Rain barrels offer a great way to store up some rain for use in watering the lawn or garden or even cleaning the car or giving water to live stock. But don’t take my word for it, listen to Lars from cleanairgardening.com.
If you thought the 50 gallon demo was sweet, wait till you see that 60 (!!!) gallon demo. Can you handle ten more gallons, can you!
All joking aside (why did they feel the need for two videos?) rain barrels really are a great way to use what nature already provides us (and use it when we want). But what if you don’t like the barrel look of your rain barrel. These rain barrel designs are for you.
For every 1000 square feet of roof space being used to capture rain you can expect to catch around 600 gallons from one inch of rain fall (at a theoretical 100% catch rate). Some larger roofs can easily be 2000+ square feet.
So thinking about saving a bit of money on your water bill, and want to get a barrel for yourself. Here are some places to buy a nice rain barrel (I in no way endorse any of these places, and you should do your research before ordering anything from any of them).
Want to do it yourself, check out instructions for a DIY rain barrel system here. (pdf)
Fantastic idea! I wonder if my husband will warm up to the idea.
I am sure you could convince the hubby to get a rain barrel. Just show him all the benefits of owning one, and he should come around.
Find an alternative to the ‘stock rain barrel design’ from recycled plastic barrels at Aquabarrel.com. DIY plans are free with lots of pictures. Parts kit and Installation Ready rain barrels are available from the online store. Plus downspout diverters and downspout filters can be found there too.
This is a great posting, and perfecting timing as spring is coming up and will be a great time for people to be setting up rain barrels. There is an organization in Wisconsin that also offers a great Rain Barrel Program, the supplies could be found at http://www.rainfordane.org. It is a really great rain barrel system and avoids the problem of becoming a breeding ground for mosquitos by making it a closed system. Also, their runover re-router fixes the problem of having water overflow your barrel, and connects the overflow to your homes usual drainage system. I encourage you all to check it out!
I liked the designs from aquabarrel too
Check out the design of the new Cascata rain barrel! I just got one and it looks fantastic in my garden!
Here’s the link to the manufacturer:
http://www.algreenproducts.com/catalogue.php?cat=Rain%20Barrel&id=81001
Here are some pictures from my garden:
http://garden-pond-accents.blogspot.com/2008/05/great-new-pictures-of-my-rain-barrel.html