Rain Barrels: How To Save And Use Rain Water
Posted by carrie_roll
Rain Is Free, Why Not Save It In Rain Barrels And Use It Later?
Many cities and municipalities are adding or increasing water taxes and usage fees. One way that you can avoid using so much water from a municipality is to have your own system to store rainwater and use it later. Depending on where you live, rainwater falls freely and frequently. Don’t you think it makes sense to be able to harvest it, store it, and use it later?
If you look, you can find many very nice tools to collect rainwater, and many of them are completely free or have some very small cost associated with them. One of the best ways to get a large amount of water during a rainstorm is to collect water from the gutter and roof. By buying or finding some barrels, painting them with a paint that will increase sun refraction and lower the chances of algae forming, and putting them at appropriate places under downspouts, you will find that you can collect a fair amount of water. You will either want to create a system or move the barrels once they’re full (which may mean going outside in the middle of a rainstorm), as having them sitting near your house (under downspouts), can allow large amounts of water overflow to be pooling next to your house, and you don’t want the water to go in the foundation. Many rain barrels that you can purchase have fittings to connect a hose, so this will be very useful. Also another word of advice is to use a cover on your barrels, to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your water and for keeping debris out. The cover will also prevent evaporation.
Connect a few water barrels together, as that will enable you to collect a lot more water. One important thing is to wash your roof and gutter from debris, as they can contaminate the rainwater or divert it, and if you want to prevent this sort of thing on an ongoing basis, you can buy a water filter and install it in the gutter, as this will get rid of the impurities. If you want to save a lot more water, you might want to go for a water tank. These tanks come in all sizes, materials and prices. Before deciding on a tank you should make sure to do a proper research on the different options so you can buy one that fits your needs.
Because rainwater can be used in many different ways, it is very useful to have a tank where you can store water on an ongoing basis. You can use rainwater for your garden, since the water will be more pure and have fewer chemicals than the water that you get from the city, and you may also want to use the rainwater for drinking ( although you would need to purify it), washing clothes, flushing the toilet, and watering your lawn or indoor plants.
With many new regulations and limitations about the usage of city water (especially during the summer), getting a water collecting system makes sense. If you spend a lot of money on water anyway, a great way to reduce these costs is to get a water harvesting system. In your research, you will likely find every price possible. However, if you go with a basic system for starters, it won’t cost you a lot of money, the savings will be more than welcome, and will likely pay for the costs associated with building your rainwater collection system in a relatively short amount of time.
2 Responses to “Rain Barrels: How To Save And Use Rain Water”
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I currently live in Mexico and am building myself a small retirement house in a pueblo, trying to get off the grid. I built a cistern and have collected rainwater for two years (we have substantial rainfall from June through September) off the roof of my barn, and plan to do the same off my house roof when it’s finished. I’ve had enough water to do all the construction. It’s exciting!
Interesting thought. Collecting your rain seems so obvious – why haven’t we all thought of that before?
Jeanne Reslan
http://www.ecolabelfundraising.com