Rain Harvesting
Rainwater collection with Rain Barrels
A great way to save water and money on your water bill is to build or purchase a rain barrel. A rain barrel captures rainwater, which can then be used to water plants.
Benefits of Rain Barrels
The great thing about rain barrels is that you can save some water for dry times. And because you’re not getting the water from the public water system, you can use your rain barrel to water whenever you want—including when your area is under water restrictions.
Rainwater harvesting is an attractive economical stewardship practice that does not deplete the city’s water supply. Stored rainwater is easy to use because it can be delivered without pumps and without treatment, and it does not require any energy input to collect, store and use for landscape irrigation. Harvesting rainwater benefits plants and soil as it provides a clean, salt-free source of water for plants and reduces salt buildup in the soil.
Installing a spigot on a rain barrel makes it easy to fill a watering can for hand watering plants. Your rain barrel can also be hooked up to an irrigation system. They should be made mosquito-proof with a tight-fitting lid and mesh screen. The barrels can be painted or hidden by foliage or a trellis to make them more attractive.
Rain barrels can capture a significant amount of water, and can have a very tangible effect on your water bill. Best of all, they’re fairly easy to find in stores and to make!
Rain Barrel Construction
Rain barrels are generally 50- to 80-gallon containers fitted with a fine screen to keep out leaves, insects, and other potential contaminants and a tap or small pump for distributing the water. They’re generally attached to a downspout or rain chains to capture rainwater that lands on the roof, and can range from fairly simple and cheap to pretty complex and expensive. There’s a lot of information online about building a rain barrel system for your home.
You can purchase a rain barrel from many garden centers and large home improvement centers. If you can find the container, you can modify it yourself. Use only a food-grade drum used to carry juice, pickles, etc.—be sure that has never been used to store chemicals.
Texas offers a sales tax exemption on the purchase of rainwater-harvesting equipment, which includes rainwater-harvesting equipment or supplies; water recycling and reuse equipment or supplies; or other equipment, services, or supplies used solely to reduce or eliminate water use.
How Does It Work?
Rain that lands on your roof and flows off through storm gutters and drains is funneled into the rain barrel through a hole in its lid, where the water sits until you need to use it. You fill a watering can or connect a hose through a valve near the bottom of the barrel.
For every inch of rain that falls in on 1,000 square feet of roof area, about 600 gallons of rainwater can be collected. Your roof area is equal to the total square feet of your house plus the extension of your eaves.
Of course, you won’t be able to capture every single drop that falls onto your house. Anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of the rainwater that hits your roof may be lost to evaporation, the wind, and gutter spillage. And your rain barrel could simply fill up before it stops raining! (You may want to install more than one around your house.)
How to Use Your Rain Barrel
Always keep your rain barrel covered, to keep out mosquitoes, leaves, and other intruders. Before you install it, think about how you’ll use the water in it. Will you hand water? If so, you’ll just need a tap near the bottom to fill up your watering can and you may want to elevate the barrel to more easily access the spigot. If you plan to water planting beds, you may want to set up some kind of seep irrigation system that draws water from the barrel.
Monitor your rain barrel regularly for overflow. If you’re away from home for an extended period of time, a heavy rain could cause overflow, which could possibly lead to damage to the foundation of your home or other problems. To avoid this, disconnect the downspout from the rain barrel and cover the screen on top of the barrel.
You can contact Castro County Extension office at 806.647.4115 if you have any questions.
Nancy Andersen, Ag and Natural Resources Agent,
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Castro County