Rain Barrels...

[Evan!]

Installed!

Stupid fuggin city and their ever-increasing water rates can lick my nuts! I win! Maybe you wouldn't have to keep raising the rates if you weren't wasting our damn money on crap like solar-powered flashing lights embedded in the road at crosswalks.

 

[Revvy]

Wow....How many gallons?

If the whole water collecting thing doesn't pan out, it looks like you got a couple of huge fermenters to play with.

Looks cool!

 

[Brew-Happy]

Fantastic upgrade!!!

BTW, does your state have any program to offset the cost of those barrels??? I remember Texas did a few years ago.

Hmm Rain barrel brew?!?!

 

[Evan!]

50 gals each, food grade...you can still smell the olives at 10 feet away.

 

[david_42]

I've got a 2000 gallon water tank that I don't bother using and a well, ditto. Since there's no rain in the summer, the tank is only good for a couple weeks and the well runs dry by June (I'm on the top of a ridge).

80% of my monthly water bill is the meter charge. The monthly water fee is typically less than the cost of a pint.

One of the guys in HoV has huge water tanks (10,000 g). He pumps water from the swamp (AKA back yard) all winter and waters the garden in the summer.

 

[Evan!]

Fantastic upgrade!!!

BTW, does your state have any program to offset the cost of those barrels??? I remember Texas did a few years ago.

Hmm Rain barrel brew?!?!

The state doesn't, but the city council is supposed to vote on a rebate program tonight, which should pass. I paid $60 ea., because they're not in perfect aesthetic condition (though, that was fixed with a good rub of mineral oil); the same company (The Rain Barrel Company) sells the "pretty" ones on Amazon for $115. The proposed rebate would ostensibly be $30 ea for up to 2 barrels.

 

[flyangler18]

So badass, dude. I've wanted to do this for a while now - time to go huntin' for some barrels.

 

[JVD_X]

The state doesn't, but the city council is supposed to vote on a rebate program tonight, which should pass. I paid $60 ea., because they're not in perfect aesthetic condition (though, that was fixed with a good rub of mineral oil); the same company (The Rain Barrel Company) sells the "pretty" ones on Amazon for $115. The proposed rebate would ostensibly be $30 ea for up to 2 barrels.

Evan - where did you get those? My wife and I were just starting to look... $60 is a great price for those. I was going to look at plastic 55 gallon drums from US Plastics...

 

[Bobby_M]

I've been wanting to do this for a while. So you plan to just fill watering cans from them? I was thinking about intalling a submersible pump with a garden hose fitting. However, my veggie and hop garden are a little lower than the rest of the property so I could use gravity.

 

[conpewter]

Some states get very stupid about water barrels, and won't let you have them.

Anyway what have you done to channel the water away from the house if your barrels fill up?

Edit: http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2009/03/03/collect-rain-in-a-barrel-go-to-jail-rain-barrels-illegal-in-colorado/

 

[Evan!]

Evan - where did you get those? My wife and I were just starting to look... $60 is a great price for those. I was going to look at plastic 55 gallon drums from US Plastics...

The company is out of Raleigh, NC. They delivered them to my door, no delivery charge. They said that they were on their way up to DC, so you'd be on their delivery route. This is where I found them. Shoot her an email, they're probably making another run tomorrow.

I've been wanting to do this for a while. So you plan to just fill watering cans from them? I was thinking about intalling a submersible pump with a garden hose fitting. However, my veggie and hop garden are a little lower than the rest of the property so I could use gravity.

Yeah, right now, it's pretty much just watering cans, since it's at a low spot. I might try a pump at some point, though.

Some states get very stupid about water barrels, and won't let you have them.

Anyway what have you done to channel the water away from the house if your barrels fill up?

Edit: » Collect Rain in a Barrel, Go to Jail. Rain Barrels Illegal in Colorado Dvorak Uncensored: General interest observations and true web-log.

I just have a hose that splashes onto the patio, which is what the downspout was doing before this anyway.

 

[Evan!]

Some states get very stupid about water barrels, and won't let you have them.

Edit: » Collect Rain in a Barrel, Go to Jail. Rain Barrels Illegal in Colorado Dvorak Uncensored: General interest observations and true web-log.

Yeah, I knew that a bunch of states have a nice scam going whereby they won't let you capture your water, because they need to be able to sell it back to you from the watershed and collect their precious tariff. What I didn't know until clicking your link was this:

Additionally, any and all water that comes from tap may only be used once. “Denver water customers are not permitted to take their bath or laundry water (commonly referred to as gray water) and dump it on their outdoor plants or garden.”

Holy fokkety fokk! You'll have to pry my gray water from my cold, dead hands!

 

[Brew-Happy]

Yeah, I knew that a bunch of states have a nice scam going whereby they won't let you capture your water, because they need to be able to sell it back to you from the watershed and collect their precious tariff. What I didn't know until clicking your link was this:



Holy fokkety fokk! You'll have to pry my gray water from my cold, dead hands!

