A Downspout Diverter is a DIY item that’s really easy to make. But first I’d like to show you my Rain Barrels I made from some old Plastic Barrels.
If you can make your own Rain Barrels your going to be able to make your own Downspout Diverter. It’s dead easy, and the Best part is you won’t find a Downspout Diverter that works as well as this one.
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Recently I went and made some plastic rain barrels out of some old plastic barrels, but before I did I went and conducted some research on the downspout diverter. As it turned out, lucky I did because what I found out actually changed the original design of my rain barrels.
The first thing I discovered was nearly all the downspout diverters I could find came in a white, green or a beige color but none that actually matched the color of my downspout so I was also going to have buy some paint as well so the downspout diverter wouldn’t look so odd positioned on the wall of my house.
Most downspout diverters were also large and cumbersome and can be seen from some distance away. Some aren’t the most discrete items to attach to the side of your house so my advice would be to find a downspout that’s shielded by a fence or some garden shrubs to attach your downspout diverter to. The other option is to find a more compact diverter, to which there are some on the market.
Another important thing to note about rain barrels, is that they do fill with rainwater fairly quickly as they only hold about 55 gallons of water. Therefore the obvious problem is what to do with the excess rainwater once the rain barrel is full. The downspout diverters I researched had this problem covered but they did appear though to have some short comings in there solution.
One downspout diverter had a hand operated lever that diverted rainwater back into the downspout when the rain barrel was full. This sounds like a great idea and it does work but it also requires someone to be present to operate it which may not always be practical when it’s raining.
Another downspout diverter automatically diverted the rainwater back down the downspout once the rain barrel was full. This appeared to be a much better system as it didn’t require anyone to be present. The only problem with this design was the diagram displayed the inlet back into the downspout to be smaller than the original downspout. This could potentially be a problem during heavy rainfall. Downspouts are made a certain size for a very good reason and that’s to account for a worst case scenario during heavy rain. So if water is diverted back into the downspout the inlet should be the same size as the downspout.
Therefore diverting rainwater back into the downspout is one way of redirecting excess water. Another way is to direct the water from your rain barrel overflow directly into your garden. The important point to consider here is, the size of the overflow should be equal to or larger than the inlet so once again rainwater can escape unhindered. If you do decided to use this option it’s always best to install some means of selecting whether you want to direct rainwater to the garden via the overflow or back into the downspout if you are receiving excessive rainfall. Remember it’s always great to harvest and store as much rainwater as possible but when you are getting excessive rainfall you should always have a means redirect the rainwater back into the downspout.
Mosquitoes can also be another problem that accompanies rain barrels in some areas. Some downspout diverters have solved this problem by sealing this connection between the downspout diverter and the rain barrel inlet. This is the preferred option as you know all the water will be directed to the rain barrel but if you are using a downspout diverter that is open at the end make sure you use a screen on the rain barrel inlet which will not only keep out mosquitoes but also any debris from your roof and gutter.
Some downspout diverters also require the rain barrel to be positioned near the base of the downspout or in close proximity. This may not be an issue in some instances but if this isn’t your preference there are downspout diverters that do allow you to position your rain barrel some distance from the downspout. This can be beneficial if you’ve made some rain barrels from some old plastic barrels as you can then place the rain barrels in a more discrete place rather than having to go to the trouble of positioning them next to the downspout and hiding them behind a screen or some shrubs.
Another main difference between the downspout diverters I looked at was the size of the inlet from the diverter to the rain barrel. Some downspout diverters had outlets the same size as the downspout. These designs ensure that large quantities of rainwater can be directed to the rain barrel during heavy rainfall which ensures the rain barrel will fill with rainwater quite quickly. Other designs use a much smaller hose connection which has the ability to seal the connection to the rain barrel.
This then led me to ponder which would be the better method, a large inlet to my rain barrel or a smaller hose connection that was sealed. Therefore I decided to put it to the test and just make my own downspout diverter. The method I decided on was the second option and decided to use some 1 inch poly hose to connect my downspout diverter to my rain barrels.
Therefore for the last few months I’ve been testing my downspout diverter and discovered my rain barrels fill quite quickly when it’s raining and the 1 inch poly hose is more than sufficient to direct lots rainwater to my rain barrels.
So if you’re thinking of installing a rain barrel you’re going to need a downspout diverter. Therefore Download my eBook How to Make A Rain Barrel and the checkout my Downspout Diverter page.
