The EarthMinded Diverter is the simplest, easiest-to-install that I've seen. I installed one for a rain barrel a couple of years ago and it works really well at diverting the water back to the downspout when the barrel is full. One tip: when drilling the hole in a metal downspout don't press hard - I pressed really hard the first time and it didn't make the hole, it hardened the metal!
Hi, thank you for a great video. By far, your instructions on the rain barrel seems so much easier than all the other video I've watched. I'm going to try to installing me one. Wish me luck. Thanks
Thanks! I'll definitely check with the brewery to see if they have any barrels to give away. Thanks so much for the tip! I want to add another barrel in the spring, as this one fills up very quickly. I couldn't agree more with you about re-purposing "waste". Thanks for watching and commenting!
Good point! You'll need to empty and disconnect your rain barrels before it gets cold enough to freeze the water inside. I'll probably disconnect mine in early December. The kit I used has a plug that covers the hole in the downspout after I disconnect the diverter hose from it. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
I’ve never disconnected mine and live in Colorado. Never had a problem with them bursting. Just make sure you drain it about 15% lower than full any night it will freeze
I purchased my rain barrel and conversion kit separately. The rain barrel was purchased on Craig's List. You'll want to find a food grade plastic barrel. The conversion kit was purchased on Amazon.com. You can search for "EarthMinded DIY Rain Barrel Diverter". I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Ha! Your like me...I look at the instructions...half of the time. Great job on the instructions. I have 3 rain barrels, but I really need to raise them up higher. You have your's really high off of the ground. Thanks for sharing.
Do you have a problem with water flow? It appears from the video that there is no way for air to enter the system. Thanks for all your videos - very helpful for a beginner veg gardener like me. Bill
Thank you. After watching your video, I did lots of research and have now installed a rain barrel at each of our 3 downspouts. Now I am researching a method to pump water out rather than just relying on gravity. Best wishes
enjoying your videoshere Patrick :) for free barrels, ask at the the brewery you get the grains at, they receive ingredients in these. usually 2-bung blue, not the nice red pickle barrel types.another free source is bottling plants,they get the soda syrup in them.also bakeries. so many useful resources out there fall under "industrial waste" that need to be sourced and re-purposed! i stack mine 2 high vertically. less space ,more water and pressure for gravity drip :)
I have a rain barrel that has a screen opening on the top of the barrel and an overflow tube on the side near the top. Do either of these features create a problem for this system? Do I need to plug the existing overflow opening to get the system to flow back to my downspout?
Same here and I’m thinking in plugging those holes and the screen with a piece of plastic, in that way the water will be forced to flow back to the downspout.
Doesn’t runoff from the tile/shingle roofs have contaminants that can hard your plants? We get a lot of rain in S. Florida i would like to tap some of it for my orchids and plants.
Your kit looks much better than the diverter I purchased. Also, I have a problem with mine as when I hook up any hose to the spigot, it doesn't flow even with a full barrel and it elevated on two sets of cinder blocks. I must have to make the spigot hole bigger or use different hose???
I have two rain barrels but with winter coming, got to thinking.... How does one keep the water in the rain barrel from freezing? Any suggestions? Thanks.
I just installed my diverter kit. The barrel filled with some water when I tested it but I could see water trickling out of the downspout too. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Kevin! It's probably normal for a small trickle of water out of the downspout. If it's more than that, you might want to double check to make sure the piece in the downspout was inserted correctly.
Thanks! I should have worn goggles when I drilled the hole in the gutter too. There I go again setting a bad example. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I'm considering using the diverters you have in this kit and I was wondering if the diverter ever gets overwhelmed by heavy rain before the barrel is full. I don't want to lose any!
So, it doesn't look like there is any pre-screening for debris or anything- if gunk gets down in there, might be a bit of a challenge to clean it all out. Any thoughts or recommendations on how to get a filter in?
This diverter does a pretty good job of only diverting water into the barrel. You could place a screen filter at the top of the downspout to reduce debris further.
It's also a good idea wot put a screen over your gutters and one in the gutter where the rain comes down the spout. The big box stores carry a cheap roll of plastic screen material that works great for this use.
Only if your entire garden is extremely small. Figure out how much water you use in a day. That should give you a good idea if 1 drum will work for your needs. You'll probably find that you're using more water than you think. Drip irrigation is sure to save tons of water.
