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Rainwater Harvesting - How to Install a Rain Barrel

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Real Estate Agent with Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 SA5376460000

Rainwater harvesting is not a new concept.  In fact, history shows us that diverting rainwater for growing crops is an ancient technology.  And saving water is important in today's drought stricken areas since water is a precious commodity.  And why use drinking water for your yard when you can use rainwater that falls from the sky?

 

This blog will show you how to install a Rain Barrel to capture rainwater to use outside your home! 

 

golden barrel cactus

 

Living in Arizona,  you get a real sense of why it's important not to use drinking water to keep outside plants alive.  It's much more important as drinking water.  With just 7" of annual rainfall on average, water is NOT plentiful from the sky.  But the good news is there are plenty of ways to manage it, and Arizona has been doing this very well for decades.  With underground aquifers, rivers, streams, and agreements with 6 other states to utilize Colorado River Water, Arizona stores and uses water wiselfy.  So my idea of saving water by using rainwater versus drinking water in my yard is a high priority and a great project for my net zero home.  And  I can reduce my monthly water bill; that's real savings with a return on investment! 

Rainwater is Scarce in the Desert

My first thoughts of adding guttering to divert rainwater was to use it for watering plants.  But I also wanted to divert the water away from the foundation of the house.   The grade of your home should be sloped so that water doesn't collect at the foundation.  You want the water to run away from your home, not stand and puddle near the foundation. 

 

So, after repairing stem walls that had eroded due to the elements for my 45 year old house, I added gutters and a rain barrel.  Read on for the process of how to install rain barrels to collect rain water! 

 

First, you need to find out if it's legal in your state before starting the process of collecting rainwater to use in your yard.   It is legal to capture rainwater in Arizona thankfully!   Some states require a permit so make sure you check your city or county as well for restrictions.

 

The second step is to locate where you'll collect rainwater from your roof.  This is vital as gutter designs must be implemented to allow spouts to be directed toward a rain barrel or whatever method you use to divert rainwater for use outside your home.  In my case, the rain barrel is on the southwest corner of my house so that I can use it in my front yard. 

 Corner Location for Rainbarrel

 

Purchasing a rain barrel that includes a predrilled hole for a spigot toward the bottom of the barrel encourages water to be drawn from the bottom of the barrel as the level of water drops with use.  So make sure to look for a rain barrel with a hole toward the bottom versus the top.   I found my rain barrel on Facebook Marketplace $40 cheaper than buying a new one on Amazon.  It easily fit in my car since one side is flat to be placed against the house.  

Rain Barrel for Rainwater harvesting

 

Sending photos to the gutter company helps them to prepare the right "elbows" in advance of their arrival.  Make sure you are available the day of the install to verify the installation.    At first, I wanted to place the barrel sideways due to the "rip rap" that is a river look in my front yard.  They discouraged this install as the flat side should be against the house for a seamless fit with the guttering.  

Rain Barrel installed

With gutters installed, I'm now ready to capture rainwater.   The rain barrel also came with a screen to keep debris out of the water so as not to clog the spigot. The xeriscape design in my front yard is ideal for using rainwater.  Xeriscape landscaping in my yard pictured below includes native plants that don't require a lot of water.  These types of plants are water saving so it's a double savings using rainwater for them.  They are a firestick cactus, red yucca, agave and golden barrel cactus.  The red yucca attracts hummingbirds!   Now, bring on the rain! 

Xeriscape Landscaping - low water use plants

 

 

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Lew Corcoran
Better Living Real Estate, LLC - East Bridgewater, MA
Expert guidance. Exceptional results.

Thank you, Jan, for sharing such valuable information on rainwater harvesting! Your insights on the importance of using rainwater in drought-prone areas and the practical steps for installation are incredibly helpful and inspiring for anyone looking to conserve water.

Aug 28, 2024 02:50 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Hi Jan,

Love your post! I have a green barrel on the side of my house that water dumps from the gutters into it. I use it to water my plants, my Geno had it put in years ago and I'm glad he did! 

