Harvest rain water by using a rain barrel
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by: georgewonderman
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Word Count: 593
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 Time: 4:31 PM
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The popularity of rain barrel is growing everyday. All you need to do to harvest rain water is to divert the flow of rain water from your roof to the rain barrel. Studies have found that in the recent past many families from across the US and Europe have actively participated in rain water harvesting by installing rain barrel. They use the water for their lawn and other activities like car wash
There was a recent news story stating that a venture capitalist firm was experimenting with the idea of turning rain water into clean drinking water by installing a hygienic rain barrel system with a Reverse Osmosis water purifier fitted in it. If this system is installed in a large building, the water can not only be used for drinking but the rejected water from the RO system can also be used for washing the building or in the toilet flush tanks. Unlike the traditional rain barrel system that collects the rain water and stores it in a tank, this system will provide clean and safe drinking water that is comparable with packaged water. The idea is still fairly new but if available commercially in cities and nations where water is scarce, it will catch up fast.
It is a practice in quite a few US cities, when there is no rain for a couple of months, that the city council asks its residents to stop wasting water on gardens and lawns. Harvested rain water can be used for the same during this period. Depending on the size a rain barrel can save up to 1000 gallons of water if there is enough rain. Not just a good rainy season, you also need to properly mark areas where water flows from your roof to collect the most you can. Pipes from these marked areas should be led directly into the rain barrel.
You can buy a rain barrel or make an inexpensive one right at home by using material lying around. For a basic rain barrel, all you need is a tank and some garden hoses to collect and direct the water into the rain barrel. When you are setting up your rain barrel, make sure you have it raised slightly above the ground level by using bricks, cinder or wood. Also, make sure you have the height of your downspouts raised slightly above the level of the drum. Have your downspouts hoisted above the level of the drum too. Another thing you need to ensure is to keep debris and leaves out of the drum, this can be achieved simply by adding a filter on top of the inlet. To draw water from the rain barrel you can install a tap at the bottom or have a large lid on the top.
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More articles about rain barrels, goto palmettorainbarrels.com.
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