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Post by daylilydude on Jun 20, 2018 6:04:55 GMT -5
Do you use these and how well has it worked for you... pictures would be a plus here?
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Post by spike on Jun 20, 2018 8:06:51 GMT -5
Now I don't want to embarrass anyone here because my rain barrel situation is rather up town! I know I know, ya'll think we are just to high class and stuff and I am about to prove that we may not totally be all Billy Bob but we are with in spittin distance!! Sawed 2 of the down spouts off (MUCH squealing of metal) about 4 foot up. Attached an extender from the spout to the fancy garbage can, waited for the rain and tossed in a skeeter dunk. BOOM POW so classy!!
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Post by farmerjack41 on Jun 20, 2018 8:35:35 GMT -5
This area only gets on the average of eight inches rain per year, so not a good supply. The real problem is the State, it is against the law to catch water coming off the roof. The State says it is their water and you can not catch it. Another example of the state being run by liberals and tree huggers.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Jun 20, 2018 11:53:59 GMT -5
We don’t usually have a shortage of rain.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 20, 2018 13:31:02 GMT -5
I have an 85 gal barrel that I catch the rain from the back half of the house, and I use it for my herb garden. It has a faucet on the bottom, and I run a double row of T-tape in the bed - that stuff requires very low pressure, and gravity is sufficient.
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Post by paulf on Jun 20, 2018 15:10:59 GMT -5
I used to have two 50 gal rain barrels with the fancy flex-a-spouts and faucets on the bottom, topped by window screen to keep out mosquitos. When I needed the water, it was so dry that not enough water was collected to do any good. Dry barrels.
The our State Extension came out with a strong suggestion that rain water collected from the roof should not be used on food plants because of the pathogens and toxins gathered from roof runoff. It became useless to continue.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 20, 2018 18:32:45 GMT -5
I love my rain barrel and I am not sure what pathogens might be on a roof. Bird poop? They poop in my garden too so that does not really concern me. My barrel is a 330 gallon food grade plastic tote and it only takes 1/4" of rain to fill it because it collects the water from the entire back of my roof. The white PVC pipe is an overflow pipe at the top of the tote to keep excess water from pooling at the house foundation. There is a spout at the bottom which I connected to a hose and then ran it on top of the grass downhill to my garden about 3 years ago. Within a few months the grass had grown over the hose and now we can mow right over it and it is not even visible. It is like the yard "ate" the hose and it stays outside all year although I do drain it. I have another hose at the garden which I use to water by hand. It is not high pressure, just gravity but it is so nice to have water right at my garden. I often use it to wash my hands. DSC00860 by Brownrexx, on Flickr 20180620_140154 by Brownrexx, on Flickr 20180620_140439 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2018 19:09:35 GMT -5
Mine is so low tech...
50 gallon plastic barrel, no lid, catches water from a small area of my porch roof, from a hole in the gutter and the overflow from that 5 ft of gutter. I wish I had more gutters and barrels, but I don't. Mosquito dunk or a dab of bleach does fine, use it to water outside or even to wash the messy dirt/yuck off before coming inside.
If I could afford it, would love a big tub in the back like Brown Rex's.
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Post by spike on Jun 20, 2018 19:13:27 GMT -5
Geez guys! Even your rain barrels are fancy! I feel like the ghetto gardener here.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 20, 2018 19:23:23 GMT -5
I started out with a 55 gallon plastic drum but it wasn't big enough to suit me and seemed to always be empty. Big totes like I have are very popular around here and I got this for $75. I am very happy with it.
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Post by paquebot on Jun 20, 2018 22:54:14 GMT -5
Two barrels, a 50 and 30. Catch everything from 2 sides of the house and 1 side of the garage. About as low-tech as one can get. Dip the water out in a 2-gallon watering can when needed.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
Favorite Vegetable:: Bambi
Joined: December 2011
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Post by stone on Jun 22, 2018 8:10:51 GMT -5
I have several plastic barrels... Like maybe 10? No rain spouts or anything... Just barrels and all the buckets I own lined up to catch rain water... Water by dipping 5 gallon bucket in barrel, carry to garden, water transplants.
Only problem.... Using the water before the mosquito larva turn into flying teeth.
Sometimes I've had to pour the water and mosquito wrigglers out... Especially if there's rain predicted.
Not concerned about bird poop and pollen... Not concerned about the asphalt shingles... Reckon most of that settles out.
I grew up using cistern water... The water off the roof went into a stone lined hole... We used it for everything.... Where I am in the bottomless sand now... Would need a liner.
On my wish list.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 22, 2018 8:18:29 GMT -5
Only problem.... Using the water before the mosquito larva turn into flying teeth. Yes, I do have a piece of screen tied around the top hole of my tote where the rain spout enters so that it does not become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
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Post by paquebot on Jun 23, 2018 0:15:08 GMT -5
If anyone has mosquito problems, wait until they are well along and add a few drops of peanut oil. Within an hour, surface will be covered with dead wigglers which would be free fertilizer. That will also prevent adults from laying eggs.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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