SCP Survival

Rainwater harvesting is one of the most practical water independence moves a homesteader or prepper can make — and the downspout diverter is the one piece that makes or breaks the whole system. Get it right and water flows straight from your roof into your barrels. Get it wrong and you’re mopping up overflow, or worse, directing water toward your foundation.

We’ve run rain barrels for years. The $7 DIY diverter below came out of two years of trying to solve this without cutting apart the gutters — it works on four barrels simultaneously. But we’ll walk through the three best off-the-shelf options first for anyone who’d rather buy than build, then get into the full DIY method step by step.

The 3 Best Downspout Diverters

The diverter redirects water from running out the bottom of your downspout into your barrel instead. When the barrel fills, a good diverter automatically routes overflow back down the spout. A bad one lets overflow go wherever it wants. Make sure to get one that’s easy to install and reliable — you don’t want it failing in the middle of a rainstorm.

2. Earthminded Flexfit Diverter

If you’ve ever tapped a maple tree, the Flexfit install will feel familiar — a tap-in approach rather than a full splice. Built-in overflow protection and installs cleanly into new or existing downspouts. The catch: it only fits 3×4 rectangular downspouts, so check your size first. Best matched to smaller collection setups — a shed roof, a single barrel directly below the spout — where the smaller opening isn’t a limiting factor.

Pros:

• Built-in overflow protection
• Installs easily into new or existing downspouts

Cons:

• Only fits 3×4 rectangular downspouts

Best for: smaller roofs, single-barrel setups, 3×4 downspouts.

3. Oatey Rainwater Diverter

Takes a few more steps to install but leaves your existing downspout structure essentially unchanged. Four feet of hose is included, giving you flexibility in barrel placement. One honest downside: no automatic overflow protection, so you need to either monitor your barrel or make sure the barrel itself has an overflow outlet. For most people who are actively using their collected water, this isn’t a real-world problem. UV-resistant coating means you can paint it to match your trim without losing durability. Fits 2×3 rectangular downspouts only — know your size before ordering.

Pros:

• UV coating survives painting — match it to your trim
• Minimal changes to existing downspout

Cons:

• No overflow protection — monitor your barrel or ensure it has its own overflow outlet
• Only fits 2×3 rectangular downspouts

Best for: 2×3 downspouts, flexible barrel placement, painted-to-match installs.

Downspout Extensions: Managing Overflow

Once your barrel fills, water has to go somewhere — and letting it pool at the foundation is not the answer. That’s how you get expensive structural damage over time. A downspout extension or splash block routes overflow away from the house toward a proper drainage area.

Extensions come above-ground and below-ground, permanent and roll-out, and virtually all of them are low-maintenance once installed. Some worth looking at: a flexible drain extension (can be directed around obstacles), rigid aluminum for a cleaner look, or a basic splash block as a no-fuss minimum. The right choice depends on how far from the foundation you need to move the water and how much you’re managing. Three good options to search for: Wholesale Plumbing Supply downspout extension, Flex Drain Downspout Extension, and the Lake Lite Splashblock.

Downspout Filters: Keep Debris Out

A downspout filter — also called a screen or strainer — sits where the gutter meets the downspout and keeps leaves, shingle grit, and debris out of your collection system. This matters for two reasons: clogged downspouts are a headache, and debris in your barrel degrades water quality over time.

The old knock on filters was that they didn’t work and were hard to maintain. That was largely true a decade ago. Current mesh designs do a real job and cut down dramatically on how often you need to clean gutters. If your roof sits under trees, a downspout filter is non-negotiable. If your roof is relatively clear, a basic mesh filter at the top of the downspout is sufficient insurance.

Choosing a Rain Barrel

The barrel is where the water actually lives. What you need: a spigot positioned high enough to get a watering can or bucket underneath (which is why elevating on cement blocks matters — see the DIY section below), a screened inlet to block mosquitoes and debris, UV-resistant material so the barrel doesn’t degrade in sunlight, and a built-in overflow outlet so excess water exits in a controlled direction.

The 55-gallon range is standard for most home setups — enough to make a real dent in outdoor watering, manageable enough to drain before winter. For water independence, linking multiple barrels in series is the upgrade: overflow from the first fills the second, and so on. Three worth looking at: the Upcycle 55-gallon, Mirainbarrel, and FCMP Outdoor barrel. For deeper water independence planning — storage, filtration, and what to do when the tap stops running — see our emergency water planning guides and the WaterBob review for indoor emergency storage.

