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

Rain Barrel Benefits

What are a few of the benefits of using a rain barrel?

*Modular, Flexible Volume - Most rain barrels are designed so that multiple units can be linked together. So as your requirements for volume change so can the number of rain barrels.

*Acidic, Better Nutrient Value - Rain water does not contain typical additives of city tap water. Rainwater is also slightly acidic which helps plants access soil nutrients.

*Erosion, Slow Storm Water Speed - Rain barrels decrease the speed of water exiting the high velocity channel (your downspout). Having your downspout empty into the barrel causes the water to churn back on itself and slow it down. Slowing the speed on the rain water helps to reduce erosion.

*Storage, Water Savings - The rain barrels store a small amount of rain water for a later time. The $ saving will not be huge BUT if everyone had just one barrel, think of the savings to the infrastructure that has to handle the delivery and removal of water to and from our homes.

In the beginning

An interview with the Founder, B. Chenkin.

What inspired you to start your business?

While watering the plants in my yard with the garden hose one day, my wife asked if I knew what a rain barrel was. To my dismay, I had to admit that I had no idea what she was asking about. She explained the concept. With my interest peaked, I spent many hours researching on the Internet. Finally I decided it was possible to make my own rain barrel. Following the traditional concepts of a rain barrel, I proudly made my own.

When the first thunderstorm came I was giddy with excitement as the traditional rain barrel began to fill. I never paid attention before to just how much water could accumulate during a rain storm. My excitement turned to shock as the barrel, now filled with rainwater, was overflowing out the top of the barrel, running down the sides and pooling at the foundation of our home.

Watching this soggy disaster unfold, convinced me that a few significant modifications were in order. Working with my original rain barrel quickly taught me the flaws in the traditional design. Periodically you needed to drain the barrel of the 2 or 3 inches of residual water or sludge in the bottom of the barrel, or open a mosquito harvesting business!

Every time I needed to water my yard with the traditional rain barrel, I was faced with challenges that left me saying. 'There's got to be a better way'. I built a number of rain barrels with an assortment of modifications. The current Aquabarrel(R) is the result of correcting several serious failures found in other designs.

What was your “green spark?”

Al Gore’s movie and regional water restrictions coinciding with my wife’s great timing of asking what I knew about rain barrels created the ‘Green Spark’ that ignited this business idea.

What are your goals for the future of your company?

Our goal is to make Aquabarrel(R) "THE" rain barrel brand that water conservationists worldwide will ask for by name.

We will accomplish this by licensing the Aquabarrel(R) name to regional and local rain barrel producers. These local manufacturing affiliates can continue to advocate water conservation while educating their customers and communities of the superior design of the Aquabarrel(R) rainbarrel.

Promoting Aquabarrel(R) is not only good for the environment, good for the local economy, but it also extends the life of an existing plastic barrel that was headed to the landfill or shredder. New business growth provides local jobs, adding to the local tax base. In the case of the Aquabarrel(R), it also reduces infrastructure costs within the local storm water district.

We plan to continue to bring environmental conservation to the forefront of the business world, hoping that by opening the eyes of the business community we can increase awareness of individuals. If everyone did just one thing to preserve the environment, like collecting rain water for watering their plants and lawn, we believe we will extend our natural resources.