Comments on: My cheap rain barrel-

By: Carports

Carports — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:56:58 +0000

You’re so creative! What a great idea. I love it. Especially in the spring and summer times when your garden really does need you… and water! Thanks for sharing!

By: Johnni

Johnni — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:11:12 +0000

Am so glad I came across your website. . . we bought a rain barrel through my employer (w/ spigot, downspout attachment, and overflow attachment) for about $40 - however, I can’t get anymore through my employer….we’re going to use your trash can idea, only we’ll run a hose from the first barrel to the trash can for the overflow. When we get rain here in East TN we really get rain and the first barrel fills quickly. Having the second one attached will increase our rain water collection and enable us to continue watering our vegetables & flowers w/o using the chlorinated/flouridate city water. Thanks!

By: Margaret

Margaret — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:01:26 +0000

Great idea to catch dehumidifier and air conditioner water too. By design, both of these units remove a lot of moisture in humid climates like ours. So, it just makes sense to use that distilled water for plants too. Mine is now being piped into a sump pump. I will now redirect to a storage container of some kind. Like the idea of a heavy duty trash can which should last longer indoors away from UVA and UVB light waves.

By: Helen

Helen — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:48:52 +0000

I’ve read a lot of conflicting info on this. Some sources say it is fine if your roof is not new, some say if it is not old. Some say never, others point out that gardens near houses are getting roof runoff all the time anyway. Some sources say that it depends on the kind of plants - fruits are okay but leafy greens are not.
The watering restrictions are being lifted in most of the state because we’ve had tons of rain this spring. I have not had to water at all yet so I’m using my rain barrels for other purposes right now. If I set them up again ideally I’d be able to put them by my carport which has a metal roof.
It is almost enough to make you crazy isn’t it? Because I start to wonder if roof runoff is worse than the treated city water which runs through pvc pipes. And maybe the rain barrels are leaching chemicals into the water or maybe the hoses are, and then I’m just glad it has been (acid?) raining a lot. . .

By: Jake

Jake — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:11:38 +0000

“foodstuff” you should not use it for your gardens or to drink it. I’m guessing the chemicals the asphalt shingles are made of is probably not good for you.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:29:18 +0000

I saw something during my hunt for rain barrels that mentioned having rain runoff from an asphalt shingled roof is not ok for “Foodstuff” (this is the word they used.) Anyone have any thoughts on this?

By: stormie

stormie — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:28:53 +0000

I used 32 gallon trash can to catch the water from mine air conditioner and save the water from the dehumidafier to water my plants, birdbath and such, the only thing after a two years use they split or get pin holes in them. I guess I’m not using a heavy enough trash can.

By: Emily

Emily — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:25:02 +0000

I highly recommend the screen! We had a trash can in our yard that filled with rain water by accident - it was behind the garage so we didn’t notice at first. Soon enough, the horrible smell got our attention. A rat and a possum had fallen in and drowned, and they soon were decaying and covered with maggots! Gross! Since we live in the middle of a city, it wasn’t easy to get rid of either…

By: 68stationwagon

68stationwagon — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:56:22 +0000

up north we have an option that you may want to explore as well. the city of chicago subsidizes the purchase of a decently designed barrel - to tune of $50, i believe…

not sure if your local governing body has stepped into action, but it’d be worth the time to call. and be an advocate if they haven’t.

By: Helen

Helen — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:26:17 +0000

Thanks Kelly!