The use of the Rain Barrel in the garden continues to grow in popularity. What Is A Rain Barrel?
It’s simply a container, often 50 -80 gallons in size, used to harvest and store captured rainwater draining from roof runoff.
- How Does A Rain Barrel System Work?
- How Much Rainwater Can You Collect?
- Tips and Considerations
- Benefits of Rain Barrels
- How To Make A Rain Barrel
- How To Install A Rain Barrel: The Basics of Prep, Place And Deal With Pests
- Could Your Rain Barrel Be Harming Your Plants? A Look At Rain Barrel Hygiene
- How To Install A Fiskars Rain Barrel System
How Does A Rain Barrel System Work?
A roof works as a collection surface and as rain falls, the water collects usually in rain gutters. A downspout connects to the barrel using some type of downspout diverter to direct the roof runoff into the barrel via the downspout.
Units specifically designed to operate as rain barrels feature a covers to prevent animals, mosquitoes, dust, and light from contaminating stored water.
How Much Rainwater Can You Collect?
One of the first questions asked by those considering adding a rain barrel system to their garden is. How much water does it take to fill a 55-gallon barrel with water?
It takes roughly 1/2 inch of rain to fill the typical 50-55 gallon drum with water from an average roof.
Here are the numbers… For every inch of rain falling on 500 square feet of roof, it adds up to approximately 300 gallons of water.
Most areas in the US could collect over 1,000 gallons of potable water per year to water container gardens, house plants, vegetable gardens, and even your lawn.
Tips and Considerations
- Use a screen to keep out debris
- Keep the rain barrel covered with a lid to prevent mosquito breeding and algae growth
- Empty first collected water if concerns of roof contaminants are a concern
- Do not use rain barrels on a roof containing asbestos
- Collected rainwater is not for human consumption or as drinking water – plants only
Benefits of Rain Barrels
A Money Saver – homeowners save on their water bills with this free water conservation source. According to the EPA, lawn and garden irrigation accounts for 40 % of residential water use.
Using rain barrels, homeowners can save roughly 1,300 gallons of water during the growing season.
Healthy Plants and Soil – Rainwater does not contain the same additives in tap water, like inorganic ions and fluoride compounds that accumulate in soil over time. This makes the water goof for Venus flytraps.
This accumulation can potentially harm plant roots and microorganisms in the soil. Clean rainwater helps clean the soil of salt buildup, which benefits plants and their roots.
Reduction of Runoff – Rain barrels help conserve water and reduce stormwater runoff, which flows directly into streams, lakes, and other nearby bodies of water from storm drains.
Rains pick up soil, oil, lawn fertilizer run-off, pesticides, and other contaminants that can increase algae growth in lakes.
How To Make A Rain Barrel
Clean water is a precious commodity. Many people worldwide would improve their quality of life if they only had access to clean water. The idea of collecting rainwater is not new.
However, in today’s “green movement” we see many gardeners install plastic rain barrels by the home foundation to collect water for irrigating their plants and garden.
Constructing a rain barrel system is easy (how-to video below). Attaching a spigot or hose bib near the bottom of the barrel allows for connecting a soaker or drip hose or filling watering cans. You can also connect multiple barrels to create a rain-harvesting system.
Before you get excited about collecting rainwater with a barrel – make sure it’s legal! An Oregon man collected rainwater on his property and was sentenced to 30 Days in jail.
There are many ways to make a rain barrel, this tutorial from BHG.com shows you how to make an inexpensive rain barrel in a couple of hours.
The folks over at DIYnetwork.com have put together their Top 9 DIY rain barrel projects. From making one to installation and some safety tips as well. Check out their projects via DIYnetwork.
Julie Finn from craftingagreenworld.com shares her own design using a food-grade plastic barrel and some simple parts from the hardware store. One nice feature of Julie’s design uses a screen to keep out mosquitoes which can make your barrel a nuisance to the neighborhood.
Julie is still working on the barrel’s overflow pipe, overflow valve, and hose system. More via craftingagreenworld.com
Rain barrels can often be acquired for a good price or even free when used. Try Craigslist! You can find rain barrel kits and complete systems to collect rainwater.
Fiskars makes one, also Lowes, Home Depot and there’s even one called the Great American Rain Barrel.
Video: Making a Rain Barrel Garden – Home Depot
Here’s another video on making a barrel from CanadianRainBarrels.ca
With proper positioning under downspouts rain barrels can help you collect enough run-off to significantly cut your outdoor watering bill. Rain chains add beauty to the water collection process as well!
Not only do plants love the pure, clean, collected rainwater, but it also helps the environment prevent wasted water.
Don’t think rain barrels need to look hideous. They can get some interesting looks, and painting them adds color and creativity to the “rain garden.”
How To Install A Rain Barrel: The Basics of Prep, Place And Deal With Pests
As more and more people install and enjoy the benefits rain barrels provide, you’ll find all kinds of variations, tweaks, unique installations, and entertaining art! But in order to get the most out of your “water harvest,” make sure it is set up correctly.
