Using Rain Barrels To Collect Rainwater
01/15/09
Water shortage is a very real fact that we all unfortunately have to face up to at one time or another. It seems that we cannot get the water we need when we need it, and we find our needs far exceed the supply. One thing that may be helpful in terms of increasing the supply of water we have available to us is by installing rain barrels around our homes.
The benefits of having one or more rain barrels around the home are numerous and varied.You will be pleased to see that your plants will positively thrive with rain water, making the case for rain barrels even stronger.
You can also use rain barrels as a water source in areas of your property where there is no convenient tap around. A compost pit would greatly benefit from having rain barrels nearby for example, with the ready supply of water nearby making the task of moistening the compost a breeze. And since rainwater is typically soft and relatively free from minerals, it is ideally suited for watering plants, your garden or lawn, and even washing your cars and windows.
A more long term benefit that rain barrels provide is preventing too much water from seeping into the ground, and possibly pollute the local water table or over stress the sewer system. Rain barrels can also prevent too much water from seeping into the ground and collecting around the foundations of your home and weakening it.
Rain barrels can be made easily enough out of a number of easily available materials. Even something as simple as a barrel made out of food grade material would make a good starter rain barrel. You may also purchase a number of attachments for your rain barrels such as spigots or spouts to make it easier for you to draw off water when you need it, as well as to avoid runoff down the sides of the barrel.
You can even install two or more rain barrels around your yard and connect them with a series of pipes. This is a great way to easily increase the water that you collect with your rain barrels thereby maximizing your supply. You may find that with enough rain barrels installed around your property, you can cut your water bill by huge amount.
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