Plastic Jug Rainwater Stand
Supplies:
Three 2×6’s
Screws, bolts, and nuts
Large plastic jugs
Funnels
Saw
Drill
Hole-boring drill attachment
How do you collect rainwater? In a 55 gallon drum? In buckets, sitting along the backside of the house? There isn’t really an attractive way to do it, is there? That’s a problem because most people won’t bother; it just looks so tacky to have those buckets sitting around. If you don’t collect rainwater because of the messy look outside, or because it’s too much bother to remove rainwater from that giant drum, you’re overlooking one setup. A plastic jug rainwater stand makes it so easy to collect water that you won’t have to be embarrassed. Simply walk over to the setup, pick up a jug, and use the water!
A plastic jug rainwater stand is the only way to collect water, if you ask me. It looks tidy, can be as large or as small as you want, and can help save the environment. You can’t ask for more than that from rainwater collecting! You’ll need a couple of wood planks and some plastic jugs. To me, the best jugs are the kind that kitty litter comes in but you could use another type of jug instead.
Start out with three 2 x 6’s. Buy them and then cut them to the length that you want for your rainwater collection stand. All three of the 2 x 6′ s should be the same size. In addition to them, you’ll need two small pieces cut from another 2 x 6. They should be cut to be about 6″ long. You’ll use the remainder of the fourth 2 x 6 to make the posts for the rain collecting stand.
Line up the chosen jugs, side-by-side, and use a foam brush to quickly paint around the opening of each jug. Lay one of the 2 x 6’s across the jugs and the paint will mark the places where you’ll need to bore holes.
Assemble the “trough” by laying the first 2 x 6 down on a flat surface (it’s the board with the paint circles). Stand a 2 x 6 on each side of it and screw each board to the bottom board. Then, position each of the small wood pieces at an end of the trough; screw them both in place. Bore the holes that are indicated by the paint circles on the bottom board.
Cut a 2 x 6 into two pieces to use as the posts for the water collection stand. It’s helpful to saw the end of each one to a point. Bolt one to each end of the stand. Stand the trough where you want it and hammer the posts into the ground. Make sure the stand is level. Align the water jugs under the collection stand. Put a funnel in each bored hole and make sure it aligns with the mouth of the jug underneath it. Let it rain, let it rain!
