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Installing and using Adjust-A-Spout
Congratulations! You have just taken a giant step toward saving water, saving money and enjoying your garden. Now you need to actually install your new Rain Barrel and learn how to use it. The following instructions will help you with a basic installation using Adjust-A-Spout. You may need to be creative, or even consult a professional gutter installer if installing your barrel to an old, non-rectangular downspout or any configuration other than straight vertical. That said, have a read and you'll get the idea of how it works.
What you bought: You should have a 55-gallon recycled barrel, with 2 brass spigots fitted at the top and bottom, an aluminum louver with a screen fitted inside, and a 5' starter hose with male, female and shutoff fittings. You also have Adjust-A-Spout featuring a swivel attachment for your downspout and delivery trough that extends up to 6 feet.
What you still need to get: Generally, you will need to cut an existing downspout in order to fit the rain barrel beneath it. This will require a hacksaw. Usually, the downspout is held against your building with two small metal straps, one near the gutter up top and another at the bottom. Since you're going to relocate the bottom several feet up, you'll need to get another one of these. While some people prefer to install their barrels on concrete blocks, this is definitely not a requirement. A cheap hacksaw is about $5, with the straps listed above totaling $2-$3. You'll also need a pair of pliers, a couple of roofing nails, a hammer and a pencil to complete the basic installation.
Decide the configuration: Using Adjust-A-Spout allows you some flexibility in the placement of your rain barrel and how to redirect the water away from your barrel when it's full. Here are the two main options:
1. The most popular option is to place the barrel 3 or more feet from the downspout, and have Adjust-A-Spout extend from the downspout to the barrel. This allows you to put the barrel behind a bush or out toward the middle of the yard, and affords greater choice in where to direct the runoff when not filling the barrel.
2. You may also install Adjust-A-Spout so that the barrel is directly beneath the downspout with the trough in its vertical position. However, in this configuration, you may be limited as to where you can direct the runoff when not filling the barrel.
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Fitting your Rain Barrel:
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1. For safety's sake, make sure that the ground that the barrel will sit on is flat and level. You may need to use a spade or shovel to flatten out the surface upon which the barrel will sit.
2. Now, understanding that you'll want water emptying either into the barrel or down the trough, put your barrel next to the downspout and draw a line on your downspout 8" above the top of the barrel.
3. If possible, now is the time to strap the downspout to the building, several inches above where you're going to cut the downspout. You can do this with a couple of roofing nails or drywall screws. If you can't attach it now (not having room to maneuver the hacksaw can be a problem), having a friend help you by holding the downspout while you cut it is a good thing.
4. Go ahead and cut the downspout where you drew your line. It makes an awful noise, but don't be afraid.
5. If you couldn't attach the strap before, do so now -- well above the cut so you can slide Adjust-A-Spout over the downspout.
6. Remove the part of the old downspout that went all of the way to the ground, as well as the old strap that might have been there holding it. Don't throw away the part that you cut off, as you may decide to slide it back on in the fall so your downspout goes back down to the ground for the winter.
7. If you have a 2" x 3" downspout (as most single family residences do) you can remove the 3" x 4" adapter and toss it in your recycling bin. In order to fit the downspout inside of Adjust-A-Spout, you'll need to use your pliers to bend in or crimp the edges of the downspout slightly. Be careful, as the edge you just cut will be sharp. Take your time, as it will take you a few tries. If necessary, you can use the 2 little screws that held the adapter in place to secure Adjust-A-Spout to the downspout.
8. We've found it easiest to attach the 5' starter hose to the bottom spigot at this time -- it's easiest to do this by putting the barrel on its side. Be sure that the bottom spigot is turned wide open (counter clockwise, or "Lefty Loosey"), so that you'll be regulating water flow from the shutoff on the end of the starter hose -- notice that the end of the starter hose can be hooked over the top spigot for easy access.
9. Now slide your barrel to the position that you chose earlier and you're in business. If you chose configuration #1, extend the trough to the top of the barrel, and turn the inlet louver so that the water will flow easily into the rain barrel.
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