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Rain Barrel Overflow Solution

by Bill Brikiatis

This rain barrel overflow solution is for people with open top rain barrels. If you have an open top rain barrel and it overflows instead of automatically redirecting the excess water through your downspout diverter and out your gutter system, this article is for you.

People frequently have this problem when they don’t use a closed rain barrel with their rain barrel downspout diverter.

Here’s why and how I fixed it: When my rain barrel was full, the water would spill over the side and erode the dirt where my flowers were planted.

What’s worse, I was afraid that the water would seep into my basement, since the rain barrel is right next to my foundation.

The total cost of the fix was $16. You could probably do it for less if you wanted to shop around or if you already had some of the items. Best of all, it was really easy to do.

Let’s take a sec to get the legal words out of the way. This article may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy from my partners, I will make a tiny amount of money at no cost to you. This in no way affects my recommendations.

Rain Barrel Overflow Solutions
Some rain barrel overflow solutions are complex. But this easy fix takes about one hour.

Please don’t think that this project was a major feat of engineering. It’s just a really easy solution that someone who isn’t too handy can complete — for not much money — in about an hour.

Rain barrel downspout diverters

Downspout diverters are really awesome products when they are installed correctly. When the rain barrel is full, water backs up from the rain barrel into the downspout diverter. Then the diverter automatically routes the water back into the original gutter system.

As a result, the excess is channeled away from your foundation where it can’t do any damage. Downspout diverters also make it very easy to close up the system in the winter and restore the original gutter system.

Related: Everything You Should Know About Vegetable Garden Watering.

Keep in mind, however, that there won’t be any overflowing if your rain barrel is closed instead of open at the top. If you are going to use a diverter, get a rain barrel without an opening at the top.

A closed rain barrel will avoid any problems with water spilling over the side of the barrel. The water will automatically run through the downspout diverter and back through the gutter.

There is a way to position an open top barrel so that it fills, but doesn’t overflow. Unfortunately, if you place the barrel on the ground or on bricks that are on the ground, the position of the barrel will shift over time. There’s no way to get around this.

The weather and compaction of the soil will move your barrel up or down. So you will end up with the problem I had, or a system that diverts water back to the gutter BEFORE the rain barrel fills.

In either case, you aren’t getting what you want from the rain barrel.

Rain barrel overflow solution

Use these steps to fix an overflowing rain barrel:

Time it takes to fix a rain barrel: About 2 hours.
What you’ll need for this project: 
— tape measure,
— drill bit for cutting hole in downspout,
— hose & clamp for the overflow.
Step #1: Measure the size of the downspout diverter hose and rain barrel overflow hose.
Both of mine were one inch in diameter.
Measure Hose
https://suburbanhobbyfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/measure-hose.jpeg
Step #2: Run hose from the downspout diverter to the barrel’s open top.
Use a hose clamp to secure the hose to the downspout diverter. Anchor the hose to the top of the barrel using a weight. I used a rock to keep it in place.
Moisture Level
https://suburbanhobbyfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Rain-barrel-downspout.jpg
Step #3: Drill a hose in the gutter system that will accept the hose that comes from the overflow spout.
The hole needs to allow the hose to fit tightly, but not so small that it won’t fit in.
Drill Hole
https://suburbanhobbyfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cut-hole.jpeg
Step #4: Attach the overflow hose from the rain barrel to the gutter.
Use a hose clamp to secure the hose to the overflow spout. Insert the other end of the hole in the gutter. You could, instead, attach the hose to a second rain barrel for a “daisy chain of rain barrels. In this case, you would need to attach a hose from the second rain barrel overflow to the gutter so that the second barrel doesn’t overflow.
Hose clamp
https://suburbanhobbyfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Attach-hose.jpeg

Here’s the video showing you how I did it.

The end result of this “fix” is the water reaches the level of the overflow spout and then drains back into the gutter for the normal water path. The water doesn’t overflow and stays away from your foundation.

Related articles you might enjoy:

  1. Rain Barrel Downspout Diverters
  2. Product Review: Rain Reserve Diverter
  3. My Automatic Downspout Diverter

Suburban Hobby Farmer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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Filed Under: 2. Intermediate -- A Little Difficult to Complete Tagged With: rain barrels, sustainable, watering

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Meet the Blogger

Bill Brikiatis

Hello! I’m Bill Brikiatis. I started this website in 2010 to help you get better at growing organic food in your backyard.

I’ve been growing fruits and vegetables for nearly all my life. And I'm over 60.

That’s not to say that I don’t make mistakes. I make plenty, then I write about them so both you and I get better at growing great things to eat.

You can read more about me and Suburban Hobby Farmer on my about page.

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