Rain Barrels

[Patti]

Does anyone have a rain barrel?

A friend of mine found some barrels for $35 each from a local food supplier.

My question is, do you block off the other drain spouts so all of the water flows down the one that you have hooked up to your barrel?

I found some water stabilizer:

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/berkey_light_big_berkey_water_filter_british_berke feld_portable_purifier.aspx

Scroll down to the bottom and you'll see the Water Storage Stabilizer.

You can also get creative and build a wire cage around your barrel and plant a climbing plant (like clematis) to disguise the rain barrel.

[OMEGA2669]

I am not 100% sure but I think rain barrels are illegal here in Colorado.

[HotGuns]

Dont need em. Got more water around here than you can shake a stick at.

[PointnClick]

I don't have one, but I did see one once that was mounted on a very sturdy shelf and bolted to the wall with metal straps, with the bottom about 4 feet off the ground. A hose ran off it and they used it for watering their flower beds.... gravity provided the flow...

[Bumper]

I'll have to look and see if I can find the article, I believe in Backwoods home, showing how to configure one.

[packinnova]

Well, I've got a bunch of the blue food grade 55gal drums that I'm planning on using here soon. I'm hoping to have them done by may at the latest so I'll try to remember to take photos as I go and post them at some point.

[farronwolf]

You should be able to find the blue industrial grade 55 gal drums that haven't had poisonous stuff in them pretty easily. They should go for about 7 to 10 buck each.

If you can find some that have only had iodine or something of that nature you will be good to go without much work. One other option are the 275 gallon totes with the aluminum case around them. Often times you can find these that can be used for potable water.

[rottkeeper]

I am not 100% sure but I think rain barrels are illegal here in Colorado.

Why would they be illegal? I've thought about putting the barrels in my basement and having a collector outside piped to them. What do you all think of that idea?

[Patti]

Why would they be illegal? I've thought about putting the barrels in my basement and having a collector outside piped to them. What do you all think of that idea?

For the same reason that it is illegal to ship a water filtration system to Kalifornia.

Kookiness on steroids.

I like your idea. Connect a hose from the gutter, through the wall, and into your barrel.

Excellent idea.

Almost forgot - you'll need water stabilizer for long term storage.

[Bumper]

Rain barrels are illegal in Colorado. It is now unlawful to collect water since you are "claiming" water that is already spoken for..... :rolleyes:

[rottkeeper]

For the same reason that it is illegal to ship a water filtration system to Kalifornia.

Kookiness on steroids.

I like your idea. Connect a hose from the gutter, through the wall, and into your barrel.

Excellent idea.

Almost forgot - you'll need water stabilizer for long term storage.

Thanks, you've solved my collector problem. The rain gutter idea is a great idea. No-one would be the wiser either.

[OMEGA2669]

Rain barrels are illegal in Colorado. It is now unlawful to collect water since you are "claiming" water that is already spoken for..... :rolleyes:

We're not even allowed to own the water that falls from the sky. =( But it's cool to bottle it and sell it to other parts of the country. I'm sure it makes sense somehow.

[Bumper]

We're not even allowed to own the water that falls from the sky. =( But it's cool to bottle it and sell it to other parts of the country. I'm sure it makes sense somehow.

I would do it anyway and challenge them. If it falls upon land that you own, it should be considered yours. I used to work at an agency that manages water rights within Arizona. It used to be a joke that if you peed on the ground in Arizona, the state then owned it. It's nutty but it's true....