More is better if you can do it. I currently have two barrels and it barely gets me thru the summer. I have not plumbed a drip system due to location but do use a watering can.
+Tony Rome Hi Tony. The rain enters the barrel through the hose from the downspout to the barrel. The diverter directs water to the barrel until it's full. When the barrel is full, the water goes down the downspout.
Hi Roger. This system works very well. I sometimes see a small trickle of water coming out the downspout, but 99+% is diverted to the rain barrel until it's full.
7 years later and this still helped me today! Thanks so much for posting this.
The EarthMinded Diverter is the simplest, easiest-to-install that I've seen. I installed one for a rain barrel a couple of years ago and it works really well at diverting the water back to the downspout when the barrel is full. One tip: when drilling the hole in a metal downspout don't press hard - I pressed really hard the first time and it didn't make the hole, it hardened the metal!
Still watching your videos. Thank you
my wife recently used this kit to convert 4 old food-grade barrels to rain barrels. definitely a great kit.
Excellent! I'm glad you and your wife have the same impression of this kit as me.
Yes, none of that nasty chlorine to worry about. Thanks for watching!
Hi, thank you for a great video. By far, your instructions on the rain barrel seems so much easier than all the other video I've watched. I'm going to try to installing me one. Wish me luck. Thanks
Thanks! Best wishes with your rain barrel!
Thanks! I'll definitely check with the brewery to see if they have any barrels to give away. Thanks so much for the tip! I want to add another barrel in the spring, as this one fills up very quickly. I couldn't agree more with you about re-purposing "waste". Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks, Dale. It was pretty easy, though the edited 5 minute video probably does make it look even easier than it was.
Great video! Just ordered this kit for use with one of my rain barrels.
Good point! You'll need to empty and disconnect your rain barrels before it gets cold enough to freeze the water inside. I'll probably disconnect mine in early December. The kit I used has a plug that covers the hole in the downspout after I disconnect the diverter hose from it. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
I’ve never disconnected mine and live in Colorado. Never had a problem with them bursting. Just make sure you drain it about 15% lower than full any night it will freeze
I like the look of you stand to hold up the barrel. Did you by any chance make a video of how you built it?
I purchased my rain barrel and conversion kit separately. The rain barrel was purchased on Craig's List. You'll want to find a food grade plastic barrel. The conversion kit was purchased on Amazon.com. You can search for "EarthMinded DIY Rain Barrel Diverter". I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting!
no follow up video to show it working?
Thank you, this is going to be exactly doable, even for a beginner like me! Thank you again. Very good video!
Ha! Your like me...I look at the instructions...half of the time. Great job on the instructions. I have 3 rain barrels, but I really need to raise them up higher. You have your's really high off of the ground. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting! Glad to see that the other side of the kit was in English LOL
You do great videos, I've learned a lot.
Thanks for taking the time.
Great video, clear and simple. I have several to install, so it's a great help.
I would use a spade bit next time!
🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮🧮
Miss your gsrden video, this one was nice. Thx
This was a very informative video! Thanks! Im going to buy a kit for myself as well.
Very nice video, you made it look very easy to do.
Do you have a problem with water flow? It appears from the video that there is no way for air to enter the system. Thanks for all your videos - very helpful for a beginner veg gardener like me. Bill
Hi Bill! Water flows well through the system. Air enters the barrel through the connection to the downspout.
Thank you. After watching your video, I did lots of research and have now installed a rain barrel at each of our 3 downspouts. Now I am researching a method to pump water out rather than just relying on gravity. Best wishes
So after the years do you still recommend installing this rain barrel and using the kit? What kind of problems did you encounter if any?
About to do this today! Thanks!
enjoying your videoshere Patrick :)
for free barrels, ask at the the brewery you get the grains at,
they receive ingredients in these. usually 2-bung blue, not the nice red pickle barrel types.another free source is bottling plants,they get the soda syrup in them.also bakeries. so many useful resources out there fall under "industrial waste" that need to be sourced and re-purposed! i stack mine 2 high vertically. less space ,more water and pressure for gravity drip :)
I have a rain barrel that has a screen opening on the top of the barrel and an overflow tube on the side near the top. Do either of these features create a problem for this system? Do I need to plug the existing overflow opening to get the system to flow back to my downspout?
