Rain Barrels - What to know b4 you buy one

Rain Barrels are no longer something your grandmother told you was the best water around for washing your hair with. Rain barrels are becoming important tools for managing storm water’s volume and velocity. Consumers are also beginning to recognize the huge volume of water coming from the public water system that is not used for potable drinking water and its costing them a fortune. Municipalities are asking residents to take action to reduce stress to the over burdened water treatment systems and shrinking water resources.

Whether you choose to call it a rain barrel, water butt or tote they all act in a similar manner. These products offer the user a method of retaining and redirecting the rain diverted to them during a precipitation event. Rain barrels are simple to install with just a few common hand tools.

A common question is: “ What can I do with this water?” Harvested rain water has many uses. Here are just a few everyday uses for your captured rain water: fill a bird bath or fish pond, wash the car (not with a high pressure machine), irrigation of your ornamental plants, top up a swimming pool, wash your hair (ask gram – she’ll tell you it’s great – no chlorine to damage your hair), and even flush toilets. Please keep in mind the roof surface that this water has been collected from. This is NOT treated water and you should never ingest (drink) it unless you have the proper filtration for purification (UV light and ozone will kill the ‘no-see-um’s but you still might want to filter the larger grit and dirt too).

Rain barrels are manufactured in lots of different sizes, styles and materials. The two most common are the refurbished plastic container and the manufactured to be a rain barrel from plastic.

With so many different styles available you how do you decide which one is the best one for you? Just because it looks pretty may not mean it will function very well. Nearly all rain barrels available have a few flaws that can turn it into an ugly non-functioning lawn ornament in short order. Before you purchase a rain barrel you should consider its ability to function successfully. First look at the inlet. Is it positioned or designed to allow the downspout to direct the water into the barrel or is it likely that the downspout can overwhelm the inlet and water runs over the top and down the side thus pooling at the base of the rain barrel? Second, measure the size of the overflow outlet. If you live in an area that receives a heavy downpour now and again you will want to make sure that the overflow outlet is or nearly the same size as the inlet (seems like common sense doesn’t it?) Another area of concern is the placement of the garden hose shut off valve. How high off the ground has the shut off valve been installed? 2, 4 or 12 inches? Higher is better so you can get your watering can under it, right? Well the higher the shut off valve the more water left in the bottom of the rain barrel that NEVER leaves! You can foster an anaerobic water condition (stinky water) with all that stagnant water. (So you want to be in the mosquito harvesting business? Don’t ever empty that water and sludge.)

Ok, so you’ve found THE perfect rain barrel and it’s sitting in the middle of the living room. Let’s get it where it needs to live. The old adage of measure twice cut once applies here. It’s called a trial fit in this case. Place the barrel where you think it will be the most productive. If it fits there, looks good (the HOA gave you the thumbs up) mark the area that you will need to make level for it to sit on. Water weighs over 8pounds per gallon. So if you are going to elevate your barrel on a stand or blocks, make sure you have prepared the level area to accept the filled weight of the barrel. Most barrels have an opening in the top for directing the water into. Use of a flexible hose or elbow is more forgiving if the barrel is not perfectly in place to accept an elbow from the downspout. If you live in a climate with cold temperatures you may want to invest in a downspout diverter.

Nearly every rain barrel has an overflow port. Make sure you direct that overflow hose at least 8 feet away from the foundation of your home. Water pooling at the base of the barrel is bad (leaning Tower of Pisa) and your barrel’s overflowing in place may allow all that water to leach down to the foundation too. Now connect your garden hose. Make sure your shut off valve is CLOSED. (Yes, I did learn that lesson too)

For more information, on rain barrels, DIY kits, downspout and gutter accessories please visit Aquabarrel.

80 gallon Rain Barrel

Hard to believe but it took over a year to bring the 80 gallon Aquabarrel to market.

This design incorporates the most requested design modification asked for by buyers of rain barrels.

You no longer have to purchase and install a separate downspout diverter. The over flow port and winter/summer diverter are now one unit and built to be an integral part of the function and form of the Aquabarrel 80 gallon rain barrel.

Order yours today at www.Aquabarrel.com

Rain Barrel Rebate - FAQ - James City County, Virginia

The JCSA, the agency charged with operating James City County's public drinking water system, has created "Let's be Water Smart."

This public/private partnership includes a comprehensive water management and education program to help residents maintain high quality landscaping while taking a "smart" approach to water use.

Experts in lawn and garden care, our Water Smart Partners, are actively assisting government staff to encourage citizens landscaping to be "smart" in watering techniques and plant selection.