Gutter Guards: Worth It If You Have Tree Cover

If large trees overhang your roof, a filter at the downspout alone won’t keep up — you need gutter guards spanning the full gutter run. Good guards mean less climbing, less cleaning, and cleaner collection water from the start. They’re an upfront investment that pays back in time and maintenance over years. If your roof is relatively clear, skip them. If you’re pulling handfuls of leaves out of gutters every fall, they’re worth the cost.

DIY: The $7 Removable Downspout Diverter

Sometimes buying a standard product doesn’t fill all the needs. This is one of those cases — none of the off-the-shelf diverters solved the problem of having four barrels, not wanting to cut apart four downspouts, and needing something that could be pulled off in 30 seconds before winter.

For less than $7 you can create a DIY downspout diverter for your rain barrel that looks good, removes in under 30 seconds in winter, and self-stores.

My Experience Creating a Rain Barrel Diverter

I’ve had my rain barrels for two years trying to figure out how to divert rainwater from the gutters into the barrels without breaking the bank. I didn’t want to take apart the gutters. I have four rain barrels, so that was sounding like a lot of work. After two years of thinking it through, I came up with this solution and love it.

The first one I put in was horizontal. I tested it by throwing a hose on the roof, running water into the gutter — and out the water came. That’s when I noticed I needed caulk.

These are built from the “Ground Spout,” which I bought at Menards for about $5 or $6 each. Any hardware store should carry them. They mount vertically or horizontally on a standard 4-inch downspout.

How To Make a DIY Rain Barrel Diverter

What you need: 1 Ground Spout (~$5–6), a scrap piece of vinyl flooring, clear silicone caulk, small self-tapping metal screws, cotter pins, fishing line, tin snips or a jigsaw with a metal blade, and a drill.

First, install and level your rain barrel. I used four stacked cement blocks to get the spout high enough to put a five-gallon pail underneath. I made treated plywood bases and tipped them slightly forward for drainage. If wind is an issue, put a cement block on top of the empty barrel to keep it from tipping. Note where your overflow valve is pointing before setting it permanently.

Then find a leftover piece of vinyl flooring and cut it to size. You should be able to enlarge the photos for reference if needed.

Figure out where and how you want the diverter placed on the downspout — horizontal or vertical both work. Pre-drill the corners of the rectangular Ground Spout piece. Trace the inside of the rectangular piece on the downspout with a Sharpie and mark your screw holes. Drill starter holes inside the marked area, then use tin snips or a jigsaw with a metal blade to cut out the hole. Don’t stress about perfection — it won’t show much, and in winter it’s mostly covered. Mash any sharp edges down with pliers.

Pre-drill your screw holes with the right bit. Run a bead of clear silicone caulk all the way around the hole. Start your screws into the plastic piece before putting it against the downspout — trust me on this one, I dropped half a dozen screws learning this the hard way. Screw the piece into the downspout.

Fold the long side of the vinyl for insertion through the hole, then push it flat against the inside of the downspout. Trim with scissors as needed. Attach the ground spout hose and clip it in — any bend and it won’t stay put.

Pre-drill a hole through the top of the rectangular piece for a cotter pin, and another through the bottom of the round spout for a second pin. Drill a couple of holes for the fishing line where needed.

Fishing line is nearly invisible, extremely weather resistant, and lets you pull the pins, stow them safely for next year, pull the vinyl out and slide it into the spout, and set it to the side until spring — all in under 30 seconds. You could use a nail or screw instead, but the fishing line is what makes this truly self-storing.

Put the spout back in place and insert the pins. If you have a sharp turn in your setup you may need one screw — try to place it somewhere reachable without a ladder for winterizing.

Done for the year!

Ready to Give it a Shot?

Go to a hundred houses with rain collection and you’ll find a hundred different setups — and most of them work fine. The fundamentals are what matter: divert the water cleanly, filter out debris, store in a UV-resistant barrel with an overflow outlet, and route that overflow away from your foundation. Everything else is details.

A single 55-gallon barrel off one downspout after a decent rain is a week of garden watering. Four barrels in series changes the math significantly — which is exactly what this system was built to handle. For the broader water independence picture, the emergency water guides cover storage, filtration, and contingency planning. The preparedness downloads page has printable water planning checklists as well.

The WaterBob is a bathtub bladder that stores 100 gallons of drinking water for about $35. It deploys in 20 minutes, uses FDA-approved food-grade plastic, and keeps water safe for up to 16 weeks. If a hurricane, ice storm, or rolling blackout is coming and you have a bathtub, it’s one of the most practical emergency purchases you can make.

