1.
How much rain does it take to fill a 55 gallon Rain Barrel?
That depends
on the roof area that is being fed into the downspout you installed
your Rain Barrel under:
1" of
rain on a 1,000 sq foot roof = 625 gallons of rain water = .625
gallons per sq foot
.75" of rain on a 1,000 sq foot roof = 469 gallons of rain
water = .469 gallons per sq foot
.5" of rain on a 1,000 sq foot roof = 313 gallons of rain
water = .313 gallons per sq foot
.25" of rain on a 1,000 sq foot roof = 156 gallons of rain
water = .156 gallons per sq foot
Hypothetical
Example: A 1,000 square foot roof equally divided between 4 downspouts
would create four roof areas of 250 square feet. 1" of rain
on a 250 square foot roof area would result in 156 gallons of
rain water. .25" of rain on the same 250 square foot roof
section would result in 39 gallons of rain water.
As you can
see, even a small rain shower on a small amount of roof area can
easily fill a 55 gallon Rain Barrel. Keep this in mind when choosing
the location for your Rain Barrel. You don't need to hook it up
to the downspout that is connected to the largest span of roof,
in fact doing so could cause overflow problems during heavy downpours.
It is best to install your Rain Barrel in a location that is closest
to the plants you are wanting to water with your stored Rain Barrel
water.
2.
How can I increase the pressure of the the water coming out of the
hose I hooked up to my Rain Barrel?
Rain Barrels
are not pressurized like the water flowing through the pipes in
your home / coming out of the spigot on the side of your home.
Rain Barrels rely on the forces of gravity for the small amount
of pressure that they have naturally. By elevating your Rain Barrel
on a couple of levels of concrete blocks, you will create a pressure
effect similar to the concept of a city water tower. You will
experience the most water pressure when the barrel is at its fullest.
The water pressure will decrease as you drain the barrel.
Keep in mind
that water doesn't flow uphill. If the plants that you want to
water are in a part of your yard that is higher than your Rain
Barrel, try elevating your Rain Barrel higher with more layers
of concrete blocks. You can also use a simple electric pump to
overcome the elevation difference, or simply use your watering
can to take the water to your higher plants.
Make sure
your hose is free of kinks and unnecessary loops and bends. Also
use the shortest length of hose possible to cut down on resistance.
Be sure you are using a high quality hose that is 3/4 inch in
diameter the whole length. Cheaper garden hoses may have standard
3/4 inch connectors but the hose itself is actually only 1/2 inch
in diameter resulting in more resistance to your low pressure
Rain Barrel water. Check
out this website for more information on garden hose!
3.
What are the two white caps on the top of my Rain Barrel?
The
Prairie Rain Harvester Recycled Rain Barrel features two threaded
"bung" openings. These openings are both two inches
in diameter. One is threaded with standard pipe threads (NPS)
and the other is "Buttress" threading. You can remove
the white caps called "bungs" for easy access to clean
out your Rain Barrel with a garden hose at the end of the season.
You can also purchase a hand cranking barrel pump that would connect
to the barrel through the bung opening. Also, since one of the
openings is 2" standard pipe thread, you can plumb all sorts
of things into your Rain Barrel using 2" pipe fittings available
at your local hardware store.
A close up photo of the NPS threaded "Bung Opening"
4.
How can I link two Rain Barrels together?
First, ask
yourself, "Do I really want two Rain Barrels side by side?
Would it be more convenient to have two Rain Barrels under two
different downspouts so they both fill at the same time and are
closer to the separate planting areas I want to water?" The
majority of my customers who buy two or more Rain Barrels install
them under separate downspouts for the convenience of having their
stored rain water in various spots around thier homes.
To connect
two of my Rain Barrels together, elevate one Rain Barrel higher
than the other and then secure the overflow hose of the higher
Rain Barrel by the mesh screen of the lower Rain Barrel - so that
when the higher Rain Barrel fills and overflows, the overflow
rain water will flow into the lower Rain Barrel.
5.
How many inches does it rain in Illinois in an average year?
According
to WGN-TV Meteorologist Tom Skilling, Illinois receives an
average of 37 inches of rain fall annually. "Average precipitation
(rain plus the water equivalent of melted snow) across the lower
48 states is about 30 inches per year. If none of it evaporated,
soaked in or drained off, a 30-inch layer of water would flood
the country after one year! Louisiana, with 55 inches, is the
wettest state; Nevada, with a scant 9 inches annually, is the
driest. Illinois, with 37 inches, ranks 27th."
Click
on either of the maps below for a larger image!
6. How much does a
Rain Barrel weigh when full of rain water?
One gallon
of water weighs 8.34 pounds so if your 55 gallon Rain Barrel were
completely full it would weigh over 460 pounds. Be sure to build
a wide and study foundation when elevating your Rain Barrel. Also,
be sure to elevate your Rain Barrel BEFORE allowing it to fill
with rain water!
7. What do I do with my Rain Barrel
when it gets cold outside / in the winter?
Don't let
your Rain Barrel fill with rain water during periods of freezing
temperatures! If a full Rain Barrel freezes, the bottom of the
Rain Barrel can bow, making it unstable, or even worse, it can
split or crack, causing a leak. For winter maintenance, you have
two easy options:
- Leave the
Rain Barrel in place on its platform and connect an all-weather
garden hose to the spigot. Direct the hose to an area of your
yard that can handle the draining rain water and leave the spigot
open so that as water enters the Rain Barrel, it empties out through
the hose.