That is just plain ridiculous!!! "We as a state do not want our citizens to be concerned about our water resources, we want your $$$$" (My paraphrasing) Absurd!

 

[flyangler18]

Score. Just found a CL posting for a dude selling food grade 55 gallon plastic barrels for $10.

 

[conpewter]

Score. Just found a CL posting for a dude selling food grade 55 gallon plastic barrels for $10.

I got mine on craigslist as well. I just want to make it look nicer though. Maybe I'll do some of the kyrolon paint this year, or build a little privacy fence area. I'd debated burying it and just having a submersible pump in it...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Evan: Everytime I see a rain barrel from now on, I'll be reminded of how you're sticking it to the man.

 

[The Pol]

We considered rain barrels last year, but in retrospect, they wont matter. We go through about 800 gals a day in the summer, so 110 gallons of rain water wont make a difference. Grass gets thirsty...

 

[TeufelBrew]

Sadly, I tried to do this in Parker CO. Some busybody, nosy a$$ bastage looked over a fence before I got everything buried and hidden. Friendly local police sargeant paid me a courtesy visit and said I had to remove them or I would be fined and could face other problems.

I was going to bury them at all my backyard downspouts and pump the water out as needed for lawn and garden.


Western states water laws are JACKED UP!

 

[MrShake]

We put in 4 55gallon barrels at our house. Got them from Freecycle, an local guy gives them away a couple of times a year. So we can currently collect just over 200 gallons of water.... that fills after only about half a good rain storm and then we run timers and soakerhoses to the garden. Worked REALLY well this year. Had 1 barrel separated for just the hops on their own soaker.

 

[imaguitargod]

Some states get very stupid about water barrels, and won't let you have them.

+1. I think it's because of a few reasons:
1. It's taking money away from them.
2. You could theoretically drink the stuff which would mean that you arn't drinking their flyorinated stuff and thus screwing up many plans they've had in place for a long time.
3. You're showing independance from the system and they also don't like that.

I'm seriously thinking of installing one of these this year.

 

[Big10Seaner]

More people need to do this. There are so many uses for gray water.

 

[Brew-Happy]

Researching about Texas information on water collecting and other fun projects, I came across this website: DIY Water Projects -- Catching it, saving it, treating i, ... Thought I would pass it on.


I will be updating this post as I come across more info. I think we could use a water reclamation thread with pics and local ordinances. Plus, add in opportunities from CL for barrels and such.

 

[Kittyfeet]

Awesome rain barrels!

A guy over here in Corvallis, OR offers a rain water collection class through the local co-op at no charge. I went to it a few months ago and it was awesome. The instructor talked about how to calculate barrel size (I forgot the calculation, but I could my notes if anyone is interested), different methods to collect rain water, a few grey water systems, and lots more.

I'm going to get me some barrels whenever I buy a house (I rent now). It's gonna be awesome...

 

[Homercidal]

I seen a huge frikkin stack of white barrels (and other colors) at this place south of where I live. I think they were like $5 each. I have been thinking about collecting water form my garage roof and and watering the garden in the summer. Probably would take a few to do it, but they wouldn't take long to fill either. Excess can drain behind the garage into the ditch between our yards.

 

[Kittyfeet]

I've heard that white barrels are more prone to algae because they let in a fair amount of sunlight. Maybe try for some other colors, or paint them a different color?

 

[XXguy]

Colorado Water Law requires that precipitation fall to the ground, run off and into the river of the watershed where it fell. Because rights to water are legally allocated in this state, an individual may not capture and use water to which he/she does not have a right.

What a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo... What if something like a roof or a tree gets in the way of the rain water hitting the ground? If you collect rainwater in a barrel, you're still going to eventually release it into the watershed, unless you're packing up your water & trucking it across the continental divide. It's all just a matter of timing. I mean, rain gutters divert & channel the water off your roof, delaying the time from when the rain drop actually hit your roof, until it is deposited onto the ground. What if your rain gutter system is just over-sized & happens to delay it for a few hours, weeks, or months instead of just a few seconds??

Do they limit the size & capacity of peoples gutter systems and downspouts too in Colorado?

 

[TrannyRock]

Does this remind anyone else of Dr. Strangelove? Do you make cocktails with the rainwater and pure grain alcohol?

 

[imaguitargod]

Does this remind anyone else of Dr. Strangelove? Do you make cocktails with the rainwater and pure grain alcohol?

OHOHOH!!! Someone should make a brew with rain water!

