Save Money (and Water!) With a Rain Barrel

Written by Matt Jabs - 62 Comments

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Installing a rain barrel is an excellent way to reduce runoff, keep storm water out of the municipal system, and save money. Pure rain collected from your rooftop has relatively few contaminants, and is perfect for a variety of outdoor uses.

The idea of harnessing rainwater has intrigued me for years now, but I’ve never gotten around to implementing it. That is, until a few weeks ago when I stumbled on a promotion for heavily discounted, professionally crafted rain barrels. I was smitten!

Why you should use a rain barrel

What follows is a list of some of the advantages of using a rain barrel:

  • Rainwater is free. Using rain water will reduce your water bill. If you have “city water,” you pay your municipality for supplying the water based on your usage level. If you have “well water,” you pay for the electricity to run your water pump. Rain barrels
  • Rainwater can reduce your sewer bill. Because many cities base your sewer bill on your water consumption, rain barrels can provide additional savings. In such cases, your only real alternative is to have a separate water meter installed for your outdoor spigots. A rain barrel is much, much cheaper.
  • Rainwater is natural and useful. It’s soft, free of dissolved minerals, and chlorine free. In other words, it’s great for use on your plants, garden, lawn, and for washing vehicles.
  • Rainwater usage is sustainable. Collecting rain water for use around my home is no different than the concept of harnessing wind power for electricity. Use of naturally occurring systems reduces the load on our existing infrastructure. I’m not a tree hugger, but I am interested in a more intelligent system.

Rain barrels are a simple, inexpensive, and practical way for us to save money, reduce our environmental impact, and increase our independence from established municipalities. Whether you live in the city, the country, or the suburbs, you too can use and benefit from a rainwater collection system.

Why municipalities want us to use rain barrels

Rainwater collection systems don’t just benefit individuals — they benefit local communities, as well. This is especially true in areas where storm sewers and sanitary sewers are still combined; by collecting rainwater, you can reduce the load on your local water treatment facilities.

In addition, 40% of the water that people use during the spring, summer, and fall goes into such outdoor applications as washing cars and watering lawns and gardens. As such, rain barrels can reduce demand during peak months.

Where can you get rain barrels?

Given the above, it’s not too surprising that many municipalities are selling truckloads of rain barrels with little or no markup. If you’re curious about this possibility, contact your local government to see if they’re doing something like this. I purchased 2 rain barrels for $48 apiece. At retail prices, these would’ve cost me around $150 apiece!

If you’re not as lucky as me, you still have some options:

  • Make your own rain barrels. I won’t delve into the necessary parts, tools, and instructions that you’ll need if you go this route. Instead, I’ll provide you with this links to a downloadable pdf with instructions on how to build your own. Unless you find a great deal like I did, I’d suggest going this route — the difficulty level is not very high.
  • Purchase retail rain barrels. If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, and you can’t find a deal from your local government, then check your local hardware store. Not everyone sells them, though, so you might want to call ahead to be sure they have what you’re looking for.

Closing thoughts

I’m fired up to finish the installation of my new rainwater collection system! They’re assembled and ready to go… I just need to connect them to my downspouts. I plan on finishing this project over the weekend.

Have you been kicking around the idea of installing some rain barrels for your home or business? With the many benefits outlined above, this is a great time to put your plan into action and realize the idea! Or do you already have rain barrels in place? If so, let us know how you like them.

Published on June 4th, 2009 - 62 Comments
Filed under: Frugality, House & Home
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About the author: Matt Jabs is a thirty-something IT manager and blogger who wants to help himself and others get out of debt. He writes about personal finance and debt-free living at Debt Free Adventure.

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62 Responses to “Save Money (and Water!) With a Rain Barrel”

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  1. 51
    Matty Says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am

    @Eric – good point and well put.

    I think for most of us it’s not about saving money per se, but of capturing water that may or may not eventually make it into our own water tables. Let’s call it “Pre-cycling”. (I’d like to officially coin that term, please).

    Still… I suppose I’ll eventually use that many barrels of saved water. Mine’s made out of plastic… It ain’t going anywhere anytime soon. LOL. And it’s re-purposed from a prior life of transporting bulk quantities of pickles or something around the country. So maybe in the end all I’m REALLY doing is keeping that big 55 gal. jug out of a landfill?

  2. 52
    Juggling Frogs Says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    I have the same setup as Matt Jabs, with city water with one meter.