- Disconnect
your Rain Barrel and store it in a garage or garden shed for the
winter. Once you have stowed your empty Rain Barrel away, simply
take the included white "Flex Elbow" that you had directed
over the opening of your Rain Barrel and use it to connect the
piece of downspout on your house to the piece you cut off when
installing your Rain Barrel. This method restores your former
downspout system for the winter.
8.
What if I get mosquitos in my Rain Barrel?
The Prairie
Rain Harvester Recycled Rain Barrel is designed to keep mosquitos
out of your stored rainwater. If somehow you find yourself with
mosquitos in your Rain Barrel (or in your own home made Rain Barrel
/ open top trash can), you can use "MosquitoDunks" to
kill the mosquito larvae and live mosquitos. "MosquitoDunks"
are used on farms and ranches in open air watering troughs to
control mosquitos. For a Rain Barrel you will only need to use
half a dunk and it will last for a month. They float on the surface
of the water in the Rain Barrel. Check
out the official website of "MosquitoDunks" for more
info.
6
pack of Mosquito Dunks - $10 at Lowes
9.
Can I use a Rain Barrel to control stormwater runoff / divert water
away from my foundation, etc.?
Yes! Rain
Barrels are an excellent solution for controlling stormwater water
runoff. If you haven't already, check out the answer to the question
"How much rain does it take to fill a 55 gallon Rain Barrel?"
to give you an idea of the volume of water you are dealing with
when it comes to controlling stormwater runoff. It's not possible
to trap all your stormwater in a Rain Barrel, but a Rain Barrel
can help manage the deluge of rain water during a heavy rain.
Here are some helpful tips:
- Connect
a long garden hose or soaker hose to the spigot of the Rain Barrel
and leave the spigot open during rainy periods. If it's raining
a lot over many days, your plants probably don't need to be watered
with your Rain Barrel water, and if your top priority is managing
stormwater runoff, you probably aren't too concerned about saving
rain water in your Rain Barrel. By leaving the spigot open with
a long hose attached, rain water will drain out of the Rain Barrel
through the hose to a location you have selected away from your
foundation.
- A 6 foot
long overflow hose is included with each Prairie Rain Harvester
Recycled Rain Barrel. We use standard 1.25" sump pump hose
for the overflow hose. You can purchase a bag of 24 feet of sump
pump hose if you want to direct the Rain Barrel overflow water
even further away from your foundation while still maintaining
a full Rain Barrel to water your plants. You can even poke small
holes into the last few feet of the overflow hose to turn it into
a soaker hose!
- Is your
basement or crawl space sump pump discharge creating a pond in
your backyard? The 2" threaded bung openings on the top of
each Prairie Rain Harvester Recycled Rain Barrel can be adapted
to receive a 1.25" or 1.5" sump pump hose using standard
PVC pipe fittings.
10.
What kind of paint should I use to paint my Rain Barrel?
Check
out our page all about painting your Rain Barrel!
11.
What are some other ideas for helping to make my Rain Barrel blend
in with my landscaping?
- Wrap your
barrel in landscape burlap, a grass throw rug, or a bamboo yoga
mat.
- Secure plastic lattice around your Rain Barrel. You'll find
the lattice in stock at local home improvement stores in a variety
of colors!
- Use a three-sided wooden lattice screen to disguise your barrel
just like a barbecue grill!
- Wrap your Rain Barrel in chicken wire and allow your favorite
vining plants to trellis up the wire, covering your barrel in
foliage!
Yes,
there is a Rain Barrel in there!
Natural
Wood Lattice Screen - $95 at Garden's Supply
12.
Where can I get an electric pump or hand crank pump for my Rain
Barrel?
Most hardware
stores and home centers sell small electric utility pumps with
3/4" garden hose threading on both the input and output connections.
Some even include a short section of garden hose that you can
use to connect the pump to your Rain Barrel. You can even get
a pump that runs off a DC battery or a solar panel. Don't buy
an electric pump that is sold as a "Rain Barrel Pump"
- these are just a high priced utility pump! Keep in mind,
most electric pumps output at 3 or more gallons per minute, so
you could drain your 55 gallon Rain Barrel in less than 20 minutes.
Wayne
Transfer Utility Pump AC Powered - $79 at Lowes
Marine
Utility Pump 12 Volt Battery Powered - $39 at Harbor Freight Tools
The barrels
that weI recycle into Rain Barrels have two threaded openings
in the top of the barrel called "bungs." You can remove
the white cap and insert a hand operated barrel pump into this
opening. You can find barrel pumps at automotive stores like Napa
and Advance Autoparts and even at Harbor Freight Tools. Be sure
to select a Barrel Pump designed to pump water so it won't rust.
Multi-Fluid
Rotary Barrel Pump - $27 at Harbor Freight Tools
13.
I don't have a downspout where I would like to put my Rain Barrel.
Is it possible to add a downspout to my gutters?
Yes, adding
a downspout is actually a pretty simple DIY project. All the parts
you need can be found in the gutter section at your local hardware
store or home center. All you will need to do is cut a hole in
the bottom trough part of your gutter, pop in a downspout adapter,
caulk it into place so it doesn't leak, and then add your downspout.
Check
out this great article "Adding A Downspout" (with photos!)
at This Old House On-line!
14.
What are some ways to point my overflow hose away from my foundation?
You can easily
add a 1.25" metal pipe strap (available at any hardware store)
to a plastic splash block using two wood screws. This will hold
the overflow hose to the splash block. You can also use a U shaped
piece of wire or section of metal coat hanger to stake the overflow
hose to the ground.
Plastic splash block with 1.25"
pipe strap to hold the overflow hose.
