Summer is here and with summer comes the rain. Good thing too, we have been dying to try out our new rain barrel. Rain Harvesting has been around since the dawn of civilization and refers to the collection and storage of rain. The rain barrel can be filled with rainwater within a matter of minutes in a good rainstorm. When it rains just one inch, a 1,000 square foot roof area can yield 625 gallons of pure water that can be used to irrigate your garden, lawn, flowers, or wash your car. You can also purify the water and use it as high-quality drinking water. The way that people use purified water to irrigate lawns and gardens, washing cars and flush toilets is a waste of one of our most valued natural resources. Our use of water increases 40-50% in the summertime, so this is even more important in the summer months. Rain Harvesters reduce stormwater runoff which can contain pollutants such as pesticides, oil, grease, bacteria, and debris. Rain Harvesting is also perfect for areas that are prone to drought and water rationing.
How do you harvest rainwater? Simple, really. You can purchase an inexpensive rain barrel that you set up under your rain gutter. Rain barrels are easy to install and even easier to use. They come in great colors and you can almost always find one that will match the outside of your home. We recently received our rain barrel from Rain Harvest Systems and it is amazing. My husband uses it daily to water our gardens and flower beds and my son loves to use the water in the rain barrel to water his Lima beans. It has a flat back so it fits right up next to our house and matches it perfectly. The only tools that you will need to install are a hacksaw, screwdriver, and a drill. It only took my husband a few minutes to install it and it has been problem-free since.
To install, elevate the rain barrel so you can fill your watering can from the spigot, we used cinder blocks to elevate ours. Cut the bottom of your rain gutter off, so it rests just above the rain barrel. (This way the water will run directly from the gutter into the rain barrel.) You can attach a piece of an old hose to the spigot to make filling your watering can even easier and also attach another piece with a clamp to the overflow, that way any overflow can be redirected to nearby flower beds or gardens.
Visit Rain Harvest Systems and check out their complete line of Rain Harvesters. Rain Harvest LLC is there to answer any questions that you have and help you start harvesting your share of rainwater today.
Would you harvest rain?
Join the discussion and leave me your thoughts.
I have been harvesting rainwater for three seasons now. I use a galvanized water trough that is normally used to water livestock, but looks really pretty in my country garden setting and is much nicer to look at, in my opinion, than one of the plastic rain barrels. Plus, its made in the USA and not petroleum based. I save so much money on watering my garden this way. Plus its better for your plants, as rainwater is not full of as many chemicals as city water.
Hi one4earth,
That is great that you have been harvesting rain for three seasons. I love the idea of the galvanized water trough and I am a huge fan of upcycling an old item for new use. Unfortunately, we live in an HOA with major rules and regulations, so we would be unable to use a galvanized water trough or other item as a rain harvester. In our HOA everything has to look the same and be approved by the community. Also, some people may not have the time to find an item to change into a rain barrell. With that in mind, I think purchasing a rain barrell is still a great idea to collect rain water for outside use rather than use our drinking water to water outside gardens and wash our cars. Thank you for the wonderful imput.
Thank you. xo.
definitely agree! another alternative to plastic is to get a really big terra cotta or pottery pot…like the ones you would see in developments to hold trees…they hold tons of water, look gorgeous, and work really well, especially in hot climates where you would not have to move them in the winter.
Thanks for the info. We’re building a new house and I plan to harvest rainwater for our garden. I’m still deciding on the type of container.
Hi Debbiekl,
You will love it. We are loving our rain harvester.
xo.
This will be our first season harvesting water, and my only concern before I cut the downspout is…what do you do with it during the winter? Do you undo it and empty it leaving the downspout cut? Thank you!
Hi Mom of Koby-
When you cut off the downspout, keep the portion that you cut off. When winter comes, attach the removed part of the downspout back onto the top portion using a joint that you can purchase at your local hardware store. We just painted ours to match the downspout.