The James City Service Authority has created a rebate on rain barrels to reduce demand for municipal water and preserve its precious groundwater supply.

JCSA will refund the purchase price of up to four rain barrels, with a maximum of $50 per rain barrel.


content is from the JCSA website: http://www.bewatersmart.org/rainbarrelrebateprogram/RainBarrelRebate.html

Rain Barrel Features to Look For

Not all rain barrels are created equal.

Here are just a few features that you want to consider when researching for your rain barrel purchase.

Small openings, Resistant to Accidental Drowning.
See the previous post for this!

Proper Water Flow, No Storm Water Overflow
Make sure that the overflow port is equal to the inlet. If you have a large volume of rain water entering the rain barrel, what happens after the rain barrel is full? You want to be able to take all the excess rain water a move it along. You don't want all that rain water overflowing out the top of the rain barrel next to the foundation of your home.

All Plastic Construction, Eliminates Leaks
Some rain barrel companies provide a metal garden hose bibb (attachment). They look great but metal and plastic expand and contract at different rates. After working the fitting back and forth (opening and closing the garden hose shut off valve) you may cause the hole for the garden hose bibb to enlarge. You will never be able to completely reseal it.

Functional Design, Maximum Water Pressure Available
Check out where the garden hose will attach to the rain barrel. If it is not at the bottom of the rain barrel you will never completely empty the rain barrel. This will allow sludge build up and standing water to remain in your barrel. This is the perfect place for mosquitoes to breed. Water pressure increases slightly if you place the garden hose drain at the bottom of the rain barrel.

Woman drowns in rain barrel inside home

I cannot be sure but if I had to guess, this was an open top or single bung barrel with a screw off lid! Aquabarrel does not offer a barrel of this design. We have dreaded this day and now we have proof as to why you should not be encouraged to purchase a rain barrel that is so easy to remove the lid from.




ELDORADO, N.M., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Authorities said a woman drowned in her Eldorado, N.M., home after apparently trying to retrieve a kitten from a rain barrel.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said the body of Deborah Hill, 48, was discovered by her husband just before 2 p.m. Sunday, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported Monday.

Solano said the couple had taken the 55-gallon plastic rain barrel inside their home to thaw ice inside it. The barrel was about one-third full once the ice had melted and the family's kitten is believed to have fallen in.

"It looks like she was standing on something to reach down for the kitten and slid in herself," Solano told the New Mexican.

The sheriff said no signs of foul play have been found by investigators.

"There's pretty significant evidence for the cat theory," he said. "There's scratches in the barrel and there's scratches on the body."

He said the barrel had been tied to the door to prevent it from tipping over.

"That means once she fell in, she wasn't able to tip it herself," he said to the newspaper.

Care and Feeding of a Rain Barrel:

Care and Feeding of a Rain Barrel:
Little people

As child I thought nothing of picking up a hose and drinking from it. Aside from the lead in most of the garden hoses these days the last thing you want a little person to do (or anyone else for that matter) is to sip from the rain barrel hose.

Rain water that has traversed the roof may have organic and inorganic solids suspended in it. Bird poop, spider webs (and poor Mr. itsy-bitsy spider he won't live another day to get up the water spout!), decomposing leaves are but a few of the organic items.

The chemicals from the roof could include, lead from the metal flashing around a chimney, copper from a copper gutter or downspout, mold and fungus inhibitors, and cedar shakes are treated with chemicals too.

Many units have a single screw on lid that is fairly easy to remove. If you have children in the immediate area of the rain barrel, look for a rain barrel design that explains how it is child safe or child friendly.

You will find rain barrel designs at Aquabarrel.com that offer child friendly designs. But it is still up to you to keep them from ingesting water from that hose.

Care and feeding of a rain barrel:

Limit the organic matter from getting in your rain barrel or into your underground landscape pipe with a downspout filter.

Rain barrels need to be kept free of leaves, and other organic matter so that the rainwater can flow in and out of them.

Many of the rain barrels on the market have a screen that limits debris from entering the barrel. These metal and nylon screens can get torn or may become clogged with the small grit from an asphalt roof. Check them often for damage.

What happens if the inlet is clogged with debris? Rain is unable to enter the barrel and all that rainwater just runs over the top and down the sides. Not a great idea as the water is likely to damage the foundation of the home over time.

One way to limit the size and amount of debris headed towards the rain barrel is to use an in-line downspout filter. Downspout filters are cut into the downspout and collects or removes debris before it gets to the barrel.

Look for a downspout filter that is made from durable materials. Like this one at
www.aquabarrel.com/product_downspout_filters_slim_line.php