 

[Austin_]

What a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo... What if something like a roof or a tree gets in the way of the rain water hitting the ground? If you collect rainwater in a barrel, you're still going to eventually release it into the watershed, unless you're packing up your water & trucking it across the continental divide. It's all just a matter of timing. I mean, rain gutters divert & channel the water off your roof, delaying the time from when the rain drop actually hit your roof, until it is deposited onto the ground. What if your rain gutter system is just over-sized & happens to delay it for a few hours, weeks, or months instead of just a few seconds??

Do they limit the size & capacity of peoples gutter systems and downspouts too in Colorado?

And something tells me that the same municipality requires developments construct large retention/detention ponds to reduce peak stormwater volumes. Hypocricy.

A little heads up for everyone. Check with your local and state governments to see what kinds of incentives they have for installing rain barrels. I know in some cities they give them away and others, as Evan mentioned, have pretty significant rebates and tax credits. We spec cisterns for projects all the time. They're great. We have a commercial development coming up soon with a two 10,000 gallon cisterns being installed to handle 85% of irrigation needs. Couple that with pervious pavement, stormwater planters, and constructed wetlands and we're looking at a 93% reduction in overall stormwater runoff when compared to a traditional development of that size. I'm a stormwater dork. This stuff gets me excited. It's what I do all day.

 

[GreenwoodRover]

I'm not as well versed as LSU but I did have a few classes as part of me Civil E.
In most of the developments I dealt with in CO I don't remember them having any Detention/retention ponds.
In states near the Mississippi there is only really one watershed the Mighty Miss. In western and desert states IIRC you can sometimes have multiple watersheds on a 10acre parcel, based on which way the ground slopes. In dry states watershed management is a HUGE deal, although I wouldn't imagine a rain barrell would affect it that much, but I would bet in some states it would take an awfully long time to fill one and the water sitting there is essentially chocking our the "natural" percolation to aquifiers and such. If everyone had one there would be water riots.

Sweet barrels evan. What's the mechanism for switching them? do you just move the spout over, or did you gt fancy with a float....

 

[Duckfoot]

I have one that a friend picked up for me... Sadly, she had the spigot installed about a foot up from the bottom so there always water just sitting there in it...

Time to install another spigot...

 

[cellardoor]

I have one that a friend picked up for me... Sadly, she had the spigot installed about a foot up from the bottom so there always water just sitting there in it...

Time to install another spigot...

Have you learned nothing from brewing? That problem begs for a diptube and a piece of hose on the spigot to keep the water flowing.

 

[pen25]

join the two together so as one fills they both fill. use a 4" joint.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Jesus H Roosevelt Christ $60 each? I got two 55 gallon barrels that used to have teriyaki sauce in them for 12.50 a piece! I need to get to hooking those up to my gutterspouts.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I use my fish pond as a rain barrel. I have a spigot plumbed into my waterfall pump installation so I can attach a hose for watering the garden. The garage roof fills the pond back up for me. It always gives me a glow of smugness getting free water.

I also have a spigot in the garage on that pump installaition. I could use it to run my IC (but I don't yet) My IC water also goes into the pond for storage. Of course, when the weather gets dry I will have to top it up from the hose sometimes.

I still have a spare 55 gallon drum that I may install somewhere. I've held on to an old dustbin lid that fits it perfectly for a mosquito blocker.

 

[Evan!]

Jesus H Roosevelt Christ $60 each? I got two 55 gallon barrels that used to have teriyaki sauce in them for 12.50 a piece! I need to get to hooking those up to my gutterspouts.

It's not a bad price for something that comes pre-outfitted with the spigot, overflow outlet and screened top. And delivered to my door.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Ah I see. I have just the barrel, and that's it. I still need to buy the spigots, screen to keep the skeeters out, and work out something for overflow.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Sadly, I tried to do this in Parker CO. Some busybody, nosy a$$ bastage looked over a fence before I got everything buried and hidden. Friendly local police sargeant paid me a courtesy visit and said I had to remove them or I would be fined and could face other problems.

I was going to bury them at all my backyard downspouts and pump the water out as needed for lawn and garden.


Western states water laws are JACKED UP!

I would have kept them stashed in the garage.

Next I would have bought six kiddie pools and put them in my backyard. Then say what the fark you gonna do now?

I'd have six submersible pumps with hoses going to the drums.

 

[alex_wilkosz]

as an architecture grad student it is awesome to see you all interested in this use of "grey water" i currently am working on a project with a flat green roof to grow vegetables through hydroponic water uses to quickly grow vegetables. the excess water not used in the system and that goes through the system is then being entered into my grey water system to use in toilets, and industrial sinks, then the rest of it is being used in my air conditioning system to use the water as a cooling option.

 

[TxBrew]

We have a pretty nice rain collection system. We also store our washing machine water and dishwasher as we use biodegradable soap then use that water with a soaker for the yard. If I built a house water consumption would be a big part of it. Using rain water to fill the toilets and collecting shower and sink water to use for yard purposes. Just have to use biodegradable soap and keep it away from the garden.