Rain Barrel Revelations

Rain Barrel Revelations

The Wife had been hectoring me about getting rain barrels set up and I didn’t see the point, and I wrote off the concept as another termagant tirade that would soon pass, refusing to hearken to these harridan harangues. Then she reminded me of our water bill for just one month last summer: way over $100. She got my attention with that and soon I bought two rain barrels, one for either side of the garage so I could tap off the flow for my garden area. Then I got two more for the house and had the gutters re-routed to send everything that falls on my roof into two other rain barrels, both set up with overflow valves so when a barrel hits 60 gallons, the flow is re-directed to another part of the garden.

After the rains of the past few days, I have several full barrels, more than 150 gallons of water. Soaker hoses are set up to slowly sprinkle growing vegetables, minimizing evaporation and providing the constant moisture seedlings like. Aside from gathering rain water for the garden, rain barrels are good because they mean water is not going down to drain tiles at the side of house’s foundation (one reason for gutters, in the first place, is to move water away from foundations, so it seems crazy to have the water go down right next to the building) and, from a more environmental standpoint, I’m not sending clean water directly into the villages overtaxed storm sewer system.

My main reason for the barrels, though, is to save on my water bill. I probably won’t break even until near the end of the summer (if that), but on the rain barrel thing, I’m sold. Another one of The Wife’s excellent ideas.

David “Utterly Uxorious” Hammond

Sounds like a splendid idea -- saving money, protecting the house, keeping the garden happy. Best of everything.

Cynthia wrote:Sounds like a splendid idea -- saving money, protecting the house, keeping the garden happy. Best of everything.

So far, it's looking good. I just checked, and a 60 gal. barrel I set up this afternoon is already full. That means I've got 240 gallons in storage with overflow going directly to gardens. No doubt, with rain forecast for the next four days, I could probably fill another four barrels, which suggests how much beautifully fresh rainwater is drained away as waste every summer. I'd hazard thousands of gallons. It's a revelation.

Rain barrels and various accessories are for sale up in Lake County. The deadline for orders is May 1.
Tumbling Composters are available as well

Lake County Rain Barrels

Thanks, DBigg, for this timely post! So far I'd only seen rain barrel info for Cook County residents.

David, maybe you should build a cistern. I think the rain barrel is a great idea and I'm looking into one for myself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistern

Sometimes, it takes a me a long time to see the obvious.

Rainbarrels have three outlet ports: at the top (for overflow) and at the bottom (one with a spigot and one without; I never use the latter, and its primary use is probably to daisy-chain several barrels).

During the kind of rain I anticipate over the next two days, the 55 gal. drums fill within hours, and so I'm faced with several hours with many gallons of water dripping (or, actually, cascading) out the top overflow port. This is bad because it means a lot of water is going down right next to the foundation of the house, which is bad for the house, but it also creates pools of mud and simply wastes a lot of water on areas where there's nothing growing.

One obvious solution: hook up another hose at the overflow port of each barrel and direct flow to garden or elsewhere. This is a workable solution but means more hoses in a yard that already has has several major hoses (there's a splitter on several drums) feeding a number of soaker hoses strategically arranged throughout garden areas.

Today, just as the rain started falling, the solution hit me like a lightening bolt (a very dull, slow-moving lightening bolt). After a rain and after all barrels have been drained to water gardens, I should move one of the major hoses to the overflow port (and shut off the respective outlet on the splitter). Then, when it rains again, overflow is directed to selected major hoses and thence to soaker hoses in the gardens.

It's so obvious.

David "What's that? A bus?!" Hammond

So today, a conundrum. My barrels are full, and I have hundreds of gallons of water ready to go. There's an 80% chance of rain today and tomorrow, so odds are good I could fill up empty barrels. So, do I just let it rain and allow overflow to spill into a few selected spots or open the spigots and water all gardens, none of which really need it after yesterday's rain.

I opted for the latter option; it's the most efficient way, I think, to utilize surplus water. Though this raises the question: do I need more barrels?

I think I do.

I think you do, too. But, that's a good thing to need!

I think my mom only has a couple. I wonder what she does when they are full?

I just walked outside to find all my barrels in overflow mode -- meaning I've collected over 400 gallons in the last day or so. The water coming out of one downspout was like a firehose, just incredible amounts of water coming through. This will be a year of experimentation; I think I will move some barrels around next year, and probably get a few more.

One rather obvious discovery; gravity feeds are essential, but the barrels that drain best are those that feed onto a slight incline giving the water a constant downward path to follow.

I received two things for Mother's Fay: a gift certificate for a massage and a Rain Barrel (purchased from the city of Chicago). We have yet to hook it up (need the OK from condo association) and we are really wanting to put it on the side of the building towards the front but it is an open area and my husband is concerned that someone will steal it. I say "Nobody will want to steal a rain barrel," quite breezily and my husband looks at me as if I am insane. So, do you think anyone would go to the trouble to steal a rain barrel?

bjt

bjt wrote:I received two things for Mother's Fay: a gift certificate for a massage and a Rain Barrel (purchased from the city of Chicago). We have yet to hook it up (need the OK from condo association) and we are really wanting to put it on the side of the building towards the front but it is an open area and my husband is concerned that someone will steal it. I say "Nobody will want to steal a rain barrel," quite breezily and my husband looks at me as if I am insane. So, do you think anyone would go to the trouble to steal a rain barrel?

bjt

People will steal anything, but the barrel is bulky and water in the barrel will be a major deterrent (when it's full, you'd need two buffed up apes to move it -- a full barrel weights close to 500 pounds).

