Maintaining a Rain Barrel
MAINTAINING A RAIN BARREL
The water caught in your rain barrel should not be used
for human consumption unless you have used a high quality
filtration system after extracting the water from your
barrel.
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Don’t allow the water to overflow and saturate
the ground around your home’s foundation;
use an adjustable diverter or an overflow pipe,
available from stores and companies selling rain
barrels and accessories. |
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Place the barrel on cinder blocks or an outdoor
wood stand; this allows the spigot to work better. |
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Wooden rain barrels should always have at least
3-5 gallons of water in them, to keep them from
drying out and shrinking. |
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Agitate your rain barrel before using the water.
This will help prevent the build up of sediment
in the bottom of the barrel. |
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Roof top debris can enter rain barrels that are
directly connected to downspouts. It is advisable
to create or install some type of gutter guard that
keeps leaves and pine needles out of the rain barrel. |
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Empty your rain barrel no more than a week after
a rain event to prevent the water from becoming
stagnant. |
| • |
Mosquito Dunks are available in most home improvement
stores and on many Internet websites, such as abundantearth. |
A common concern is the possibility
of mosquitoes breeding in the stored water. Precautions
should be undertaken to minimize infestation. Top or side
mesh screens or plastic lids will act as a barrier to
insects, but eggs may still drop through or wash in from
the gutters. Non-toxic water treatment is a simple, proactive
approach to pest management. (MOSQUITO DUNKS are an example
of an ecological solution to mosquito control.) Mosquito
Dunks are available on many Internet websites, such as
abundantearth.
Just be sure you’re using the all-natural B.t.i.
(Bacillius thuringiensis subspecies israelensis) dunks.
B.t.i is a live bacterium that kills mosquito larvae but
is harmless to other living things.
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A Rain Barrel
Maintaining a Rain Barrel
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Rain Barrels |
