" Rain barrels which come in many colors shapes allow you to capture rainwater through your gutters system to be reused for your garden or lawn. Captured rainwater stored in rain barrels to be distributed to your plants during dry weather. Rain barrels can lower your water costs and make water available to your plants and gardens through droughts and water batten. To capture water from your gutters, you must redirect the downspouts to send water to the rain barrel. Take a downspout convenient to where you'd like use the water. The water will have to run out by gravity so, the bottom of the barrel will have to be higher than the area you wish to water. The first step is to remove the downspout to make way for the rain barrel. Generally, the sections will be fastened together by screws or rivets that you can either unscrew or drill out. Remove the bracket holding the downspout to the house and temporarily remove the downspout and set it aside. A full rain barrel will weigh up to 400 pounds, and so, the area where the barrel will rest must be made to be firm and flat in both dry and wet weather. Clean away any grass or other plants and dig down three inches into the soil wide enough to support the barrel plus a few inches on either side. Level the excavated area and then, spread and level driveway gravel until it's about even with the surrounding area. Now, set down two cinder blocks or similar pavers. Wiggle the cinder blocks into place to give them a firm footing. Check with the level to make sure the cinder blocks are level both front-to-back and side-to-side. Build up the cinder blocks to the height you need. These blocks will raise the barrel off the ground so that gravity can help distribute the water. Place the rain barrel on the cinder blocks so that the weight of the barrel is evenly distributed. Check if the barrel is level and adjust if necessary. Measure the distance from the downspout gutter connection to the barrel. Cut the downspout you removed to fit the distance from the gutter downspout connection to the opening of the barrel. Re-insert the downspout into the gutter above. Fasten the bracket holding the downspout to the house. With the downspout resting on the rain barrel, you may not need to refasten the downspout to the bracket. Next, wrap three turns of Teflon plumbers tape around the threads of the rain barrel faucet. This helps to make a drip-proof connection. Now, screw the faucet into the rain barrel stopping when the connection is snug and the faucet is upright. These are plastic threads so, don't over tighten them or you'll stripped them. Insert the screen over the opening of the rain barrel. This is important because it keeps bugs, animals, leaves, and most importantly, the fine gravel that washes off the shingles on your roof from getting into your rain barrel and clogging the irrigation system. Clean off the screen regularly. This is about the only regular maintenance you'll have to do. Now, that you have your rain barrel in placed, you need a weight to distribute the rainwater you collect to the plants. Here's one approach for distributing the water. There are drip irrigation kits that place small amounts of water directly onto the roots of flowers and plants. The typical kit comes with a main distribution line, T-fittings, elbows, and brackets to help neatly steer the water supply to the plants you wish to water and drippers and miniature soaker hoses to release the water directly over your plants. These kits are made to connect through outdoor faucets. But as long as your rain barrel is higher than the plants you want to water, these kits work well with a gravity-fed rain barrel water supply. You can install drippers, which drip water over the roots of the plant or soaker hoses that sweep water over the roots of that plant. You can use these sections of miniature soaker hose tubing to distribute water along the length of the tubing. This can be placed along a row of plant or wrapped around the roots of a larger plant. Here's a quick overview. Start by inserting the filter washer into the faucet adapter for the irrigation system. This is particularly important in a rain barrel-fed irrigation system because the gravel or grit that finds its way into the rain barrel can easily clog the small openings of the drippers. Following the instructions that come with the drip irrigation kit, attach the distribution line to the adapter and screw the adapter to the rain barrel faucet. Distribute the line so it follows the course of plants you want to water. Because this system relies on gravity to deliver the water to the plant, make sure that the hose always runs downhill from the rain barrel faucet to the area you wish to water. The instructions that come with the kit will suggest typical layouts for your watering situation. Distribute the water to your plants by cutting the line where appropriate and installing either T-fittings or elbows to set up your watering network. Anchor the lines in place with the metal anchors designed for your drip irrigation system. Place each drip irrigation dripper at the base of the plant right over the roots and the soaker hose section along the rows of the plants or around the stem of the larger plants you wish to water. To use the water in the rain barrel to water your plants, just open the barrel faucet and your captured rain water will begin flowing to your thirsty plants. With every rainfall, your rain barrel will be recharged with fresh rainwater to feed your plants on future sunny and dry day."