My major and obvious finding re: barrels. A slight grade is more important to water flow than elevating the barrel on bricks or some other such structure. Continuous downward slope is critical.

thanks for the advice. argh, I only wished it had been hooked up already, what with last night's rain and more on the way . . . I anticipate some potential physical comedy with the installation, I'll report back or come back pleading for insight--depending on how we do!

bjt

bjt wrote:thanks for the advice. argh, I only wished it had been hooked up already, what with last night's rain and more on the way . . . I anticipate some potential physical comedy with the installation, I'll report back or come back pleading for insight--depending on how we do!

bjt

Two other thoughts:

Are you going to use soaker hoses? If so, the flatter the surface you're watering, the better it is to use a shorter hose (like, say, 25 rather than 50 feet).

Also, I'd recommend attaching a hose to the run-off valve so that when the barrel fills up (as I'm fairly confident all of mine did last night), the water will be directed away from the foundation of the building.

Hi,

Do you still have your water reserve? Lately, all these threats of thunderstorms largely bypass me. I'm doing some watering today.

I've known people who in summer had the outlet from their clothes washing machine exit straight into the garden. I've never tried it, since my washing machine would only deposit to a narrow side yard. It is something to consider when there are water restrictions.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Do you still have your water reserve? Lately, all these threats of thunderstorms largely bypass me. I'm doing some watering today.

I've known people who in summer had the outlet from their clothes washing machine exit straight into the garden. I've never tried it, since my washing machine would only deposit to a narrow side yard. It is something to consider when there are water restrictions.

Regards,

I've used the garden hose two, maybe three times this year. I've got more water than I know what do do with.

About the washing machine idea: is it good to exhaust hot, soapy water into a garden?

Water from your washing machine is known as "grey water" to identify it separatly from "black water" that has come in contact with human waste, i.e. sewage.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using grey water in your garden. I find this website (although poorly designed) to be helpful when thinking about using grey water around the home.

Key points:
Grey water does harbor pollutants and you should use caution when working with it.
Don't store this water or it will soon become "black water"
Don't use it on food that will be eaten raw or on your lawn unless through an underground drip system
Grey water filtered through the ground becomes purified as plant roots and soil trap pollutants. Until this happens, the water is not safe for human contact.

Grey water systems take a bit of thought and planning but can help reuse water that would otherwise flow to treatment plants and eventually into rivers, lakes and streams.

Hi,

I never personally checked out the gray water, but if you are under a total ban it is something to consider. I remember once seeing my niece's Great Aunt ladling dirty dish water into garden watering cans under adverse drought conditions. They allowed their tubs to fill while showering for the same reasons.

Regards,

Dave,
Could you possibly post pictures when you have time?
You have intrigued me with your commitment.

Thanks!

Jill

Diannie wrote:Water from your washing machine is known as "grey water" to identify it separatly from "black water" that has come in contact with human waste, i.e. sewage.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using grey water in your garden. I find this website (although poorly designed) to be helpful when thinking about using grey water around the home.

Key points:
Grey water does harbor pollutants and you should use caution when working with it.
Don't store this water or it will soon become "black water"
Don't use it on food that will be eaten raw or on your lawn unless through an underground drip system
Grey water filtered through the ground becomes purified as plant roots and soil trap pollutants. Until this happens, the water is not safe for human contact.

Grey water systems take a bit of thought and planning but can help reuse water that would otherwise flow to treatment plants and eventually into rivers, lakes and streams.

As a kid spending summers on the farm after every bath that cooled you off you were expected to then haul all the water to the garden and water plants with it. It was over a 200 foot walk to the garden, by the time you were finished hauling the water, you were more perspired than you were before your bath. They did not waste a drop out there. Everything went on the garden.

jilter wrote:Dave,
Could you possibly post pictures when you have time?
You have intrigued me with your commitment.

Thanks!

Jill

My pleasure.

Okay, here’s some wisdom from four months of rainbarreling.

What’s wrong with this picture?



Answer: The Wife has laid heavy hose across the lower valve of the barrel, which loosens the fixture and will ultimately make it very leaky (there was water coming out when this picture was taken). I will probably have to recaulk all valves this autumn.

What’s right with this picture is that the rainbarrel is located on a slight incline up from the garden (not visible in this photo), which makes a huge difference: that little bit of gravity helps drain the barrel.

However, few of the barrels drain through the soaker hoses I set up; just not enough pressure to travel the distance and then squeeze out the holes. I have to hookup a regular hose and just move it aroung the garden, which works okay as long as I’m outside.

Note: hose attached to top is for overflow (which has happened a lot this summer); it directs water away from the house.

In the back garden, I elevated the barrel, which does some but not much good.



Water velocity is strong for the first few feet and then peters out, which again means soaker hoses are of no use.

Overall, learning has taken place, and I'm considering getting larger barrels next summer (so I don’t have to work hard to drain them in-between incessant rains).

David Hammond wrote:Water velocity is strong for the first few feet and then peters out, which again means soaker hoses are of no use.

Jay K wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Water velocity is strong for the first few feet and then peters out, which again means soaker hoses are of no use.

Using this, how long do you think it would take to drain and distribute 220 gallons of water?

David Hammond wrote:

Jay K wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Water velocity is strong for the first few feet and then peters out, which again means soaker hoses are of no use.

Using this, how long do you think it would take to drain and distribute 220 gallons of water?