Rain Barrels Great For Water Conservation

03/20/09

There are a variety of reasons why owning rain barrels can be beneficial. Rain barrels can decrease household expenses. If you are required to pay for town water services where you live, installing a rain barrel to siphon roof run off can supplement your water usage and cause your water bill to be cheaper. Also, they lessen our environmental impact.

You may be surprised to see know how much water can be gathered with the help of rain barrels. If, for instance, you are using your roof or another similarly large surface from which to divert the run off into the barrels, it is fairly simply to calculate how many gallons of water you can expect to collect. For 1,000 square feet of roof or catching space, you can collect 600 gallons of water per one inch of rainfall. You can see using this formula that if you have a very large roof or catchment surface, you can collect quite a bit of water!

Do not forget, however, that living in a climate where there is often abundant rain will benefit more from this technology. Some places where this could be an especially useful in the United States are the Pacific NorthWest, and the Eastern coast of the United States.

Rain barrels are also wonderful in that they are environmentally friendly. Due to the fact that rain water is a renewable resource, there is no need to have a well or pump water from the ground, which can exhaust supplies and harm the environment. Also, if for some reason subterranean water tables become polluted, your home or business will not be at risk since you are obtaining your water from a different source.

Rain barrels are pretty simply designed. Four parts make up a basic barrel which are a straining device, a lid, a storage tank and a spigot or valve. The storage tank is the part of the device that most of us would think of as the rain barrel. Once your barrel is set up, water will flow from the roof or catchment into your gutters, through the strainer and into the storage tank. You can get a hose to hook up to your spout in the barrel, or you can use the valve to access the water once your tank is holding some. With just these basic parts it is easy to collect and access water for car washing, gardening, and more.

A myriad of various materials, sizes and complexities of rain barrels can be purchased. Plastic, clay and wood are three examples of materials. Often clay and wooden barrels are decorative and easy on the eyes, but can be more expensive than plastic. Storing water in clay or wood for chores like car washing can be ideal. If you are looking for a barrel that is inexpensive and has a range of uses, plastic is your best bet. However, using plastic barrels is not advisable for gardening since they can produce specific kinds of contaminants that do not mix well with plants, as a result of UV rays making contact with the water in the barrel.

Whether you are looking for a little fifteen gallon barrel for household use or a a one thousand gallon sort for industrial purposes, there are lots to choose from. No matter your needs or aesthetic preferences, rain barrels can be used to conserve both water and money.