Water is always a concern in a survival situation. Unless you’re property has its own well for water, you’re probably going to run out of water pretty quickly. As long as there isn’t a nuclear or chemical catastrophe a rain barrel is a great way to collect and store water for when you need it. Making one is fairly easy if you follow the steps outlined below.

The Barrel

First things first, you need a barrel. Not just any barrel will do, however. You need a food-grade barrel if you plan on drinking the water that comes out of it. You can purchase these online for around $80-$100, or possibly through a local vendor. Just make sure they are labeled as “food safe” otherwise they can allow for seepage of chemicals into your water. This also makes sure the barrel wasn’t used for chemical storage prior to you receiving it.

The 55-gallon size is ideal here, but there are other barrels that go up to 60 gallons, some are even made specifically for rainwater harvesting. Just make sure you never use one that isn’t approved for food and listed as food-safe. There are instructions out there showing how to use wooden barrels, standard 55-gallon drums, and even garbage cans as rainwater collectors. While all these are fine for collecting water for gardening, you’re planning on drinking this water one day so play it safe!

Cleaning The Barrel

Before moving any further you need to clean your barrel. Depending on the food that was originally in it, a good cleaning with a solution of bleach or vinegar is a great way to prepare it for a life of collecting rainwater. A long brush or a dish brush attached to a broom handle should work for scrubbing the inside of the barrel. Once clean, you can start the conversion process.

In areas that it freezes in the winter, it’s a good idea to empty your rain barrel and move it indoors or seal the top off during the colder months. Clean your barrel before each season’s use to make sure you’re starting with a clean barrel and not automatically contaminating your water before you even get started.

The Top

Once you have the barrel, you need to start making it ready to collect rainwater. If you’re using one of the barrels pictured above, it will have a two-piece lid consisting of a ring and a bowl. With the bowl in place but the ring off, drill 15-20 holes that are somewhere between the size of a dime and a quarter all over the bowl part of the lid.

Next, cut a piece of window screen large enough to cover the top of the barrel and to give you about 2 inches of overlap all around. Lay this on top of the barrel and then screw the ring in place, securing the screen material. The screen will keep bugs and large particles of dirt out of your water. Don’t screw the screen down just yet, however. Next you need to drill a hole for the faucet in the front of the barrel. Take the bowl piece back out and lay the barrel on its side.

The Faucet

Using a 3/4” spade (wood) drill bit you need to drill a hole in the side of the barrel about 10” up from the bottom. Aim for the center of the barrel when drilling. When done, it should look like this:

Get a ½” outdoor faucet with a male threaded end on it and screw it into the freshly made hole. Since the hole is a little smaller than the threaded end it will tightly thread in and seal itself. Just make sure you don’t over-tighten it.

The Overflow

Using a 1-inch spade (wood) bit, drill a hole about 12” down from the top of the barrel and 45* to the side from the spigot. Into this hole you want to thread a 1” male-to-male connector that has a standard garden hose connector on the outflow end. This will be used to keep the barrel from overflowing and flooding wherever it sits. Run about 8 foot of garden hose from the overflow away from your house. Make sure to cover the end of this hose in screening material, securing it with a metal hose clamp. Forgetting this will surely get bugs into your water supply.

In times of heavy rains your barrel will still overflow, so make sure you pay attention to it in these times. Running a second hose from the faucet away from your house is a great idea too in case it does start to overflow.

The Screen

Ok, back to the top of the barrel. With both the ring and bowl removed, turn the barrel upside down to empty all the shavings of plastic you just created out. Spray the inside out one more time with a hose to get all the shavings out and prepare it for rainwater.

Insert the bowl part of the lid into the barrel, placing the screen on top so it comes over every side. Once in place, screw down the ring to secure the screen. Make sure there are no gaps in the screen and that the entire top is covered.

Placing The Barrel

You have two options for barrel placement. You can leave it in the open to collect rainwater as it falls, or you can use it on a downspout. The downspout method is great if you can get the barrel close enough to your house. In this case, you would want to cut a larger portion of the bowl out to allow for quicker flow of water into the barrel. Please note that the close the barrel is to your house, the more attention you must give it when raining to make sure it isn’t overflowing. An overflow directly next to your house can easily cause flooding and water damage.

Option two is to leave the rain barrel in an open area away from your house so it can collect rain as it falls. There is no benefit to this method except for the fact that overflows won’t hurt your house, and if can be placed closed to a garden for you to use the water for purposes other than drinking when its not needed.

Wherever you choose to place your barrel, your best bet is to place it on cement. An easy way to do this is to use four 12” x 12” cement pavers. Level out the ground under them and set them in place. This will keep the barrel from sinking into any mud if case of overflow.

Using Your Rain Barrel

In non-survival times the rain water collected is great for watering gardens, washing cars, or any other non-potable uses and can be drawn straight from the barrel, no treatment necessary.

There are laws in some states concerning rainwater harvesting, so make sure you check with local laws before getting started. You can find out more about this here.