We’ve had one in the prep closet for years. Here’s the honest version — what it does well, the one real limitation, how it compares to the alternatives, and answers to the questions we actually called the company to ask.

• ~$35 — cheaper than a case of bottled water per gallon
• Stores flat — takes up almost no space until deployed
• Deploys in 15–30 minutes — as fast as filling a bathtub

There have always been threats to clean water — tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, contamination events. I had family near Toledo who used bottled water for nearly a month after a toxic algae bloom contaminated the municipal supply one unusually warm summer. It came with almost no warning.

One of the most critical things to understand about municipal water: a power outage almost always means no water too. Pumps can’t run without electricity. If you’re on city water and the grid goes down, your taps stop. Without a solid emergency water plan, you’re immediately dependent on whatever’s left at the grocery store — which goes fast.

WaterBob Pros

• Compact storage — ships in a small box, stores flat in a closet or drawer until needed
• FDA-approved, BPA-free food-grade plastic — not a concern if you’re storing drinking water
• 100 gallons for 16 weeks — that’s a family of four at the Ready.gov one-gallon-per-person-per-day baseline for 25 days, or one person for three months
• Included siphon pump — no need to tip or move the tub to access the water
• ~$35 — inexpensive enough to keep a spare

WaterBob Cons

• Requires 15–30 minutes of notice. This is the real limitation, and it’s worth being clear about. The WaterBob is perfect for predictable disasters — hurricanes, approaching ice storms, rolling blackout warnings, wildfire evacuations with lead time. It’s not useful for sudden events like earthquakes or unexpected power cuts. You need enough warning to fill a bathtub.
• Single use per manufacturer’s instructions. More on this below — we called the company.
• Holds less than storage barrels. Two 55-gallon barrels beat it on total volume, but they cost $100–200 each and require permanent storage space most apartment dwellers don’t have.

How To Use Your WaterBob

Intentionally simple. The whole setup takes less than half an hour.

1. Remove the bladder from the box and unfold it in the tub.
2. Position it with the filling valve closest to the faucet end — not the drain end.
3. Connect the fill tube to the faucet and start running water.
4. Fill time is 15–30 minutes. Don’t walk away entirely — check it partway through.
5. Add water purification drops immediately after filling if you have them — do it while you remember, and they’ll start treating the water right away.
6. Access water using the included siphon pump. Place your container below the pump level — this gets harder to manage as the water level drops, worth knowing up front.

Real Stories: WaterBob in Actual Hurricanes

With over 1,200 ratings and a 4.7/5 on Amazon, the WaterBob has an unusually strong real-world track record — not just prepper speculation, but people who actually deployed it during Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and others. Three reviews worth reading:

A two-time hurricane survivor who used it during both Matthew and Irma:

A Florida resident who lost power for a full week:

A Hurricane Matthew survivor who deployed it once the storm hit:

About WaterBob

Tony Woodruff invented the WaterBob after watching people scramble for bottled water before and after natural disasters. The pattern was always the same: officials declare an emergency, stores empty within hours, and people without a plan are left dependent on FEMA, the Red Cross, or whoever shows up. He wanted a solution that cost less than $40, stored flat, and could be deployed in the time it takes to fill a tub.

WaterBob uses BPA-free, FDA-approved food-grade plastic throughout. The product has been mentioned in prepper books including Lights Out and covered by CNN and National Geographic. Over a thousand verified purchases later, the 4.7-star average holds — unusual for a product that gets used in actual emergencies where expectations are high.

Who It’s Best For

The WaterBob is especially well-suited for apartment dwellers and urban preppers who don’t have space for barrels or the budget for a permanent water storage setup. A 55-gallon drum takes up real estate and costs $100–200. Two water bricks hold 7 gallons and require ongoing rotation. The WaterBob stores in a kitchen drawer, costs $35, and turns any standard bathtub into a 100-gallon emergency reservoir on demand.

One storage note: keep the unused bladder in a dry place. Once filled, keep it out of direct sunlight — prolonged UV exposure promotes algae growth inside the bladder. The CDC’s baseline recommendation is one gallon per person per day (Ready.gov, Water), which means 100 gallons covers a family of four for 25 days — well past the window for most disaster relief responses.

