Are Rain Barrels for “second use” and are they “impractical”?
Rain Barrels are a great way of collecting and storing rainwater but they are not the best way. Rainwater tanks can store much larger quantities of rainwater while rain barrels can fill quite quickly and then empty again nearly as fast.
Rain Barrels come in all shapes and sizes.
This is the impression that most serious rainwater harvesters have of rain barrels, they are not practical and only offer a second use. Well, I would have to agree that rain barrels do offer a “second use” but for me, it is what I would call an “important second use”. As far as rain barrels not being practical? Well, I would have to agree with this but only if you don’t know how to get the most out of your rain barrel.
I’ve got two, 200 litre rain barrels that collect rainwater from about half the roof area of my garage. I use these two rain barrels for second use as I’m collecting rainwater in much larger rainwater tanks from the remainder of my roof area. The reason why I’m using rain barrels to collect this rainwater is because it is difficult for me to collect this rainwater in my larger rainwater tanks. The alternative to me not collecting this rainwater in rain barrels is to just let it flow normally down the downpipe and into the stormwater. This rainwater for me equated to about 7,500 litres (1,980 USGal) per year so for me to collect this rainwater and store it in rain barrels certainly is worth my while.
So, to address the question of rain barrels not being practical, there are ways you can set your rain barrel up so you really can maximise the rainwater it collects. My two rain barrels hold a combined volume of 400 litres (105 USGal). To fill them from empty takes 16mm (0.6inch) of rainfall, so in most climates this means that your rain barrels will fill quite quickly and then overflow. It’s what happens next that decides whether my rain barrels are practical or not.
I have four options now as to what I can do with the rainwater that is flowing from the overflow of my rain barrels.
The first option is to just let the rainwater from the overflow flow straight back into the stormwater and not collect it at all. This to me would make my rain barrels impractical as they would fill quickly and then overflow. Most of the 7,500 litres of rainwater that is diverted into these rain barrels would be lost to me forever. This is how the majority of rain barrels are actually setup. They don’t actually store the majority of the rainwater that they collect. This is why some rainwater harvesters consider rain barrels to be impractical.
My next three options now display how you can make your rain barrels practical and make the most out of the rainwater they collect.
My second option was to connect the overflow from my rain barrels to some irrigation pipe and then direct this rainwater to certain areas of my garden to soak into the soil and then slowly be used by my plants. This fits with what most gardeners already know.
Less frequent deep watering is much better that more frequent shallow watering.
This means that when it’s raining and your rain barrels are overflowing your plants are getting a double shot of rainwater. The most important thing to consider here is that your garden is landscaped so as to allow the water to soak into the soil and not drain away to become someone else’s problem or be wasted. Just remember if you do live in a high rainfall area and your rainfall is so excessive that your soil cannot cope with all this extra rainwater then if you’ve setup your rain barrels correctly you still have the first option of directing the rainwater into the stormwater if need be. This can be easily achieved by the use of a tee piece and three way tap.
The third option that you have is to connect a pump to your rain barrels and pump the water into your larger rainwater tanks. As I said before I consider my rain barrels to be second use to my larger rainwater tanks and when used in this manner they then become a very important second use. This is a very practical way you can make the most out of ALL the rainwater your rain barrels collect.
The next method is the method that I use. I’ve set up the inlet to my rain barrels in such a manner that when they are full I can divert the rainwater by gravity directly to my larger rainwater tanks without the rainwater ever collecting in my rain barrels.
This is the forth method, and the rain barrel diverter I use is one that I’ve designed myself that is very easy for any home handy man to make. In fact it cost me less than $5 AUD to make and no time at all to install. The instructions on how to go about making it are in my new eBook “How to Harvest MORE Rainwater”.
I took two old drums, placed them on a stand that I built and then enclosed them for aesthetics. These two rain barrels now collect and distribute up to 7,500 litres of rainwater per year to my garden. I thought that was just too much rainwater to let go down the drain. And the best part was that it cost me next to nothing to make.
So if you’d like to turn your impractical rain barrel into a practical rain barrel that does collect lots of rainwater, you can do it by;
- Directing the overflow into your garden so your plants can benefit,
- Pumping rainwater straight from your rain barrel into your larger rainwater tank
- Or you can divert it when your rain barrels are full directly into your larger rainwater tank as I do.
If you’d like to make a rain barrel similar to mine the instructions are in How to Make a Rain Barrel and the best part is, for a limited time I’m giving it away for FREE. Just enter your details and you can download How to Make a Rain Barrel straight away.
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