Last week a reader asked me “How do rain barrels work?” and I thought that was an excellent question to answer in a post.
A rain barrel is a container used to capture and store rainwater. Rain barrels have been around for a long time, but they have become very trendy over the past few years. You can find rain barrels for sale at home improvement stores, garden centers and online. Many people have also made their own rain barrel out of anything from a small whiskey barrel to large food grade containers.
Rain Barrel
Rain barrels are usually set up so that the water runoff from the gutters of a house, garage, shed or other structure is directed into the barrel. Most rain barrels have a large opening in the top or side of the barrel to allow the water to run in from the downspout. Each time it rains, the rain barrel will be filled with rainwater from the downspout. Then the water will sit in the barrel until it’s ready to be used.
Screen Covering Hole In Rain Barrel
Related Post: How To Set Up A Rain Barrel
It’s amazing how fast a rain barrel will fill up with very little rainfall. Most rain barrels have an overflow valve near the top where the excess rainwater will drain out when the barrel is full, but when there is a heavy rainfall, excess water can bubble over the top of the barrel rather than out the release valve.
Rain Barrel Overflow
Rain barrels don’t come with a pump, so water pressure will occur naturally. I use concrete blocks to elevate my rain barrels, which not only makes it easier to fill watering cans, but also allows gravity to help with water pressure. Even so, the water won’t be able to flow uphill.
Also, the farther away you run the hose from your rain barrel, the slower the water pressure will be. The weight of the water also helps with water pressure, so the more water that’s in the barrel, the faster the water will come out of the barrel.
Rain Barrel Elevated With Hose Attached
Rainwater can be used for many things. I use it mainly for watering my potted plants and keeping my ponds and water features full during the summer. Rainwater is also great for watering the garden and filling up wash buckets to use for washing windows or the car.
Related Post: Benefits Of Rain Barrels
Do you have a rain barrel? Leave a comment below and tell me how you use the rainwater you collect.
Hello,
I have a rain barrel and fully submersible pump and I was wondering if I can leave the pump in the rain barrel when not in use as it takes me a while to dig out the pump and hose and I feel it could be easier if I just left the pump in, as I cant find any instructions to say I can or I can’t I am asking for your help.
Thank you for your time
Joann
Hi Joann,
If it’s submersible, I think you could leave it in there all the time for sure. I leave my pumps in my ponds all the time. As long as it doesn’t freeze to the bottom in the winter, your pump will be fine.
Amy
We have two barrels!
Awesome! 🙂
My ideal rainwater collector would be one of those big square tanks in the metal mesh and hold about 250 gallons. Unfortunately, I don’t have the space or a fork truck to move it around. What I did do was take 3 40 gallon garbage cans and line them up by the downspout. I took a length of rigid PVC and drilled holes about 4 inches down from the top and then put the PVC in the hole in one barrel and into the hole of the next barrel. They act as overflow valves. A good rain will fill all 3 and then some. I did have a rain barrel under a down spout for awhile and I was happy. It wasn’t until we got covered gutters that I realized just how much rain I was missing out on. They work great and I’ve got water that our local DPW can’t charge me for.
Wonderful, I love the creative alternative you came up with. Sounds great!
I currently have five rain barrels all located 10 feet above ground. Since I am in a two story house the roof gutters are all on the second story roof line and easily fill the rain barrels. This provides lots of water pressure for my whole garden.
WOW, that’s awesome! Do you have to take them down to winterize them?
We have very mild winters here in Washington state, so I just leave the drain valve open all winter and the water drains out into my yard which has very sandy soil. When my barrels fill in summer or winter I have an overflow pipe that also drains out into the yard.
We are building a similar system out in the Wildlife botanical Gardens where I volunteer.
Very cool! I have to winterize mine here in MN or they would be destroyed by the freezing cold. 🙂
Here in the UK, we use a thing called a diverter- so we cut the downpipe from the gutter, and put this device between the cut ends at about the height of the top of the rain barrel. Then a flexible pipe connects this to the rain barrel inlet. Do you use these too?
Yes, we have those here too!
My barrel is only 1/3 full so it will not run through my hose. Any suggestions?
Do you have it raised off the ground at all? As long as the water is higher than the hose, it should still come out. It will be slower than it would if the barrel was full though. Also, when mine gets really low, sometimes I need to tip the barrel towards the hose to speed up the water flow. Be careful though, cause the water can be pretty heavy. 🙂
My water will not flow through the hose. Must the rain barrell be lifted on blocks to allow gravity for the water to flow???
Yes. The rain barrel has to be elevated in order for the water to flow, and/or the entire hose has to be lower than the spigot on the barrel. The higher you elevate the barrel, the faster the water will come out of the hose.