Comments on: Other Safety and Maintenance Concerns

By: steve

steve — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:18:43 +0000

@Karen, With the amount of rain you receive in the Seattle area the zinc sulfate powder would likely be washed off within a few weeks, however you may want to wait a month then reconnect your rain barrel and have the water tested to be sure. I doubt after a month the concentration would harm your plants but if it gives you peace of mind have the water tested. There are other treatments for moss you may want to consider. Such as running a few copper wires across your shingles, this is an alternative to chemicals. The wire should be run every 4 to 5 feet horizontally. Something to consider.

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 22 May 2011 22:29:33 +0000

We live in Seattle and get moss growth on the roof. If we treat the roof with a zinc sulfate powder, for how long (or after how many rain events) should I wait to reconnect my rain barrel? I am of course assuming that the zinc run-off should not go into my rain barrel because the water might be toxic to my plants and veggies?
Thank you.

By: steve

steve — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:48:26 +0000

@Julie, I assume you me to purify to drink. While it is possible it’s not the best idea. Roofing material, animal droppings and other hazardous items are likely in the water. You would need to get a good filtration system to clean the water for drinking.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:20:35 +0000

How do you purify the rain water?

By: steve

steve — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:42:09 +0000

@Margaret,
While I am not familiar with a specific filtration system that fits a rain barrel, yes, you can drink the water if it has been purified.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:55:18 +0000

Can you equip the rain barrel with a filtering system so you can drink the water?

By: lars

lars — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:48:05 +0000

@spruce

I would recommend leaving the drain open when the temperature begins to dip below freezing. Although you might be okay, it’s possible that the water will expand enough when it freezes to crack your barrel, ruining it.

By: spruce

spruce — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:44:33 +0000

It gets very cold in the winter where I live. Do I need to empty my rain barrel for the winter or can I leave some water in there so I have some water in the spring? thanks

By: lars

lars — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:48:59 +0000

@mary W

You can use nontoxic mosquito dunks. These are suitable for fish ponds and horse troughs, so they won’t harm the value of the water.

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/mosquito1.html

Alternatively, you can put a goldfish in the barrel, as long as you are always going to keep enough water in the barrel to sustain the goldfish. This one is a higher maintenance kind of way to handle it, because you have the responsibility of keeping the fish healthy.

If you read the comment on the “Safe Rainwater Harvesting Catchments” page, you’ll see how a reader has described how she uses that method with a fish.

By: mary wilber

mary wilber — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:52:45 +0000

what can i put in my rain barrels to stop bacteria/mosquito larvae from forming without harming the value of the water?