Who uses rain barrels?

[QUOTE=woodsrunner;2913193]We have several, 5 to be exact. Two I built from 50 gallon tanks that were prototypes from a local pump factory. Those I drilled holes in the sides and connected then with barbed adaptors and hose, and put spigots through holes in the sides. Another was made from a food grade barrel and the spigot and a hose for an overflow were also put through holes drilled in the sides. The fourth is just a 55 gallon food grade barrel cut in half. That one Pelenaka got before we met.

plumbinng my Husband
Here's a link to my blog that has a good picture of one of our rainbarrel setups
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.c...h-in-hand.html

~~ Pelenaka ~~
blessed to be married to a Macgyver type Man

I have a rain collection related question. What do people do with their rain gutters in the winter, if they live in a snowy area? We have some of the plastic gutters that I take down in the fall, but still lose some of the hangers to snow and ice sliding off the roof during the winter. If I had left the gutters up, they would have been a total loss. But it is a lot of work to take down and reinstall the gutters each year.

I have about 8 of the Rubbermaid garbage containers. I drilled holes in them, screwed on splitter spigots and use washing machine hoses to connect them to each other. Each one holds 30 gallons or so, so I get storage of around 250 gallons. That is enough to water the various garden plots with soaker hoses.

I also divert the outlet from my basement sump pump into these, which means it tops up even if it is not raining. In a severe drought, the sump would not have much to empty, but after 8 years that hasn't happened yet.

I run the water from my gutters and from the foundation drains to a pond a few feet from the back door. I guess that's a great big rain barrel.

__________________
Respect The Cactus!

Everyone I know has metal gutters. They seem to do just fine throughout the winter without being taken down.

Whistler

I should have mentioned that I have used metal gutters, and they NEVER make it through a winter without being pushed off the building by ice and snow. And, they are mounted in the only position posible to catch the water from the roof. The plastic ones were tried because they could be snapped out of the hangers in the fall.

Hmm...that's kind of unusual. The only think I can think of would be to fabricate some kind of heavy duty gutter hanger -- I've never been impressed with the quality of commercially available hangers.

Good luck.

Whistler

If the hangers don't break, the snow/ice breaks the gutters.

Wow, you must have a very steeply pitched roof.

The only thing I can think of would be to fabricate gutters out of steel channel. However, if you make something that can handle to force of snow and ice and successfully attach it to your house I would be concerned about damaging the rafter tails.

Good luck.

Whistler

I use wooden whiskey barrels under my down spouts. I got them from a local distiller. They smelled so good when when I cut the tops out and drilled holes for the drain valve

__________________
Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it.

I was just reading on this today, they are not good for body consumption. The type of plastic that is used in all sizes will cause cancer. (Not like a whole doesn't these days.) I don't know if when used in the garden if the ground soaks up all the bad stuff or what. Does anyone have reseach on this?