Long before I had a rain barrel or honestly before I had ever even heard of one, I did a little experiment with my children. It was a bit of a child-friendly science experiment. We planted four plants with vegetable seeds all in the same types of pots with the same soil and set them in a sunny window. We watered two of the pots with tap water and the other two with rainwater we collected in a bucket on the deck. It will be no surprise to you that the plants grown with rainwater did much better than the plants watered from the tap.
We have good water here, but plants prefer the untreated stuff. We also have a goldfish pond and our tap water does have chloramine which is a safe and better tasting way to kill potentially dangerous bacteria in water. Unlike chlorine though, it doesn’t evaporate out of water in one day so it isn’t safe to use for fish. We use our rain barrel water for the fish, chickens and plants.
Before You Get Barrels or Use Collected Water
If you decide to repurpose one yourself, you will want to find out what was in that container first. I wouldn’t chance one that held chemicals or industrial material.
You will want to consider the material your roof is made of and how old the roof is before you start using your rainwater. According to Blue Barrel Systems, a company that sells rainwater collecting systems, some metal roofs can add high levels of zinc to your water. They suggest testing zinc levels before using the water. They also explain that the glues used in laying asphalt roofs can off-gas for the first year and potentially linger for the first three years. Cedar shake roofs often have a fire-retardant treatment and copper roofs will add copper to your water. For more information, click their link above.
Depending on where you live, there is a chance you can’t collect water. Here in Missouri, we have an ample water supply- for now. Our neighbors to the west who rely on the Ogallala Aquifer have been on the brink of a water crisis for years. If they ever run dry, I expect they will request water from somewhere that has plenty. Laws in Colorado and Utah prohibit any rainwater collection for human use, although there are some allowances with permits for certain amounts per year to be collected for watering plants etc. Several other states have water collection regulations, and some require permits. For the complete list click here. If your home is part of a Homeowners Association there could also be restrictions.
Setup and Maintenance
We have two rain barrels, a small 40 gallon barrel primarily used for the goldfish and the other holds a whopping 330 gallons! Rain barrels can be purchased online and in some stores, but ours are made of repurposed containers which saved us quite a bit on cost. Both receive water from our house gutters when it rains and have overflow gutters. We also have screens on both barrels to prevent unwanted materials (including frogs) in our water. Having screens also helps prevent mosquitos from getting in the water and breeding.
For smaller barrels, like our 40 gallon, I suggest setting it up on a platform or cinderblocks to get good water flow. I have a double hose connector on this one. One for a 30’ garden hose that reaches the pond and the other for filling a bucket or water can. The large barrel has a short hose for filling water cans.
A few tips:
-Try to set your barrels in shady areas if you can, especially large containers that will likely stay fairly full most of the time. Too much sun will cause algae to grow which is difficult to remove.
-Keep gutters and screens clean
-If you have harsh winters, empty the barrel and keep the spigot open before winter arrives.
We’re currently several weeks into a late-summer dry spell and at this very moment, it is 97*. Everything will have to be watered tonight and I still have 250 gallons in the big barrel. 250 gallons of free, wonderful water my plants will love.
Audrey L Elder
Fourteen Acre Wood
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