Aug 28, 2024 03:43 PM
Kathy Streib

Dorie Dillard Austin TX I knew I loved Geno!!!!

Aug 28, 2024 05:38 PM
Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

Great info Jan! Some people here need rain barrels to control water erosion.  

Aug 28, 2024 04:01 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Then you know this first hand Carol Williams !  Thank you for stopping by!

Aug 28, 2024 04:08 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

You rcomments are much appreciated Lew Corcoran !  Thanks to these comments, I'm adding more content to it that was an integral part of why I did this!  Appreciate you!

Aug 28, 2024 04:08 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Good for you Dorie Dillard Austin TX .  Your Geno was smart to do that and you are still reaping the rewards!  

Aug 28, 2024 04:09 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Thanks to your comment, I'm editing my post.  I've always wanted to add this and had put it off.  But recently I noticed my stem walls eroding from the elements so I spent the $$ to repair the foundation and then added gutters specifically to divert water for plants but also to manage erosion!  Thank you for that tidbit! 

Aug 28, 2024 04:10 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Jan- I don't remember if my grandmother had a rain barrel, but she would collect rainwater for her garden.  Having a rain barrel seems like an easy and inexpensive thing to do. 

Aug 28, 2024 05:49 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

How very cool!  She knew what to do for the best garden I bet!  It is except installing guttering all around my house.  I've calculated an estimated a return on investment to take about 3 1/2 years with a modest discount on my water bill.  We shall seee!

Aug 28, 2024 07:40 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Three blocks from our home a neighbor did the same and ironically then we went into a no rain season for a year....Endre

Aug 28, 2024 09:13 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Which is probably what will happen in my yard Endre Barath, Jr. .  We've had a very dry monsoon season this year.  Fingers crossed that changes!

Aug 29, 2024 03:47 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Aug 31, 2024 06:40 PM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Oswego, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good morning Jan. Interesting! I have known people who had "Rain Barrels" for years mainly to water plants. Never had one or lived in a place where I could. Enjoy your trappings. 

Sep 01, 2024 05:12 AM
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® CRS,ABR,PSA,RCS-D, ePRO
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
Serving Coastal San Diego, Veteran's & Seniors

Great post! We installed rain barrels about 3 years ago, they've been a great way to reroute water to the gardens and save all that morning dew off the roof!

Sep 01, 2024 09:18 AM
Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty
Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS
601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

I use rain "buckets" in my yard to catch the water run-off for my 100 =/- potted plants. Soil in this area is not great so I use container gardens for my patios and porches. Free water is the bomb, and my plants prefer it. Thanks for spreading the word about the availability of rain barrels.

PS: I never thought it might be illegal to gather rain water in some states.

Sep 01, 2024 01:40 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Thank you so much Kathy Streib for featuring my post :)  Appreciate you!

Sep 03, 2024 03:49 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Trappings - great world for rainwater  Wayne Martin !  More posts to follow as I wait for it to rain!  Thank you for commenting!

Sep 03, 2024 03:50 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® CRS,ABR,PSA,RCS-D, ePRO thank you for your comment and the great photo!  Love your colors and gutter choice.  Pretty snazzy!  I wish I had morning dew to redirect! 

Sep 03, 2024 03:51 PM
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® CRS,ABR,PSA,RCS-D, ePRO

Thanks, credit goes to the previous owners: they turned our house into a true Spanish Adobe-style home and went with copper rain gutters. We just added the rain barrels and modified the downspouts to accommodate them. But thank you - we love it.

Sep 03, 2024 06:09 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

I can imagine your soil might be clay as mine ws when I lived in AL!  It's so hard to work with that dirt.  Your pots must be beautiful with all that rainwater from your buckets!  Your annual rainfall is so high, same as AL, that I bet you would flood rain barrels!  Thank you for taking the time to comment! 

Sep 03, 2024 03:53 PM
Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty
Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS
601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

I saw your post before leaving for vacation, and I'm seeing it again since Kathy Streib shared it in her weekly column. I took this pic in Hawaii because I love this system so much. Hope you enjoy.

Water Cistern

 

Sep 19, 2024 09:48 AM