I’ve wanted rain barrels for a long time - plants do so much better with rain water than our cold and chlorinated city water. But the price of rain barrels is prohibitive - I’ve seen them for about $80 + shipping and this weekend I saw one as we drove by a Home Depot for $105. My monthly water bill is usually between $20 and $30 ( even when there weren’t watering restrictions) so I’ve never felt that the cost was justifiable - oh yeah, and I’m a cheapskate.
We’ve been under a total outdoor watering ban since last fall though, and this spring we’re going to be able to water for 25 minutes every other day, by hand with a hose fitted with a nozzle that shuts off when released, between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m. - in other words not much!
I decided it was time to try out the idea I had for a cheap-o rain barrel. I bought two 32 gallon Mighty-Tuff trash cans for $11 each, two sets of hose repair fittings for .98 each, two shutoff fittings for $1.30 each, and a tube of waterproof silicone adhesive caulk for $3. (We’re up to about $30 for both if you aren’t keeping track.) I drilled a hole near the bottom, attached the fittings, caulked everything, and attached the shutoff. Last night it rained 1/4 of an inch so I put the barrel in a heavy runoff area - we don’t have any gutters on this house - and the barrel filled up about 3/4 of the way. No leaks, no drips, and plenty of pressure to fill up a watering can.
I’m going to cover the top with screen to keep out debris and mosquitoes, move it to a less prominent location, and probably put it up on blocks so I can use gravity a bit more. I think between these and my 25 minutes every other day my gardens will be just fine.
Very cool! I think we will do this as our weekend project. We are not on a watering ban but this is a great idea for everyone. We usually use rainwater that we collect in buckets but this will be so much better and YES - a screen! Why did I not think of that! You clever girl.
Thanks Kelly!
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.
68
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…
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.
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?
“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.
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. . .
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.
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!
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!
Wow thanks! i have to do this big project for school about helping the environment and this would be a great idea since we’re short on money! thanks so much