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A do it yourself Rain Barrel

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance

rain barrel

 Since I started my gardening project this year one of the things that I wanted to take advantage of was the use of the rain water from the gutters.

Now I have been using 5 gal pails under the two gutters in the back but it is a lot of work plus you have to do it in the pouring rain which I have done but it isn't really my idea of fun especially if it is thunder and lightening out or very smart to be out in it.

Not the most efficient way or the best thing for my already hurting body. I have about (11) 5 gal buckets so when it rains I have the two buckets under the gutters that fill up and I empty them into the other 9. 

Now since I can't lift a 5 gal pail of water too far I have mostly scooped the water out of the two pails into the others with a smaller container.

One time when it was raining so hard I filled all 11 buckets in a matter of 15 minutes and then I filled the 2 watering cans, 2 mop pails and 2 trash cans. While it has saved some on the water bill.

Now just imagine the people that aren't on city water and have wells. Wells as you know can go dry.  With the heat I have watered just about every day and it takes about 1-1/2 to water everything. We haven't had a lot of rain so most of the water has come from the outside faucet and dragging a hose all over the yard to get everything.

I came across this idea which would save a lot of time, energy and strain on the body. It uses the same concept as mine but much easier, much more efficient, takes less time and cost wise it is pretty inexpensive.

You need plastic garbage cans, flexible black pipe and a few other things. Then you hook it up to your garden hose and you have free water for your garden.

rain barrel

 

 

 

The easiest to explain it is thru the video but the pictures will also give you a idea of how it works.

I saw a kit in Walmart the other day for $25 and a large sturdy trash can is probably about $10-$15. 

You need a trash can without wheels as the water will leak out and also need a heavy duty one.

Now for a large flower garden it is even better to have multiple trash cans especially depending on how much it rains. 

I will be trying this system very soon and will let you know how I make out.

 

 

 

 

Posted by

Sharon Lee

Comments (17)

Teral McDowell
Referral Patners LLC - Murphy, TX

After last year's drought homeonwners should be considering rain barrels, I know I am.

 

Jul 09, 2012 05:51 AM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Teral-That is a wise thing to do for sure.

Jul 09, 2012 06:44 AM
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

Great option for your area Sharon, I am huge fan of Rain Barrels, they make sense on so many levels...one just needs to live in an area where it actually rains during the summer months. Lol. For example, I don't think they'd work too well in Denver or New Mexico this year...


Good for you for embracing a time honored technology... :)

Jul 09, 2012 07:22 AM
Eric Proulx
RealEstate.com - Kirkland, WA

This is an awesome idea! Especially with the Washington state weather and all the rain we get over here in our wet spells. I might need a dumpster as opposed to a trash can :)

Jul 09, 2012 07:25 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Sharon,

I used to do that when we lived in Los Angeles, as the price of water was very high, and this was so handy for our garden which was huge...more than ever, it is wonderful to gather our water.  A

Jul 09, 2012 07:41 AM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

That's GREAT, Sharon. For those of us living in the arid West, it's extra important to use precious water carefully. I'm bookmarking this.

Jul 09, 2012 08:46 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Sharon

Your own rain barrel makes a lot of sense.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Jul 09, 2012 09:37 AM
Gayle Rich-Boxman Fishhawk Lake Real Estate
John L Scott Market Center - Birkenfeld, OR
"Your Local Expert!" 503-739-3843

Sharon, you always have such great advice! It is cost-effective, easy to do...perfect idea....go green, recycle--woohoo!

(who did the video?)

P.S. I'm bookmarking, too!

Jul 09, 2012 10:58 AM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Debb-I think it sure it. When it rains here it pours and the rain water just gets wasted otherwise. Some places that get little rain still should use this as whatever little rain there is wouldn't be wasted.

Eric-Then you need multiple barrels.

Alexandra-I look forward to using it. I have four rain gutters.

Lottie-It does indeed make sense. Hope if you do this it saves all the way around.

Lou-Indeed it does.

Gayle-Thank you my friend I appreciate that. I don't know the ladies name but it was uploaded by a place called Mom's worm farm. If you google it you should find it.

Jul 09, 2012 09:48 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

This is a fascinating topic Sharon. I absolutely no of no one doing this right now. Our summer with the no rain here they would have to wait again to the fall rains to set this up, but in more rainy areas it makes perfect sense.

Jul 09, 2012 11:10 PM
Robert Vegas Bob Swetz
Las Vegas, NV

Hello Sharon ... This is a great idea for many parts of the country, but Las Vegas ... well we don't have gutters or rain ;o)

FEATURED at ...

FRIENDS AT ACTIVERAIN

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Jul 10, 2012 12:52 AM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Gary-it makes even more sense with folks with wells and big gardens. Just one good rain in a dry area would be great.

Bob-You are the first place I know of that doesn't have gutters and no rain. Thank you for the feature at Friends at AR. Appreciate it.

Jul 10, 2012 03:52 AM
Mary Douglas
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO
REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Hi Sharon, this is a great idea- even a little rain over an area the size of a roof can add up to a lot of water in the bucket.  I never thought about making my own, so this is an affordable alternative!  Nice job!

Jul 12, 2012 02:54 AM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Thanks for the great video Sharon, you did a really good job and you have some very good ideas.

Personally, I would probably add a large washer on the inside and outside of the barrel where the spigot is attached, this will give you more stability when the garden hose starts to wiggle the spigot around and enlarging the hole in the plastic barrel.

I have about a dozen rain barrels around my house for my garden and have never gone through all the work to make mine look nice like you have, i just let the rain drain into the open top of the barrels (I will be adapting to your top design for mosquito control), and for draining the barrels I just use a small sump pump hooked to a garden hose that I move from one barrel to the next as I drain them.

 

Jul 13, 2012 03:53 AM
JL Boney, III
Coldwell Banker - Columbia, SC
Columbia, SC Real Estate

I have been planning on making one of these myself for some time now and have not gotten around to it just yet.

Jul 13, 2012 05:38 AM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

congratulations on being thrifty and resourceful with your rainwater.  We save our rainwater and it gets used for all our household needs.  The tank is 8,000 gallons though and no lugging required!

Jul 18, 2012 05:59 AM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Georgina-Now that is really being smart. I would love the no lugging.

Jul 18, 2012 06:38 AM