Article:All about Rain Barrells

All About Rain Barrels in Central Florida

Sitting between two big bodies of water with a very defined “Rainy Season”, which brings downpours dumping between 1-4 inches in less than an hour, Central Florida is a challenging place to own and maintain a rain barrel. The following article is to help our customers make informed decisions about rain barrels. Let’s start by asking a few questions to start out.

1. Do you have a actual need for a rain barrel?

Rain Barrels are great if you have a large garden or have lot’s of potted plants that you need to water at least once or twice a week. One or two potted plants usually will not keep your barrel drained to avoid stagnation and overflow situations. Many people like using them for small planters and potted plants and soaker hoses can be used to gradually water small gardens or landscaping plants near the barrel. Gravity feed is all you will have to drain the barrel unless you also want to invest in pumps and stands to increase the height of the barrel.

2. Are they in your budget?

If you are looking for a good rain barrel with a included diverter attachment be prepared to spend a average of 1-3 hundred dollars for a basic design with some boutique barrels pushing 500 dollars. And most do not include a stand which in case you will need basic cinderblocks or pavers to elevate it high enough to drain in your watering pots or feed a soaker hose. No pumps are usually included or installation cost’s if you need a professional installer.

3. Do you have a good location to install the barrel and a good plan for use and maintenance?

Due to heavy rains and evening thunderstorms in our area your barrel should never be installed on a downspout that handles a high quantity of the drainage from your seamless gutters. Also you need to consider the location will need to be located close to your garden as most of the water will be drained into pots and carried to the plants. Sometimes you may not use all the water gathered and the barrel will have to be drained to avoid stagnation and overflow. And finally we do live in a very temperate climate here in Florida but in case of freezing temperatures the barrel will need to be emptied to avoid freezing and cracking. Still interested in finding out more? Let’s explore types of Rain Barrels and Installation methods

Types of Rain Barrels and Installation Methods

Types of rain barrels

Rain barrels can be made of plastic, ceramic, wood, stone, or metal. Choose the style of barrel that matches your houses exterior style and your preferences. In central Florida weather you need to consider UV resistant plastic if you choose this option as the suns rays here can be extra destructive. Also in beach areas such as Brevard County, where we operate, metal barrels would quickly rust in the salt air contaminating the water and rendering them ineffective rather quickly. The most available barrels that are available are usually plastic and wood.

Non commercial rain barrels can hold from a low 15 gallons all the way up to 40- 80 gallons. There are also larger commercial and industrial tanks that are not applicable to most home situations. Most barrels are a solid color so the sun can’t aid the growth of algae and other bacteria in the water and supply some kind of cover to keep mosquitos and debris at bay. Care should be taken when using on edible crops as some debris and chemicals can be in barrel water on certain types of roofs. Never drink or give your pets barrel water and water only the soil of edible plants and wash vegetables and fruits well before consuming.

Top Dump Installation

Top dump Rain Barrel

Due to the High volume rainfall in Florida we rarely have long soaking rains to be able to recommend a top dump rain barrel (See above Image) while they collect 100% of the water that means a barrel can fill and overflow within minutes causing a huge mess in the entire area. While there are things you can do to minimize this such as add overflow valves or chain one or more barrels together in our experience these solutions rarely work. If you plan to install this style of rain barrel be prepared to deal with these problems such as noise, Overflow, constant maintenance and attention especially during summer storms and rainy season. If you are still interested in this style we recommend installing it on the downspout that consistently drains the least amount of water during a rainstorm and installing in a area where erosion is not a issue such as a concrete patio or walkway that has good incline for drainage

lWater Diverter installation

Water Diverter application

Looking for a automatic way to fill your Barrel without switching a physical diverter or running outside to drain your barrel to avoid overfilling? Then a simple rain barrel diverter is the answer there are several different types to choose from but the principle is always the same once your barrel is filled the water is automatically drained out the spout. No messy overflow no effort on your part other than choosing the correct location as your downspout can channel the extra water away from the house once the barrel is filled. This is our recommended way to install a rain barrel in our area.

How it works

As shown in the diagram above the principle is always the same, using a level connection to the barrel from the spout the water is directed into the barrel until it is filled then the back pressure from the barrel causes the extra water to be directed from the barrel to the spout its a simple basic use of water pressure so no effort is needed to switch jobs. There is a few things that can interfere with this such as leaves being flushed into the spout causing the diverter to be stopped up but that is easily remedied by either buying a diverter especially designed for cleanout or adding leaf protection to the gutters to prevent the leaves from entering the system. If you purchase one of these diverters avoid the top down ones as they still have to be physically removed and capped to switch the drainage to the spout. Also check carefully to see if it includes the hose and fittings to make the connection to the rain barrel. And remember for the magic to happen you need a level connection to the barrel.

Conclusion

There are a lot of things to consider before adding a rain barrel to your gutter system. There are many advantages such as water conservation, convenient free water for your gardening needs, even a nice decorative addition to your home. Consider if you need it and if you can afford it, do your research and get the right area and installation method to fit your needs and prepare for some maintenance just as you would for your seamless gutter system. If planned and installed correctly it can be a great way to use renewable water all year long. Need help with your water barrel installation? Give us a call and we can set it up and install it for you.