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Rain Barrels and Rain Barrel Cisterns: 5 Reasons You Should Install One

Copyright © 2012 Heather Seitz

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 24Feb2010 Word count: 558 Viewed: 237 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

* Cisterns and Rain barrels reduce storm water runoff, prevent flooding and help to reduce the peak discharge rate.

* Cisterns and Rain barrels save on water and sewer bills

* Cisterns and Rain barrels provide healthy, chemical-free water for irrigation of lawns, gardens, and trees, car washing, or other non-potable uses even during outdoor watering bans.

* Rain barrels a * Public water systems experience lower peak water demand and less stress on local water supplies.

In many communities, 30 to 50 percent of the total water used is for irrigation. Capturing rainwater for use in you landscaping makes efficient use of a valuable resource and reduces demand on your local water supply.

A prolonged drought can cause the loss of many valuable landscaping plants and prompt water rationing. Water conservation and development of alternative water supplies is necessary to meet the growing demand for fresh water.

Cisterns and Rain barrels create an alternative water supply. They allow you to capture, divert, and store rainwater for later use. They take up very little room and so can be used in very dense urban areas.

Heavy rainfall can wash pathogens from contaminated soils, farms, and streets into our drinking water supplies. Capturing rainwater can also help to prevent flooding and erosion, turning storm water problems into water supply assets by slowing runoff and allowing it to soak into the ground.

Reducing storm water runoff helps reduce contamination of surface water with sediments, fertilizers, and pesticides. Water Pollution can cause problems at a basic level by killing life that lives in water-based ecosystems.

The most common approach to roof runoff storage involves directing each downspout to a 55-gallon rain barrel. A hose is attached to a faucet at the bottom of the barrel and water is distributed by gravity pressure. Since rain barrels rely on gravity flow, they should be placed near, and slightly higher than, the point of use (whether a garden, flower bed, or lawn.) The barrels should be high enough to easily attach a garden hose to the spigot.

A plastic or metal garbage can is easily converted to a rain barrel by attaching a spigot and hose. To filter out leaves and debris, install a removable screen at the opening. This also will help prevent mosquito and algae growth. You can also hook two or more rain barrels together using through hull barbed fittings available at any marine supply store. Seal the fitting with silicone and run a section of garden hose from one barrel to the next.

A Cistern is a larger above or below ground water storage system. A more sophisticated and effective approach is to route multiple downspouts to a partially or fully buried cistern with an electric pump for distribution. Cisterns may be quite large, and shared by multiple households. Stored rain water can be used for lawn irrigation, vegetable and flower gardens, houseplants, car washing, and washing windows.

How much rain you can catch:

Rain caught (gallons) = (inches of rain) x (0.6) x (portion of building footprint in ft2)

For example, if your home's footprint is 1,400 ft2, and you want to know the amount of water that comes from a ¼ inch of rainfall the equation would look like this:

Rain caught (gallons) = (0.25) x (0. 6) x (1,400) = 210 gallons.

However, remember that storage is limited to the capacity of your system. If your rain barrel holds 50 gallons, then 160 gallons will be lost.

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