a drip hose to dispurse the water along the way. I too have placed the overflow hose back into the downspout but I find this gives much better control of the overflow water. It takes care of ALL the water coming off the roof.
Note: WITH ONE INCH OF RAIN, A 1000 SQ FT. ROOF PRODUCES 640 GALLONS OF WATER. That is a lot of water for a couple of 55/65 gal. barrels.
mrsig
16 years ago
Sure, I have seen the same rainfall estimates (no need to shout) but most people don't have one downspout from their gutter system so those numbers are divided depending upon how many downspouts you have and where they are located in comparison to your rain barrel.

I've never had a downpour that my overflow couldn't handle, so maybe my setup is unique in that manner.
bluenun_cfl_rr_com
15 years ago
My gutters are 2x4 so the 2x3" flexible downspouts don't fit. Does anyone have any ideas how to connect the downspouts back together once I cut them? thanks.
archangel2003
14 years ago
I don't understand that "inch" measurement that they use to measure rain.
One inch thick X 1000 ft (assuming its a flat surface) is 1000 cubic inches and there are 231 cubic inches of water in a gallon, so 1000 divided by 231 comes out to 4.33 gallons.

OH, and how about some pictures of the down spout set up?
archangel2003
14 years ago
GOD, HOW STUPID WAS THAT!!
I WAS THINKING INCHES AND TYPING FEET!!!
chriscat51
13 years ago
Don't suppose you have any pictures of this? WOuld be very helpful

Made My Rain Barrel Diverter

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