Saving rain

When we bought our house ten years ago, we noticed that there was a big box at one of the downspouts for collecting rain water. The previous owner had it rigged with a hose through a hole at the bottom to empty it and a hose through another hole at the top to drain off the overflow. There was also a dead lizard floating in the water (no extra charge!).

The new barrel with the drain hose attached. It holds 310 liters (about 82 US gallons).

The barrel had no lid on it, so it filled with leaves and pine needles in the fall. The debris often clogged the drain holes such that I was constantly cleaning them out. Last year, the thing started leaking, so we began shopping for a new barrel. Collecting rain water is a common thing here in the county and there are all manner and sizes of containers available, including large tanks that you can install underground with a pump system to get the water out.

The old leaky barrel. It'll get picked up for disposal next month.

Needless to say, we stayed toward the low end and got a nifty plastic barrel. It came with a spigot for drainage and a fitting lid to keep the debris out. The lid was made so that a hole could be punched in it where you can insert the downspout. Or, you can get fancy and install a valve on the downspout with a connecting pipe to the barrel so you can divert water at will to either the barrel or out onto the ground. I went with the easy solution, since I don't have the tools to cut a lead downspout.

The new barrel is now installed and is collecting water. It's good for watering the garden and houseplants, provided it rains. I'm thinking that next spring I'll get a second barrel and connect them together.