Sometimes the famous last drop causes a rain barrel to overflow. To avoid this, it is recommended to connect two bins together so that precious rainwater is not lost. On this page you will find out which material you need to create a connection, what variants there are and how to proceed specifically.
How do I connect two rain barrels together?
To connect two rain barrels together, you can either use a simple hose connection with a garden hose and fabric tape or use a special rain barrel connector that consists of a hose, connectors, seals and lock nuts.
Possible types of connection
- Hose connection
- Rain barrel connector
Hose connection
This method is definitely cheaper, but also has many disadvantages compared to the rain barrel connector. You probably still have an old garden hose that serves as a connection. However, this will probably need to be replaced more often and is a very loose connection.
The rain barrel connector
Even though a rain barrel connector (€20.00 on Amazon) is a little more expensive to purchase, it is very durable. In most cases you will receive a complete set consisting of
- a hose
- two connections
- two seals
- two lock nuts
What else is needed
Building a connection between two rain barrels may sound complicated, but with the right instructions it is quite simple. Helpful tool makes the work even easier.
For the hose connection
- a (garden) hose
- hose scissors
- some fabric tape
For the rain barrel connector
- a rain barrel connector set
- a crown drill (partly included in the set)
- a drill
- Sealing rings
Instructions
The hose connection
- Rinse the hose thoroughly.
- There must be no foreign objects inside.
- Make sure there are no cracks in the material.
- Choose the appropriate length depending on the distance between the rain barrels (no longer than two meters).
- Cut the hose accordingly.
- Make sure you cut cleanly (no frayed edges).
- Hang the hose over the edge of a barrel.
- Fix it with the fabric tape.
- Be careful not to crush the hose.
- Suck water into the other end of the hose.
- This creates a vacuum so that the water can flow through the hose without any problems.
- Fix the end of the hose in the second bin.
The rain barrel connector
- Drill holes in the barrels to install the hose later.
- Make sure the execution is clean here too.
- Attach the connector by inserting it into the holes.
- Fix the connector with the lock nuts.
- Close any with the sealing rings.
