Calculating Your Rainwater Collection Potential

Water is a resource that is important. Figuring out ways to harvest it will be very important. While I haven't used this yet, it looks promising as a way to help you plan things like where to situate gardens, where to place rainwater collection systems, or diverting water flows.
Teresa from Hershey
Thu, 06/23/2022 - 12:17
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I don't use our rainbarrels as much as I thought I would
We've got a rainbarrel at the front of the house and a rain-cube at the rear.
We haven't used them nearly as much as I expected, especially since I've bermed and swaled our soil AND spent years building up the soil's water-holding capacity.
They're really for watering ornamentals and food gardens. But if you don't make them easy to use, you won't use them!
You've got to be able to get a bucket underneath to carry water to where you want it.
I keep them for bad rain years when they really shine.
lathechuck
Sat, 07/09/2022 - 21:22
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Using our rainwater
We've used almost nothing else for our numerous indoor plants, and it's become obvious how the mineral deposits on soil and pot were from the anti-corrosion material put into the utility water. For the winter, I have several 5 gallon bottles that originally were used in water-coolers, for drinking, and the weather here (mid-Maryland) is rarely cold enough for long enough that they run out between refills.
I elevate my barrels on blocks or gravel pads, and get the water out with a flexible hose, which can siphon the last bits out as long as the receiving container is lower.
kma
Sat, 06/25/2022 - 11:30
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From 1 to 3 barrels
Our project for the last month has been going from 1 to 3 rain barrels. The 2 new ones are on bigger roof areas and voila! They fill up much faster than the old one.
Like Teresa, I've focused on soil building, so I don't use them for much outside some spot watering in the garden once spring has passed BUT I did want a back up way to do laundry and fill the toilet should our muni water get spotty in the next few years.
I am curious if it would be a source of drinking water after a boil and a run through the Berkey but I'm not rushing into experimenting with this.
I would also note that the price of rain barrels has gone up about $100 each since we last bought. Previously we bought a local used pickle barrel that someone had a cottage industry of turning into rainbarrels. It was $50 10 years ago. Now the local version is over $150 making it cheaper to buy one on the internet.
lathechuck
Sun, 07/10/2022 - 07:04
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Sources for DIY rain barrels
It's been at least 10-20 years since I made mine, but at the time, empty plastic barrels were available for $15 from a local soft-drink bottling plant. The barrels had held flavor syrup, so I wasn't too worried about residual contamination. The beverages are still being sold, so I assume that the barrels are still being used and available (if one knows who to ask). In my case, I had heard that the barrels were available word-of-mouth, so I called the plant, and was routed to the plant maintenance supervisor, who ran the barrel disposal operation.
Bear in mind that even 150 gal. doesn't go very far during a really dry year, but it's great for maintaining an optimal level of soil moisture during a 2-3 week spell of hot, dry weather.