We’ve wanted to get a rain barrel for a while now. And last month we found one for a great price, so we somehow squeezed it into our small trunk and looked forward to our next big rain.
Installation was pretty easy. We had to put an S-connector onto a gutter, and build up a little platform with spare bricks. Shortly after we set up the barrel, we had a great rain. It was so heavy that our 50-gallon rain barrel overflowed!
We were able to water our raised beds and some planters for a week with that rain. And just as we were running low, it rained heavily again.
The water pressure the first couple of days after the rain is great. It does get low toward the end, but it still usable.
I was initially worried about mosquitoes (our backyard is full of them!) but there’s a screen on the top of the barrel that keeps mosquitoes out.
Not only is this barrel saving us money, it’s also saving our area water. Our area hasn’t issued a water notice this summer, but they usually have to every summer.
Yes! Rainbarrels are an excellent way not only to reduce municipal water use, which saves energy and reduces GHG emissions, but it is also healthier for your lawn and garden, as it doesn’t contain chlorine! A word of caution: contaminants can build up on roofs in between rains, making a ‘first flush diverter’ a good idea for the serious rainwater collector. The rule of thumb for calculating available rainwater from your roofspace is .64 gallons of water per inch of rain per square foot of the roof’s ‘rain shadow’ (the horizontal space taken up by the roof). A great document that helps you get started on designing your own system is available from the Texas Water Board @ http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/…/rainwaterharvestingmanual_3rdedition.pdf
TIPS: for the bugs, pick up a pack of mosquito dunks… they are at your hardware store, just ask for them. They work like magic. Also, to keep algae at bay and reduce the funky smell your water is likely to get, add a few cap fulls (to a full barrel) of bleach. It wont harm your plants.
If you havent already bought one but are looking… consider where the spout on the barrel is located… you will want one with the spout as low to the bottom of the barrel as possible so you can get as much water out as possible!
We love ours!