Got Rain Barrel Questions?
Do you have burning questions about using or installing rain barrels that we haven’t answered?
Let us know, so that we can improve this site!
Leave us a comment with your question, and we’ll do our best to answer it for you. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll look it up!
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been using an oak wine barrel to collect rainwater since last Fall. This Spring, the water in the barrel (which I filter through coarse gravel) smells terrible. Can I use chemicals to clean it up without endangering the plants I’m watering? If so, what chemicals should I use/or any other cleaning suggestions.
Thanks!
@BarklieZ,
Bleach will help with this problem.
I recommend just a few tablespoons full of bleach at a time. This should help!
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/emerg.html
Should green water in a rain barrel be treated? Is it harmful?
Not knowing what you mean by green water I can only assume you mean water that has algae in it. If so then you should drain the barrel and clean it with vinegar and water.
If you mean just water which has come off your roof then it’s not necessary to treat the water if used to water your plants or garden. You should never drink water from your rain barrel.
Do I need to clean the inside of the rainbarrel?
If so, how?
What kind of paint lasts/stays on the outside if I wanted to decorate it?
Nancy,
If the barrel is new and was not used store anything prior to you obtaining it then no, it’s typically not needed. However if the barrel was used to hold pepper or pickles, etc you way want to wash it out with water. Over time the smell will subside.
Remember if the barrel was used to hold a chemical or toxin it should not be used as a rain barrel.
If the barrel has mold in it, you can use vinegar and water to clean it out.
As for painting the barrel, check the label on the paint to be sure it will adhere to plastic, assuming you have a plastic barrel.
How can I safely kill mosquito larve from my rain barrell and still use the water for plants? Thank-you
@DEBI,
Mosquito dunks will kill the larva and not harm the water.
Here is a link to a few options.
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/mosquito1.html
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/mosquitodunks.html
How do I prevent algae from growing in my rain barrel? But I would still like to be able to use the water in my gardening.
Mary,
Keeping your barrel out of the sun and or painting it a dark color will help prevent algae from growing. Also, make sure you have a screen to keep out bugs, leaves and other garbage out.
Using mosquito dunks will help some as well, plus it will keep larva from growing. Occasionally you may need to wipe the inside out with bleach; this will also help prevent algae from growing. Bleach is safe as long as you use only a few spoons full. http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/emerg.html
why not just put downspout in top of barrel sealed up. why open and with a screen on top?
@Patty Meadors, Fitting the downspout into the barrel is one option; however you will not be able to screen out the debris coming down from the roof. A screen helps keep out leaves, bugs, etc. Many people use the downspout diverter like this one; this allows water to continue down your downspout once the barrel is full.
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/gawadoat.html
hello,
we are looking into putting in a rain barrel. we would like to install one with a small pump so we can use a garden
hose and water anywhere in our yard. i found some pumps at the hardware store that are used in the plastic yard ponds. how many gph would be enough for gardening purposes. a 50ft hose will probably cover most of what we will be watering.
thanks,
Raymond
@Raymond,
We suggest a pump that pumps at around 5 to 10 gallons per minute. Any where in between should be suitable.
Here is a link to a quality pump so you can compare:
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/electric-water-pump.html
I have recently planted a school garden in a site used privously for a garden. There is no water source…..rainbarrel! The roof is flat and no gutters – what do I do to collect water for the waterbarrel?
@Jane Sweet, Even though the roof is flat, it still has to drain. Either check to see where the majority of the water falls and put some gutters there, or have gutters installed all around. Either way, capture as much as possible and this will help with your lack of water.
a burning question. I have a cabin in the woods that has electricity but no running water. I want to be able to shower so… I recently connected a rainbarrel to a downspount on one side of my roof and put a submersible sump pump in the bottom of the rain barrel with a hose that leaves the pump and connects to a shower head and stall inside my cabin so i can take a shower( albeit a cold one) i put screen filters in the downspout an d in the gutter. i plug the sump pump in and the water comes out of the shower head nicely . however , shouldnt i have some kind of filter or chemical in the rainbarrel as it is beginning to smell after a month or so i noticed as the shower runs. the rainbarrel is covered but doesnt water get stagnant in the rain barrel . i only go there on weekneds for the summer and the water is sitting in the rainbarrel for a long period . what kind of filter or additive should i add to my rain barrel or what kind of filter should i use so that the water that i shower with doesnt smell or harm me. thankyou.
@Laura
The EPA recommends using bleach to treat water for drinking, so I’m sure it would be safe for showering. I don’t think you’d need to treat it to drinking water levels, so it probably wouldn’t require as much bleach.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/emerg.html
I also found this interesting link, but I can’t vouch for accuracy.
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/better-than-bleach-use-calcium-hypochlorite-to-disinfect-water/
I want to use my rain barrel to water my lawn. What is best to increase the pressuse so I can use the water through my sprinkler? A pump of some kind? Does anyone have any experience with this?
@John,
The best way to increase water pressure is to raise the height of the barrel, however to water a lawn with a sprinkler you will not be able to raise it high enough. You can use a water pump like this one, (http://www.cleanairgardening.com/electric-water-pump.html) however unless you have a rather large rain barrel or multiple barrels linked together I doubt you will have enough water. The best use of a rain barrel is to water flowers and shrubs around the house.
I hope this info helps.