Installed JUST IN TIME - before a weekend full of thunderstorms, high winds, and record setting rainfall.
The rain barrel was easy to install. Slips rights behind our AC unit and a big bush in our landscaping, and we will be planting some climbing scarlet runner beans on a frame in front of it to make it look nice as the summer progresses.
The boys happily helped dig a spot for the base and used a level to see if we were flat. They rolled the huge barrel up into the yard...well, G rolled it "all by himself" as A tried to help and G 'accidentally' rolled him over the barrel. Ahem. They helped screw in the diverter and seal the tubing. My boys love tools, and they love that there is a huge barrel of rainwater waiting for when it is time to water the garden!
Using rain barrels decreases the demand for domestic water - residential watering can account for up to 40% of consumption in some places, and it is a good thing to have during summer water restrictions or in drought areas to keep your fruit and veggies happy. Even a small urban style yard like ours has space for one! We have been wanting to install a rain barrel for a while - I'm glad we finally cleared a spot and put one in. Now if this rain would just...stop!!!
29 comments:
How awesome! I'd love to collect rainwater. We only get 4-5 inches a year but with the sq footage of our rooftop, I'm told we could water our entire yard on what we'd collect if we had enough barrels. How long does that one barrel last in your garden watering?
~Tara
Great barrel! Do you have a filter system for it or will it be used just for outdoor water needs? We have a blue one that matches your but I haven't found a base/home area for it yet. The kids keep using it for their pirate games even though I tell them not to.
I grew up with an old fashioned rain barrel and we have one at the cabin where we vacation--both bread massive amounts of mosquitoes. Yours looks much nicer! I love washing my hair in rain water.
ooooo! very cool. also, i'm lovin' the books on your sidebar. even though we're in the middle of packing everything up, i'm still soooo tempted to order a few from amazon.jp
i have to be strong!
Hello :) Just wanted to say that I love new layout of your blog. This picture is so fresh and gives touch of spring, I love it :)
Have a great week,
Kasia
That is very cool!
What an awesome idea! I wonder if we could use a rain barrel to water our animals. We have a "back pasture" that's hard to get to where we usually keep pigs. Jake usually hauls a bucket of water out there. Even cooler would be if we rigged a rain barrel to automatically fill a bucket of water as it got depleted. Thanks for the idea!
Excellent!
Why don't I have one yet?
Wonderful way for children to be involved in proactive water consciousness.
Great post! Happy monday!-Jane
Yay for rain barrels! Now we need some cinder blocks for ours because we only are able to drain it half-way because of the slope of our yard. Must take care of that soon!
Love that beautiful barrel! ;) Evie has decided we need them on all corners of the house . . . and the garage . . . and the chicken coop. Good thing we know a guy!
Great idea and smart too!
Nice rain barrel! I'm gonna show your post to my husband tonight for we've been looking for one just like it.
Yay!!
So good!
I've wondered how much we'd get.
We live in the desert, but...
if we connected it to our back drain pipe, probably quite a bit.
Course we'd have to seriously filter it, as it gets clogged now with leaves and blossoms.
Rambling.
Yay for you guys!
I love the idea of rainbarrels! However, here in AZ our homes don't have raingutters. Can you imagine?! What a waste! Good luck with yours!
Rebecca
RootsAndWingsCo.blogspot.com
Yay! That is so great!
Love that they helped too!
Have a wonderful week :)
Love it! Well done. Thanks so much for posting it.
That rain barrel looks like it solves the problem of mosquitoes with the lid. What a great idea.
I love rain barrels! We had one at the old house and it was in constant use. Here we have water feature thing which we tend to use for general watering of the garden and it kind of does the same thing. Lovely soft water for the plants.
Did you get it from Sustain Dane? We have been shopping around to find the best quality/price.
Wonderful! That's on our to do list. Wish we had them now, as it has been raining like crazy.
Liz - YES! Sustain Dane has the biggest size for the price we have seen locally, and the closed system is nice to prevent any mosquito issues. They do also have a blue plastic option, as well as a wood type available. They often have 'specials' where you get a discount when buying at an event - we picked ours up from them at the ReStore Humanity Earth Day event.
Jen - A wants more barrels too. If only we had more space! We have one more available downspout in an 'acceptable' spot per the HOA rules, but that is the only spot for a compost bin (and it is downhill from the yard). Need to find a way to mount them vertically, not side by side! ;)
The coop is a good idea...she should see how much she can collect from there!
You are so lucky!!! Rain barrels are on my wish list for this summer! I have two (actually 4!) perfect spots for them! Cross your fingers for me!
I need to get on that soon...my uncle rigged up his own and it turned out great and collects enough water for his giant garden.
This is fantastic...team work...gotta love that too beside the water you have collected from the crazy rain!
True inspiration!
Yeah! You got yor rain barrel! Congratulations, we love the two we have, and are planning two more. Blessings.
Forget HOA! My aunt in Florida just had solar panels put in, fought her HOA and won. Apparently Florida law says that HOAs can't prevent anything to help the environment, maybe WI does too?
Fantastic!! A rain barrell is at the top of my wish list but I'm not sure if we'll be able to get one this year. I'm loving your blog and having fun catching up on older posts. My hubby went to UW-Madison, I have lots of fond memories of our early dating years there - Go Badgers!!
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