Are Plastic Rain Barrels for “second use” and are they “impractical”?
Plastic Rain Barrels can be a great way of collecting and storing rain water but are they the best way?
Rainwater tanks can store much larger quantities of rain water while rain barrels can fill quite quickly and then empty again nearly as fast.
The impression most serious rainwater harvesters have of plastic rain barrels is they are not practical and they do only offer a second use. Well, I would have to agree that rain barrels do offer a “second use” but for me, it is what I would call an “important second use”. As far as rain barrels not being practical? Well, I would have to agree with this but only if they’re not set up correctly.
I’ve got two, 55 gallon plastic rain barrels that collect rain water from about half the roof area of my garage. I use these two plastic rain barrels for second use as I’m collecting rain water in much larger rainwater tanks from the remainder of my roof area. The reason why I’m using rain barrels to collect this rain water is because it is difficult for me to collect the rain water in my larger rainwater tanks because of the position of my downspout.
The alternative to me not collecting this rain water in plastic rain barrels is to just let it flow normally down the downspout and not collect it at all. This rain water for me equates to about 2000 gallons per year, so for me to collect it and store it in plastic rain barrels certainly is worth my while
So, to address the question of plastic rain barrels not being practical, there are ways you can set up your rain barrels up to maximise the rain water they collect. My two plastic rain barrels hold a combined volume of 110 gallons. To fill them both from empty takes about 0.6 inch of rainfall, so in most climates this means that your rain barrels will fill quite quickly and then overflow. It’s what happens next that decides whether your rain barrels are practical or not.
Most rain barrel installations just divert the rain water from the overflow straight back into the downspout and in some cases straight onto the ground. This to me makes these rain barrels impractical as they just fill quickly and then overflow. This is even more apparent when only using one rain barrel and means every time it receives more that 0.3 inch of rainfall the excess is wasted and if the rain barrel is already full or even half full even more rain water is wasted. Most of the 2000 gallons of rainwater that is diverted into the plastic rain barrels is lost to me forever. This unfortunately is how the majority of rain barrels are actually setup. They don’t actually store most of the rainwater that they collect. This is why some rainwater harvesters consider rain barrels to be impractical.
Therefore the question is what to do to make them practical?
It’s pretty simple really. To make your plastic rain barrels more practical and efficient, there are at least three options you can choose to implement so you can make the most of the rain water that’s directed to your rain barrels.
The first option is to install more than just one rain barrel. Obviously the more plastic rain barrels you install the more rain water you can store. Unfortunately though, many installations can be limited to just one rain barrel. Cost might be one reason as plastic rain barrels aren’t the cheapest items to purchase these days but it is also possible to make you own inexpensive plastic rain barrels from some old plastic barrels for half the price or even less. Another reason is that some downspouts only allow for the installation of just one rain barrel in some locations. This is mainly because of the type of downspout diverter used. There are some downspout diverters that do allow rain barrels to be placed some distance from the downspout in a more suitable position which allows for the instillation of multiple plastic rain barrels.
The next option is to set up the overflow so as to direct the excess rain water to your garden. As most gardeners know deep watering is much more effective than shallow watering. Therefore when your garden is receiving rainfall from the sky it’s also receiving the excess rain water from your rain barrel’s overflow at the same time. The important consideration here is that from time to time you may receive excessive rainfall. Therefore it’s best to set up your overflow so it can also redirect rain water back into the downspout if required.
Another point to consider when directing rain water to your garden is to ensure that you direct it to an area where it will soak into the ground and not just run off down a slope and become someone else’s problem.
A third option that may be available to you, if your rain barrels are a part of a larger rain water collection system, is to install a pump to the outlet of you plastic rain barrels and then transfer the excess water to your larger rain water tank.
So, plastic rain barrels can be very practical. It comes down to how you go about setting them up.
You can make your own plastic rain barrels and install several of them in series,
Direct the excess rain water from the overflow directly to your garden,
Or you can transfer the excess rain water from your plastic rain barrels to larger rain water tanks.
Download you FREE copy of How to Make a Rain Barrel and discover just how easy it is to make your very own Plastic Rain Barrels.
