Rainwater harvesting has come into its own in the last few years. It’s a fun and easy way to take advantage of a free resource while helping our environment and saving on your water bill. So reduce your water usage by recycling your rainwater in this very eco-friendly way; it’s a natural way to live green.
What you’ll need:
55 gallon food grade barrel-you can find these at reasonable prices out in the country
10-12 ft piece of gutter
1 downspout
funnel
1/2 " to 3/4" spigot
hand drill
12 in. piece of rubber tubing
2-3 inch piece of screen
cinder blocks
Building a rainwater tank is easy amd requires only a few simple tools and objects anyone can afford. The principle is simple.
As rainwater flows off of your roof, it flows into the gutter attached to your roof. If your home doesn’t have gutters, visit Home Depot and buy a 10 to 12 foot section of gutter and attach it to the edge of your roof. Add a downspout, which is simply the part of the gutter leading downwards and into your barrell.
Find a 55 gallon food grade barrel; this means that it must have once been used to store food, not chemicals , as the chemical residue will be impossible to remove totally and thus will poison your rainwater.
Locate the most level ground you can for your rain barrel, and place two cinder blocks on the ground. Your barrel will sit on top of these two blocks. If you want your barrel elevated higher than this you can construct a simple rain barrel stand out of two by fours, or just simply improvise the best way you can–just remember to make it level, since the barrel will be very heavy when it fills up with water.
Remember, the higher off the ground you put your barrel, the easier it will be for the water to flow out. You can utilize the hole in the lid of the barrel to place a funnel, which will guide the rainwater from your downspout into your barrel.
Drill a 1/2" to 3/4" inch hole near the bottom of the barrell and attach a spigot to it; the spigot can also be found at Home Depot or any hardware store. When the hole is drilled, screw in your spigot and attach the rubber tubing to it to make it easier to control the flow of rainwater coming out.
Now all you have to do is wait for the first rain and your barrel begin to will fill up; it only takes a rain of about 1 inch to almost fill your barrel. When you need water for your garden or animals, simply go to your rain barrel, turn the spigot and out will come all the water you need. A regular garden hose can also be attached to your spigot to make it easier to water plants that are a distance from your rain barrel.
Rain Barrels pros and cons:
Pros:
Saves money on your water bill
Helps the environment
An inexpensive project
Something you can easily teach others
A good example for your children
Helps keep your lawn and landscaping looking great
Cons:
Water in the barrel can attract mosquitoes; a small piece of screen placed inside the hole in the top or your barrel will help
Barrel can become very heavy and be a possible safety hazard
Level ground may be hard to find
Rainwater coming off the roof may have chemicals from roofing materials used
Gutters may get clogged with leaves and prevent rainwater from collecting in the barrel
