|
Post by kitkor on Jul 5, 2008 16:06:31 GMT
I'm starting up a new outdoor bog garden and I was wondering what other people have done with rain barrels. My tap water is unacceptable and I've gotten to the point now where shuttling distilled water to home from work is getting overwhelming. I've seen some interesting and attractive rain barrels out there. The question here is if anyone has reason to worry about connecting said rain barrels up to a downspout from the home's gutter system.
I initially wavered, thinking that whatever is on the roof and in the gutter will be in the water and might not be suitable for my CPs. Thoughts? Am I over-worrying?
The roof is your garden-variety shingles and the gutters are cleaned regularly.
|
|
|
Post by marcel on Jul 5, 2008 17:08:14 GMT
Never had any problems with the quality of the rainwater from the roof, the very slight amounts of organic material won't hurt your plants. However, if you want to make double sure, take a look here: www.rainharvesting.co.uk/Go to downloads and look at the pdf of the rainpipefilters. It's a UK-site, but I am sure somebody will sell something like that in the US. Marcel
|
|
|
Post by kitkor on Jul 6, 2008 16:42:34 GMT
Thanks, marcel! I had no idea such a contraption existed. I'm not sure it's entirely necessary, but I'll look into it if I find regular downspout rainwater harms the plants.
Thanks again!
|
|
|
Post by jfowler on Jul 6, 2008 18:14:02 GMT
Hey kitkor,
Thanks for posting this query. Since we are in such a deficit of rain in the Southeast (United States), I'm considering using a rain barrel to gather water. I'm in the midst of having the gutters replaced in my vintage (built in the early 1920s) house, and I could always use some "free" water for my outdoor bog garden. However, I'm concerned whether the new gutters (and maybe even the new rain barrel) might exude some toxic contaminates, and I wonder if there is a simple (read inexpensive) test to perform on the collected water to determine if it is safe for the plants.
You might check one or more of the big box hardware stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) to see what they offer. I understand that they sell 55-gallon plastic drums that are made specifically to attach to the downspout of the gutters. It's just a simple gathering system, and it does not have pumps, etc.
Please let us know what you come up with.
Jim
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Jul 6, 2008 18:21:00 GMT
To be on the safe side with a new setup, it is advisable to dump the first lot of water collected. Thereafter, water quality should be fine. Growers on this side of the pond use rainwater almost exclusively - it's easy to collect and free.
|
|
|
Post by kitkor on Jul 7, 2008 1:37:22 GMT
Jim, I looked around in my local big box "sell everything but the home" store, but I only got funny looks when I asked if they had "rain barrels." So I checked around on froogle.com and came to the impulsive conclusion that this setup was what I needed. Relatively attractive (enough to be somewhat in the open) and a large enough volume to keep me in good supply. A bit on the expensive side, but I'm willing to spend a bit more for this. We'll get quite a bit of usage out of it. Good luck in the Southeast. You're more than welcome to the Midwest rains we've had recently. For the past week or so it's rained just about every day. Our poor local flood control dam that was built in the 1930s can't quite keep up. It's also on the top 10 nationwide list of dams that urgently need to be replaced. Thanks for the tip, Aidan. A wise bit of advice. I'm actually surprised that more people around here don't utilize rain barrels for general gardening.
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Jul 7, 2008 2:33:26 GMT
The barrels look ideal other than the somewhat bizarre positioning of the tap. You will only be able to drain 2/3 of the contents via the tap. In these here parts sonny ;D, we raise barrels (known as water butts) onto stands and taps are located as close to the base as possible, allowing near complete drainage. You can see what I mean here - www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk/barrelstyle.htm
|
|
|
Post by Not a Number on Jul 7, 2008 2:42:23 GMT
It's probably because you don't use those barrels to make hard cider or "swipe". Otherwise you'd want the mash to settle to the bottom and not clog the spout ;D
|
|
|
Post by kitkor on Jul 7, 2008 11:54:02 GMT
Aidan, I thought that was a bit odd, too. I'm sure it's not too difficult to install my own tap.
|
|
|
Post by jj1109 on Jul 8, 2008 2:55:46 GMT
over in my neck of the woods, we use wheely bins... pity the easiest way to get one is to nick it from someone down the road, we've lost a couple that way
|
|
fredg
Full Member
Posts: 367
|
Post by fredg on Jul 8, 2008 20:09:36 GMT
I don't use the tap on my butt anyway ( stop giggling at the back!), I just make sure my watering can fits inside.
Those do look a bit on the expensive side though.
|
|
|
Post by Alexis on Jul 12, 2008 12:56:57 GMT
A refuse bin, some plastic piping and some gaffer tape are all you need!
|
|
|
Post by kitkor on Jul 12, 2008 14:09:52 GMT
Alexis,
That may be easy and inexpensive, but I sincerely doubted my ability to also make it look somewhat attractive, or at the very least something that would disappear in the surroundings. The location I have to put it in is very exposed and not curb-appeal friendly. We don't live in an area with conformity brigades homeowner's associations, but we like to maintain some aesthetic appeal. We live in a fairly dense neighborhood (the neighbor's homes are within 20 feet of ours on each side) and the old ladies next door would probably complain about a home-built rain barrel. One of them already complains about our tidy compost bin!
Home-made is probably better for someone with more skill than I and more land than we have.
|
|
|
Post by DroseraBug on Jul 20, 2008 4:20:17 GMT
Just got a 65 gallon rain barrel and it serves my 7' x 5' bogs great. I have not used another source in a good while yet thankful for the rain we've had lately in NC. I'm gonna get another to total 130 gallons. See: www.rainwatersolutions.com/rainbarrels.htmlThese work similar to what Aidan was referring to in that they have a lower faucet attachment at the bottom. They actually have both a lower and upper place for spicet. I'm happy with mine and in my opinion definitely worth it for people with many plants. I got mine for $40 bucks cheaper than posted on the website so if anyone lives anywhere near Cary, NC they are cheaper downtown.
|
|
fredg
Full Member
Posts: 367
|
Post by fredg on Jul 20, 2008 12:20:57 GMT
I'm just amazed by the prices. We tend to think that things are relatively cheap in the US ( the exchange rate helps) but on these water butts it's much higher than the UK. www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/7189240120ltr for £9.99/ $20 210ltr £14.99/$30 (Out of stock)
|
|