Getting Free Water from Rain Barrels
Want free and chlorine-free water for your houseplants and gardening needs?
Rain barrels are on-site rainwater collection systems. Although it is growing in popularity due to support from "green" practitioners and conservationist, this is a centuries-old practice used by many cultures to collect rainwater for later consumption.
Rain barrels come with kits that are easy to install. Well-worth the initial investment, this economic method of collecting rain water allows environtemtally conscious people to significantly reduce urban runoff.
Urban runoff is source of pollution because rain water washes pesticides, petrol chemicals, and all sorts of contaminants into storm drains that flow into rivers and lakes, which then stream into reservoires and end up in our drinking water.
So long as the collected water isn't used for drinking and the barrel is built and mantained correctly in a place that receives enough rain, it provides a relatively clean, safe, and reliable source of water.
For those wanting to install a rain barrel, the roof construction materials should not be treated cedar shakes or materials containing asbestos. The gutter system should not have lead solder or lead-based paint, and bird droppings should be cleaned from gutters and the roof as needed.
For those who would like to use collected rain water for cooking and drinking, it's possible to find rain barrels that come with filtration and disinfection options.
Follow Technorati