    Last summer, when I did the calculations, the actual savings exceeded my expectations. We saved well over $20/month with just the one barrel, during the growing/planting months. This is based on comparing the usage of previous months and years, and watching the numbers before and after the use of the barrels.

    One thing that is becoming clear to me from this disucssion, is how important it is to do the calculations based on local rates, local waterfall, local weather conditions, personal needs and local government regulations.

    I’m surprised at how much this varies across the country (never mind how much it must vary across the world!)

  3. 53
    Juggling Frogs Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Another non-financial benefit of using the rainbarrels:

    We are so much more connected to the weather, now.

    I never paid much attention to trends in the weather, unless they resulted in great inconvenience or were truly glorious. Now, I watch my water levels carefully, and have a feel for monthly rainfall.

    I’m much more likely to celebrate a rainy day than I was before the rainbarrels. This has definitely increased the number of days when I cheer the weather!

  4. 54
    AstroChuck Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 9:53 am

    I have a question that I haven’t seen answered: what happens, in the event of heavy rain, once the barrels fill up? Where does the excess water go?

  5. 55
    Matt Jabs Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 9:59 am

    @AstroChuck: Good rain barrels will have an overflow which allows you several choices.

    1. daisy-chain them to other barrels to catch more rainfall.
    2. divert overflow to drainage.

    Because I don’t need much more than one barrels worth in each spot, I have a hose clamped to my barrel overflow, then place the other end directly into my drainage tile.

  6. 56
    Inquiring Minds Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 10:29 am

    If you are in Ohio:

    http://www.rainbrothers.com/ra.....index.html

  7. 57
    bas Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    @ Nic (#13) – the pressure on ours is only gravity-induced. I have 2 chained together at the back of our house – they are elevated at a foot above ground level. The garden slopes from the back of our house about 6 inches every 5 feet or so. I have soaker hoses connected to the bottom spigots of the barrels, just flip them on to water the garden. Not much pressure is needed for soaker hoses or drip irrigation, as long as the water isn’t trying to go up-hill.

  8. 58
    Rich Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    I unstalled a 60 gallow rainbarrel recently to use for watering my vegetable garden. However, the water that collects is yellow with a horrible smell. I’m told that this comes from the chemicals used in the production of the shingles on my roof and would transfer to my vegetables if I were to use it on my garden. So, I’ve been forced to disassemble the diverter from my downspout as the collected water is useless to me.

    Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could “seal” my shingles to use the collected water?

    Thanks

  9. 59
    Jen Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    My local Municipal Authority sold me a rain barrel that holds 680 pounds of water for $10. Now I just have to fill it. And I will be buying more at such a cheap price!

  10. 60
    Chris Maxwell-Gaines Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 6:57 pm

    @Jen… that comes out to be 81 gallons. 81 gallons for $10 is pretty good.

  11. 61
    Curt Says:
    July 8th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    I have four rain barrels. They’re big and green, 75 gallons, I think. They fill up quickly when it rains – not nearly often enough.

    Here’s my problem: Getting the water out of the barrels. I’m just using a hose. Down hill only at very low pressure. Good for trees and shrubs, but very time intensive. Impossible for the lawn. Any ideas?

    Also, I have them in four spots with their own down spouts for quick filling, but I’m beginning to think that it would be better for using the water if they were daisy chained. When you drain two connected barrels, do they drain at the same time or indvidually?

  12. 62
    Jeepindavis Says:
    September 1st, 2010 at 6:09 am

    First, to respond to your simpler second question ~ daisy chain-linked rain barrels should drain at the same time as long as they are properly linked at the bottom of each barrel. If they are linked together at the top of each barrel, then one will not drain into the other as you are using water. In that case in order to harness the capacity of each barrel, you’ll have to drain each from their respective drains.

    How to obtain greater pressure at the hose? Easy, raise the barrel. The higher the barrel, the greater the pressure. I have my rain barrel about four feet higher than ground level and get better pressure at my hose ~ it isn’t nearly household pressure (30psi I think) but is isn’t too bad. I am currently working on calculations that will determine the proper height I need to raise my barrel in order to obtain household pressure. I made these calculations previously with an engineer’s assistance and the results were suprising – I remember it was only about 8 ft! Although, remember water is heavy, if you are building a platform for your rain barrel, be sure your construction is sufficiently substantial to support such a great weight.

    Good Luck and happy pre-cycling!

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