Rain Barrels, though not common, can be used for a variety of purposes. Getting the extra water can help keep your lawn green, water your garden and save you a ton of money.
What is a rain barrel, and how does it work, exactly?
Rain barrels are giant drums that you put under your downspout that will collect the rainwater that falls out of it. You then can use the rain barrel to provide water in times of drought. Storing and using this water is a very green thing to do. Harvesting the water that falls onto your property, and using it to take care of your lawn and garden has been suggested by garden experts for a long time. Put a spigot in the side, hook up your hose, and you can use the water to take care of your lawn and plants.
Here are some things you should do when you’re setting up your new rain barrel:
Have a Solid Foundation
A normal, 55 gallon drum full of water is going to get pretty darn heavy. As a matter of fact, it would weigh just over 450 pounds. You aren’t going to want to put a gigantic, water filled container just anywhere. Make sure that it’s on a flat, sturdy surface and you should be fine.
Always Have a Screen Covering the Top
Covering the top of your rain barrel is a definite must if you don’t want mosquitoes to breed in your water. Since mosquitoes are water based and not land based, they’ll look for any open water to take advantage of. Make sure that you barrel is always covered with a screen, to protect it from these pesky bugs.
Use the Water Quickly
In order to get the most out of your rain barrels and the water they contain, use them quickly and use them often. In order to maximize your rain barrel efficiency, you’ll probably want to use the water within a week, or before the next storm, whichever one comes first.
Now for some rain barrel DON’TS:
Don’t Consume the Rain Water Without Filtering
I think this one should be pretty obvious. The water that is going to be falling into your rain barrels isn’t clean. You don’t want to use this water for drinking, cooking, or even bathing. This water isn’t healthy for you to put into your body, unless you filter it first.
Don’t Collect Rainwater if you Have Chemicals on Your Roof
The rainwater you’re going to be collecting is mostly going to be falling from your roof. You might get some water that falls directly into the drums, but for the most part, it will fall from the roof. Some people put moss killer or other chemicals on their roof. If there are chemicals on your roof, the water you collect will be contaminated and won’t fulfill its purpose. Make sure your roof is clean from any chemicals before you decide to collect rainwater.
Don’t Keep Your Rain Barrels Out in the Winter
If you keep your barrels out in the winter time, you’ll be collecting dirty snow. You’ll have to either remove the snow yourself, or you’ll have to wait for it to melt. Either way, it will be very inconvenient. You’ll also need to scrub out your barrels, to make sure that the dirt from the snow is gone.
Rain barrels were made specifically to conserve water. In places where it doesn’t rain very much, rain barrels are crucial. You get to reuse the rain that has fallen on your property, and your lawn and garden will remain green and lush. In times of drought, it’s very important to think green and conserve water.
Yep. Some important lessons are often learned the hard way!
That spigot (faucet) needs to be far enough out from the barrel that you can fit the side or lip of a catchment device, such as a bucket, in between the spigot and the sidewall of the barrel, or, even to allow a hose to connect/disconnect, if you plan on using a hose to draw it out. Either way, you’ll need the barrel up high enough to allow it to gravity feed to some degree, and therein lies the weight issue. Ours are up on concrete decking blocks, with a 3/4 inch plywood base.
As to the screening, ours are built with a filter system from half a 5-gallon bucket and nylon screening, which we replace periodically. The guttering is run into this area and sealed to avoid contamination. It’s like anything else, a little tlc now and then keeps it running well!
Note the color? Blue. Opaque white CAN be used but should be protected from the sun, as it will grow algae much more quickly.
As to non-potability, I’d agree, but, then, I say the same is true of any municipal water, because of added fluoride, a proven neurotoxic carcinogen, and the nanoparticle drugs from other people that will never be “filtered” out. This water CAN be filtered, shocked, and consumed, just like any other water. In it’s natural state, however, I’d agree: don’t drink it
But it did take $25 a month off our water bill the first year we installed two of them. We use them to water our small, raised gardens.
Here’s an important post today from Mercola on bees dying. What does that have to do with you or me? Everything, if we want to keep eating!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/23/massive-bee-deaths.aspx?e_cid=20130723_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20130723
Bees Dying by the Millions
Excerpt:
For those who aren’t aware, there are about 100 crop species that provide 90 percent of food globally and, of these, 71 are pollinated by bees.1
In the US alone, a full one-third of the food supply depends on pollination from bees — so if bee colonies continue to be devastated, major food shortages will inevitably result.