Why Water Storage Matters More Than Most Preppers Plan For

The Flint, Michigan water crisis is the most visible example, but infrastructure failures happen in every state. According to the CDC, contaminated water causes thousands of illnesses and deaths in the US annually from diseases including dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis. Most people assume it won’t happen to them. Municipal systems are more vulnerable than the infrastructure looks — aging pipes, flood contamination, power-dependent pump stations.

The three-day minimum most emergency guides recommend is genuinely the minimum. A week is better. A month — which two 55-gallon barrels covers for a family of four — is real preparedness. The WaterBob is not a substitute for a permanent water plan, but it’s an excellent first layer and a reliable backup even if you have barrels, because barrels require lead time to position and fill. The WaterBob deploys in 20 minutes from a box on a closet shelf.

How WaterBob Compares to Other Water Storage Options

AquaPod Bathtub Bladder

AquaPod is WaterBob’s main direct competitor. It holds about 70 gallons (vs. 100) and keeps water safe for approximately 8 weeks (vs. 16). Both are bathtub bladders at similar price points. WaterBob wins on both capacity and shelf life — for $35 in either case, there’s no compelling reason to choose the smaller, shorter-lived option.

55-Gallon Water Storage Barrel

Barrels are the right answer if you have the space and the budget. At $100–200 per barrel, two of them keep a family of four hydrated for about a month — more total water, more permanent, more stable. The tradeoff is that they require a dedicated storage spot (a garage, a basement, a utility room) and are essentially impossible to move once filled. For anyone with that space, barrels should be part of the plan. For anyone without it, the WaterBob fills the gap that barrels can’t.

Water Bricks and Portable Containers

Water bricks — stackable containers holding 3.5 to 7 gallons each — are a modular approach that works well for building storage incrementally. A Reliance Aqua-tainer holds 7 gallons for around $15. The catch is rotation: water should be cycled annually, and doing that across 15 individual bricks is a genuine chore. They also don’t come close to 100 gallons in an affordable, deployable format. Good for supplementing a plan; not a substitute for either barrels or the WaterBob.

FAQs

Can my bathtub support the weight of a full WaterBob?

Yes. 100 gallons at 8.3 lbs per gallon is about 830 pounds — which sounds alarming until you remember that a bathtub full of water already weighs the same. Standard residential tubs are designed to hold that load. The WaterBob distributes the weight across the same surface area as a full tub of water. No structural concern for a standard bathtub.

How does the hand pump work?

The included siphon pump has an opaque plastic hose. Unscrew the access cap, insert the pump, and place your container below the pump level to draw water out. Replace the cap when done. One honest caveat: as the water level drops, your container needs to be lower than the pump — this gets progressively harder to manage in a standard tub. A low pitcher or a cut-down jug works better than a tall container for the later stages.

Can I really only use it once?

Per WaterBob’s instructions, yes: slit the bladder after use, drain, and dispose. We called the company to ask why. The answer was straightforward — because it’s nearly impossible to fully dry the inside after use, and residual moisture creates a mold and mildew risk if it’s stored for the next emergency. They recommend disposal to avoid liability when someone inevitably tries to reuse one and gets sick.

That said, some hurricane-prone preppers have reported reusing theirs — exclusively for non-potable purposes like flushing toilets and showering, not drinking. If you’re in that camp, that’s a reasonable call. Just don’t drink from a reused bladder you haven’t been able to fully dry and inspect.

How often should I rotate stored water?

Once a year is the standard recommendation. Properly stored water doesn’t technically “expire,” but bacterial growth and taste degradation happen over time. The WaterBob itself keeps water safe for 16 weeks — so if you fill it during an emergency and the emergency lasts longer than four months, you’re in different territory and should be treating the water before drinking. For regularly stored containers (barrels, bricks), annual rotation is good practice. Swirl the water before drinking older stored water to reintroduce oxygen, which improves taste.

Bottom Line

The WaterBob is one of the most sensible $35 preparedness purchases available. It turns an unused asset — your bathtub — into 100 gallons of emergency water storage that deploys in 20 minutes. For apartment dwellers and urban preppers without barrel storage space, it fills a gap that no other affordable option covers. For homesteaders and rural preppers with permanent water storage, it’s a fast-deploy backup that stores in almost no space.

The limitation is real and worth planning around: you need a warning window. Add the WaterBob to your preparedness kit now, so that when a hurricane watch comes or a boil-water advisory hits, you’re not scrambling to order it two days too late. Pair it with a broader water plan — stored water for medical use, a filtration method for resupply, and enough everyday storage to cover the gap between now and the next emergency.