Rain barrel water recycling

01/23/09

Who would have thought a century back that water would be a profitable product, so profitable that there would be politics and governments toppling over the issue. In India for instance, various states have moved to the Supreme Court over building dams and seeking more water. Harvesting rain water is therefore more important today than it ever was anywhere in the world and we should stop taking the availability of water for granted. It is not the matter of conducting a march or making a policy decision to make a difference, leave that to the government, you can make a difference by saving installing a rain barrel in your backyard. A rain barrel is the cheapest and easiest way to recycle rain water.

The popularity of rain barrel is growing everyday. All you need to do to harvest rain water is to divert the flow of rain water from your roof to the rain barrel. Studies have found that in the recent past many families from across the US and Europe have actively participated in rain water harvesting by installing rain barrel. They use the water for their lawn and other activities like car wash

There was a recent news story stating that a venture capitalist firm was experimenting with the idea of turning rain water into clean drinking water by installing a hygienic rain barrel system with a Reverse Osmosis water purifier fitted in it. If this system is installed in a large building, the water can not only be used for drinking but the rejected water from the RO system can also be used for washing the building or in the toilet flush tanks. Unlike the traditional rain barrel system that collects the rain water and stores it in a tank, this system will provide clean and safe drinking water that is comparable with packaged water. The idea is still fairly new but if available commercially in cities and nations where water is scarce, it will catch up fast.

In some US cities the councils ask their residents to stop using water for gardening if there is no rain for two to three months. Harvested rain water can be used for the same during this period. An inexpensive rain barrel can hold huge quantities of water, depending on the space you may have, you can save water in excess of a 1000 gallons if there is enough rain. Not just a good rainy season, you also need to properly mark areas where water flows from your roof to collect the most you can. These pipes should then lead straight into the rain barrel.

You can buy a rain barrel or make an inexpensive one right at home by using material lying around. All you need is a plastic tank, garden hose and a platform and you are ready to setup your own home built rain barrel. It is important to raise the rain barrel a little above the ground by using wood, cinder or bricks. Also, make sure you have the height of your downspouts raised slightly above the level of the drum. Have your downspouts hoisted above the level of the drum too. Another thing you need to ensure is to keep debris and leaves out of the drum, this can be achieved simply by adding a filter on top of the inlet. You can either have a lid on top of the rain barrel or install a tap on the bottom to use the collected rain water.