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.
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