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.