#19 Rain Barrels

In the past we have looked at conserving water as a way to care for God’s creation, today we look more specifically at using rain barrels to help with that task.

First off, what is a rain barrel? Simply put, a rain barrel is a container that is used to collect and store rainwater. These containers typically catch the water from a roof or gutters.

How does it work?

1. You connect the downspout of a gutter from your roof to the rain barrel which allows you to collect the water.
2. You wait.
3. One day it rains.
4. Your barrel fills up with water.
5. When you need the water (to irrigate your garden or otherwise) you fill up a bucket or attach a hose to the barrel’s spicket.
6. You use the water.
7. You smile because you are saving money and caring for creation.

Is it worthwhile? In some of our greatest storms I have put out buckets to collect rainwater only to be disappointed at the yield. So can a rain barrel really catch enough water to make it worth the effort? Well, because rain barrels are collecting the water from a much greater surface area (i.e. your roof) than the barrel itself, they are actually capable of collecting great amounts of water in short amounts of time. For they reason, they are effective in even the most arid environments.

Is it affordable? While purchasing a rain barrel such as the ones we sell on the Creation Hope Store is not cheap, there are other DIY alternatives. I got a 50 gallon drum for free on Freecycle which will be DIY’d into a rain barrel (note: a rain barrel is not currently an option for me, though you can see that I will be using one as soon as I can).

Where can I learn more? Try the following resources:

http://www.glgi.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rain_barrel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_tank

Also consider:

#15 Conserving Water

World Water Day

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