Honeyville is having a 20% off CASE LOT sale that ends tomorrow, should anyone need to know this. If you order, please tell them you learned about it on Seasoned Citizen Prepper and suggest they mght want to advertise here! ;)
http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/case-lot-items.aspx#.Ue7wdax_1Rw
Of course, Emergency Essentials has 25% off Mountain House this month; click to your right here!
Ah, don’t drink it? Don’t wash in it? When we lived in the country the rain water from the roof collected in rain water tanks was all we had. From time to time we did wonder about the bird poo and possum poo on the roof but we never went sick. One year I did clean about 6 inches of sludge from the bottom of two of our tanks and never did get it all out.
Perhaps it depends on the state of one’s birds guts – and I mean that literally. If your native birds carry horrendous disease it might not be wise to drink the water, but we survived whatever our local birds had and must have developed a resistance to it and we didn’t get TB from the possoms.
So would I drink the water? Too right I would, if I had to. Should you promote this on your website, given some people’s propensity to sue, probably not.
Don’t drink rain water? I use a first flush device (look on-line to learn how to make one) that flushes the first 1.5 gallons away from the barrels. Then I run all cooking and drinking water through a Berky filter. I’m off grid and have been doing this for a few years and I have not gotten sick yet.
You are filtering it, CF, and therein lies the important point.
How have those Berkey filters served you? Have you tried others for point of comparison, or, are you just so satisfied with Berkey, why bother?
The Berkey is my main home filter, it sits on the kitchen counter I also have a lower price ceramic filter I bought from Cheaper then dirt for $30.00, you only get the filter and spout, you provide the 2 buckets. I bought 3 of these . 2 spare for myself and one for my son. You can get buckets at Wal-Mart, Home Depot type of stores. I also have a Katadyn Pocket Filter for camping and a bob. The Katadyn Pocket filter is the best water filter I have ever seen. It’s tough as can be. It filters 13,000 gallons of water before you have to replace the element. The Berkey has 2 elements and together they filter 6,000 gallons of water. I don’t have spare elements for the berkey yet, but the Katadyn I do.
The Berkey is 2-years old and still works well. My only complaint is that the pour spout is made from seeming cheap plastic and while it hasn’t broke, it just feels low quality. I bought an extra spout (made for a 30-cup coffer machine) at a local restaurant supply store for when it does break. All in all I’m happy with the Berkey and I would buy another one if I ever lost it. But if you are on a budget the $30.00 one works just as well and cost a lot less. Both filter to the same level.
One thing to remember with all water filters is that you must not let them freeze, the ceramic ones will crack. And the paper ones will tare if frozen.
Additional comment on the Berkey filters. I have the white filter elements. You can upgrade to the black elements that are supposed to filter out chemicals better. My brother has these in his Berkey, but his filter does not see much use. If you are going to buy a Berkey do a bit of research on the elements you can order with it.
A friend of mine, bctruck, does not care all that much for the Berkey filters. He’s had trouble with his. That’s why I asked. You can find a lot of posts from bc on youtube, including about this.
Now, there’s something I had not considered, CF. We do not live in a “freeze zone”; that kind of weather is rare (you’re more likely to melt in my neck of the woods!); had not considered that they might freeze and crack. Good thing we have backups! One thing I do know about ceramics, however, is that some are made in the U.S.A. and some in China. Since I don’t buy anything made in China (defective and toxic), I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to learn the Chinese-made units are the more likely to “crack”, but, I really do not know that. You can go to http://www.homespunenvironmental.com and buy ONLY U.S. made ceramic filters, but you’ll need to email them to ask which ones. They are very good folks about information.
I don’t know where the Berkey elements are made. Also I don’t have the black Berkey elements that are the ones that separate from the bottom of the housing. I have the white filters. As to the China made thing I try to avoid things made there, but it’s hard these days. I do know the Katadyn flilters are the best, most durable portable water filters made and they are Swiss made.
As to the freezing and breaking China has nothing to do with that. Water takes up more space when it freezes and any filter can break when frozen. It’s not a problem as when winter camping I keep the filter inside my sleeping bag with me. I have a sleeping bag that can handle -40 and it keeps me and the filter and a water bottle warm.