Don't use containers that once held toxic materials.
Make a rain barrel for capturing rainwater running off your rooftop. Use the water to irrigate the landscape plants in your garden, but not for drinking, cooking or bathing. The University Minnesota Extension does not recommend using the water for irrigating fruits and vegetables, due to the lack of research data. You'll need certain materials to build the barrel. Does this Spark an idea?
Container
The barrel itself should be a large food grade container or drum, approximately 55 to 65 gallons, with a removable lid. One option is a recycled wooden wine barrel, which makes an attractive container or a rubber-like trash can. If using a recycled food-grade container, find out what it once held. If it held toxic chemicals or materials, it will not be suitable as a rain barrel. Select a container that fits in the area below the runoff spout of your roof's gutter system and consider its appearance. The appearance of the barrel will not be a major significance if tucked into an area out of sight, while an unattractive rain barrel prominently placed becomes an eyesore.
Filter
A screen fitted over the top of the rain barrel helps filter out debris while water runs off the roof and into the container. Instead of water pouring from the gutter spout, directly into the rain barrel through a filtering screen, some rain barrel designs call for a hose running from the top of the rain barrel to the roof's gutter spout, with a filtering device where the hose attaches to the top of the rain barrel. Instead of the rainwater splashing into the rain barrel from overhead, it runs from the rooftop through the hose, into the container.
Plumbing
Basic plumbing fixtures get the rainwater from the barrel to the garden. Depending on the design of your rain barrel, you might attach a faucet spigot, used for filling watering cans or buckets and a garden hose spigot for attaching to a hose. This involves drilling holes in the side of the barrel to attach the fixtures, typically located toward the bottom of the container. When installing a spigot, you'll also need a galvanized locknut and rubber washer, along with silicone, Teflon tape and heavy-duty glue. If adding an overflow valve to the rain barrel, you'll need a brass overflow valve and another locknut. To give you more room to use valves located close to the bottom of the container, elevate the rain barrel by placing the container onto a sturdy platform.
Tags: rain barrel, rain barrel, bottom container, gutter spout, held toxic, into container