Spent years thinking rain barrels were snake oil, my neighbor's setup last summer changed my mind

I always thought rain barrels were one of those things that sound good but don't really do much. Then my neighbor Mike (retired guy, gardens like crazy) showed me his system after that dry spell in July. He pulled out a hose from a 55 gallon barrel and watered his whole tomato patch for free, for like 3 weeks straight. Said his water bill dropped $40 a month during peak growing season. That kind of real number hit different, you know? Now I'm looking at getting a 100 gallon setup before spring. Anyone here run barrels and actually see a dent in their bill?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_flores2128d agoMost Upvoted

Mike's 55 gallon barrel probably paid for itself in one summer with that $40 a month drop. I got a pair of them hooked up to my downspouts last year and my water bill went down about $30 a month from June through August. The funny part is I forgot to close the spigot once during a heavy storm and flooded half my backyard. Looked like I was trying to start a rice paddy. Still worth it though.

anderson.gavin28d ago

Man, that rice paddy comment got me laughing because I did the EXACT same thing my first season with a rain barrel. Forgot the outlet was open during a hurricane storm and my whole hosta bed turned into a swamp for three days. Quick tip - throw a cheap ball valve on the overflow outlet too. That way if the main spigot gets left open, the overflow still dumps away from your foundation instead of running down the side of your house. Saves you from having to dig a French drain like I ended up doing.

claireo6728d ago

Did you see that YouTube video where a guy hooked up three barrels to a single downspout?