Reclaimed Water and the Future: Rain Barrel Systems
- Edward Phillips
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
How rain barrels work and their benefits
As the climate changes around us, one thing that will continue to transpire is more extreme weather events. A great way to prepare for these events is to use a water reclamation system to both gather water from rain, and store it for prolonged dry periods and drought.
How does one reclaim and store water? The easiest and most effective way is a rain barrel system.
In this guide, you will learn how rain barrels work, how they help, and what you can use your reclaimed water for.
How they work
Rain barrels are a fantastic way to gather rain water without needing to make any drastic changes to your yards or gardens.
This is how it works:
First, we locate an appropriate downspout on your house
Then, we level the ground and create a small staging platform to place the barrel. It is important that the
barrel is level and on a solid surface to prevent any unsteadiness that could lead to a barrel tipping over.
After the platform is installed, we place the barrel underneath or near the downspout and guide roof water into the barrels
We then connect the barrels in series so the water fills and drains in unison.
The primary outflow is then run through a pump into a garden hose so you can use your reclaimed water anywhere in your garden. A secondary outflow is also installed, so when the rain barrels are full, you can direct the overflowing water to an appropriate location.
Finally, we add a screen to the top of the barrel to prevent mosquitos from getting in!
Rain barrels are flexible too! Even if a person doesn’t have a down spout, we can install a rain chain, which channels water down its links into one spot.
Rain barrel benefits
Reclaimed water from a rain barrel system can be used for anything that you would use the water from your hose for in your garden.
Using reclaimed water has huge benefits, both economically and ecologically.
Rain barrel systems drastically reduce your water bill by not needing to be using the main water line.
Not only are you saving big with a rain barrel system, you are also helping the environment in these major ways:
Mitigate flooding
By collecting rain, you are reducing the amount of stormwater entering sewer systems and pooling on hard surfaces.
Rain water is better for plants than tap water
Chemicals added into tap water for human benefit don’t necessarily help plants. Rain water is better for plants as it avoids these extra chemicals.
Reduces soil erosion
Having less rain water flowing across your garden beds means that the soil will erode at a slower pace, allowing the soil to be healthy and last longer before needing maintenance.
Are you ready to start saving on your water bill by installing a rain barrel system?
Reach out and we can get you sorted with a fully operational rain barrel system that will give you a leg up on climate change while looking spectacular.
Sources
AI DISCLAIMER: AI was used to check grammar as well to help fact check and confirm the biological/scientific aspects of this post.
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