The GutterBrush Blog

All of this rain gives you an opportunity to give your garden a nice hearty drink without chipping away at your efforts to conserve water and save money. Maybe it is time you consider a rain barrel and begin collecting the runoff from your gutters that would otherwise go to waste and even hurt your landscaping and cause leaking around foundations?

Although any old 55-gallon drum or keg will do, there’s no reason to litter your yard with these unsightly relics. Instead, give your local water department a call because many towns and municipalities now offer water barrels free of charge to local residents in an effort to increase sustainability and decrease public water supply usage. Those that don’t often hold workshops on other ways to conserve water, or offer incentives to citizens willing to secure barrels on their own.

If you are into DIY projects you can even make your own rain collection system  for very short money. Just be sure you correctly position them underneath your gutters’ downspouts to maximize the collection of runoff during the next rainfall. But remember, even if you filter it first, the water you collect is better suited for drenching thirsty garden than satisfying a thirsty throat.

If you’d rather just buy a rain barrel, there are some really neat ones available online at www.aquabarrel.com

Good luck!

Collecting water from the sky to be used on the ground.

Rain barrels

Residential water use increases 40 to 50% during summer months due to outdoor water use. Stormwater runoff is the leading type of residential non-point source pollution.

What is a rain barrel?

A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from rooftops to use later for lawn and garden watering.

Water collected in a rain barrel would normally pour off your roof directly or flow through gutterbrush and roof gutter downspouts and become stormwater runoff.

Depending on your yard, this runoff can travel onto paved surfaces and eventually into a storm drain.

54 gallon, green plastic rain barrel with screened cover and outlet hose. Also comes with overflow hose and linking kit to connect a set of two.

Why Use Rain Barrels?

• Rain barrels conserve water and help lower costs (a rain barrel can save approximately 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months).
• Rain barrels reduce water pollution by reducing stormwater runoff, which can contain pollutants like sediment, oil, grease, bacteria and nutrients.
• Rain barrels are inexpensive and easy to build and install.

A rain barrel can be used to save water for plants during dry periods. Rain barrels can also be arranged to slowly release the collected rain fall to areas that can soak up the water, reducing stormwater runoff and increasing groundwater recharge.

Operation and Maintenance
Rain barrels should be drained and removed for the winter months to prevent ice damage. It is recommended that you remove the existing downspout and elbow intact and store for reinstallation in the late fall. You can then add another downspout section that will need to be custom cut to an appropriate height above your rain barrel. Two, connected downspout elbows (forming an S shape) or hinged extension should sit about two inches above the rain barrel inlet hole. Fine mesh screen should be used to cover any openings in the rain barrel to prevent mosquitoes and to trap debris. Rain barrels can be installed upon blocks or wooden crate to provide height for gravity flow purposes.

Where to purchase?
Ready-made rain barrels range from $89 to $135 each depending on size, style and added features. For local suppliers, inquire at your local home and garden supply store, garden center, nursery, or hardware store.

You can also do an internet search on rain barrels and gutterbrush.