Over at Your Easy Garden, they share the basics of setting up a rainwater harvest system with a barrel, including the preparation, placement, and handling of pests. Here’s a few tips they share:
In late fall, empty, rinse and turn them over. In setting up each spring, rinse the interior and fill to the tap to check for leaks. During cold climates, trapped water can freeze and expand, cracking the plastic. The seal that holds the spigot in place may deteriorate with time and the elements. Some silicone sealer will fix it.
Place rain barrels under high-volume downspouts, close to the house or outbuilding and near garden beds and other areas you’ll use the water. Elevate them on sturdy cinder blocks so a bucket fits under the spigot. We slip a garden hose segment over the tap to direct water to the beds, so a little elevation also goes a long way.
Could Your Rain Barrel Be Harming Your Plants? A Look At Rain Barrel Hygiene
We work hard caring for our plants… for food (veggies) or enjoyment (flowers). The last thing we want to do is put anything on them that could harm the plants or what they produce.
Have you considered the rain barrel water a potential “harmful” source? No one wants a contaminated rain barrel with potentially harmful substances in it.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to get motivated to give it a good flush and cleaning. It is important to clean your rain barrel regularly, though.
Even though it seems like a dirty job, organicgardening.com shares tips to put you on the path to getting it clean without much fuss. Details via organicgardening.com.
Popular Mechanics discusses how to safely capture rainwater and guard against bacteria and disease to ensure the best water quality. The orchidcarezone.com discusses storing and keeping your rainwater fresh, clean, and ready to use.
All this makes for fun talk, but GRIT shares more ideas on using the excess water collected using rain barrels in your garden.
How To Install A Fiskars Rain Barrel System
Here’s how to use a rain barrel to water the lawn.
Rainwater collection works great for watering our plants and our lawn. It also serves as a great way to have rainwater when it’s not raining is to store it in a rain barrel.
Now, city water weighs heavily with minerals and chemicals because of the process used to make it safe for us to drink. However, untreated soft rainwater does better for our plants and the soil.
For the average home, up to 40% of the water consumed goes to outdoor use, such as caring for their lawns and landscapes.
With the rain barrel, you can use the collected water even during watering restrictions or when the water supply is short. It’s nice to have options when you’re caring for your plants, and it costs zero.
Harvesting rainwater also reduces your eco footprint because you use less of it and it reduces the runoff that carries contaminants and sediments into creeks and other water resources. And it’s not a new idea. Ancient civilization harvested their rainwater in cisterns for their communities, too.
Today, people can choose from many ways to collect rainwater. Some will divert the water directly into the barrel, but once the barrel fills up, all that excess water overflows, and some of that can go into your foundation or basement.
Now, this rainwater system from Fiskars works with your existing downspouts and gutters and takes the water away from the house once the barrel becomes full. This worry-free downspout diverter system serves as the key.
It channels the water into the barrel, but once it goes full, the back pressure redirects the water to the spout and away from your house the way your gutters intended to work.
Fiskars offers two types of diverters; both work with standard-size downspouts. Now, their latest model contains a filter preventing the downspout from getting clogged with debris and a window that lets you see when the filter needs to be cleaned.
You make your home look great and work on your lawn and garden. So it only makes sense to have a rainwater harvesting system complementing everything.
Fiskars Rain Barrels come in various sizes, styles, and colors to complement your home. And in addition, they are eco-friendly.
Now, it helps to put your rain barrel in an area to take advantage of all the rainfall, and you want to have it where you’re going to do a lot of watering, too.
Now, on the roof surface of 500 square feet with a 57-gallon barrel, it will fill up in about an hour with a moderate amount of rainfall.
It also helps to improve your barrel to take advantage of gravity to move that water through a hose to other parts of your garden.
The main benefits of owning a rain barrel are clear. Installation and maintenance should work easily as well. With a few basic tools, you can install this system.
After choosing where to install the rainwater harvesting system, prepare the ground to place the rain barrel. These rain barrels weigh heavy when full. So take the time to make the base firm and level.
Install the spigot and hose connector on the rain barrel. Transfer the height of the rain barrel to the downspout and mark reference lines for where the diverter.
Cut the downspout on the lines and slide the diverter onto the top section of the downspout. Reattach the lower downspout. Measure and cut the connector hose.
With the lid in place, you only need for the rain to pour. Make sure to follow the detailed instructions attached to your system.
To winterize the system, remove the filter that came with the diverter and tie the hose up against the downspout. You can also remove the hose and attach the cap included in the system. Next, turn the barrel upside down and put something heavy on it to keep it in place.
The Fiskars Rainwater Harvesting System appears and works uniquely for two primary reasons. First, the diverter channels the water into the barrel until the barrel becomes full and then back to the downspout and away from the house. Secondly, the diverter holds a filter to keep the downspout clean and debris-free.
The barrel looks really nice, making it a nice addition to your house and garden. Also, it also serves as a great way to lighten your environmental footprint.