Same here and I’m thinking in plugging those holes and the screen with a piece of plastic, in that way the water will be forced to flow back to the downspout.
Doesn’t runoff from the tile/shingle roofs have contaminants that can hard your plants? We get a lot of rain in S. Florida i would like to tap some of it for my orchids and plants.
Your kit looks much better than the diverter I purchased. Also, I have a problem with mine as when I hook up any hose to the spigot, it doesn't flow even with a full barrel and it elevated on two sets of cinder blocks. I must have to make the spigot hole bigger or use different hose???
Hmmm... water should definitely flow. Is there any chance debris is clogging the hole?
I have two rain barrels but with winter coming, got to thinking.... How does one keep the water in the rain barrel from freezing?
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
You have to empty the barrel for the winter.
Where do I purchase that same rain barrel?
The kit says do not drink the water. Can you use a berkey water filter with this, or does the plastic diverter kit contaminate the water?
I just installed my diverter kit. The barrel filled with some water when I tested it but I could see water trickling out of the downspout too. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Kevin! It's probably normal for a small trickle of water out of the downspout. If it's more than that, you might want to double check to make sure the piece in the downspout was inserted correctly.
"One yard at a time". We like it!
+Alex Howard Thanks, Alex!
How do you remove the Flexifit Diverter when winterizing?
Where did you get a rain barrel for $30...all the ones I've seen are 100-200 or more....
Do you have instructions on how to set up 5 barrels at a time?
Hi. Where did you purchase the barrel? Thanks
Thanks!
Thanks! I should have worn goggles when I drilled the hole in the gutter too. There I go again setting a bad example. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great information! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, imasurvivornthriver !
+OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable
nic Gardening
Yes, the English was very helpful, though I probably could have installed the diverter just by looking at the pictures.
so did it divert to the downspout once filled?
yes
DO you have to have a barrel with a closed lid so excess water is diverted when the barrel is full like some other models?
Hi James. The lid doesn't have to be on for the diverter to work with this kit.
I'm considering using the diverters you have in this kit and I was wondering if the diverter ever gets overwhelmed by heavy rain before the barrel is full. I don't want to lose any!
I do see some water trickle out of the downspout during heavy rains, but not much.
Thanks for the info on the diverted system but where did you find the barrel ?
+Roseann D You're welcome, Roseann! We found it on craigslist.org.
So, it doesn't look like there is any pre-screening for debris or anything- if gunk gets down in there, might be a bit of a challenge to clean it all out. Any thoughts or recommendations on how to get a filter in?
This diverter does a pretty good job of only diverting water into the barrel. You could place a screen filter at the top of the downspout to reduce debris further.
It's also a good idea wot put a screen over your gutters and one in the gutter where the rain comes down the spout. The big box stores carry a cheap roll of plastic screen material that works great for this use.
I like that barrel.
do you get pollen in your water? I do and I have a screen on top.
Hi Willy. This barrel is enclosed, so not much gets in other than water and a little debris from the gutters.
Hi Patrick,
Is one 55 gallon barrel sufficient to water your entire garden?
Only if your entire garden is extremely small. Figure out how much water you use in a day. That should give you a good idea if 1 drum will work for your needs. You'll probably find that you're using more water than you think. Drip irrigation is sure to save tons of water.
More is better if you can do it.
I currently have two barrels and it barely gets me thru the summer. I have not plumbed a drip system due to location but do use a watering can.
Where is your overflow?
thank you great video!
You're welcome, Judy!
Hi, where could I get a similar Barrel like yours...?
houston.craigslist.org/for/d/plastic-food-grade-terra/6672381370.html
how does rain water enter the barrel????
+Tony Rome Hi Tony. The rain enters the barrel through the hose from the downspout to the barrel. The diverter directs water to the barrel until it's full. When the barrel is full, the water goes down the downspout.
Get a 1000 to 5000 gallon water barrel also run it to pond
sad to see 10 years later, they changed the brass spigot to plastic one.
Great news foe an alderly person like me.
Good deal!
Looks like most of the rainwater wont be diverted into the barrel.
Hi Roger. This system works very well. I sometimes see a small trickle of water coming out the downspout, but 99+% is diverted to the rain barrel until it's full.