If you are eco-conscious, you have probably heard talk about homeowners and businesses using rain barrels to conserve water, but did you know it can also protect your home from water damage?

If you been considering using them yourself, but still unsure of it all entails, you have come to the right place. Check out The Homeowner’s Guide on Rain Barrels (2019).

The Rain Barrel

First, it is important to know exactly what a rain barrel is. It is usually a wooden container that can be used to collect rain water. You can buy them or you can make one on your own. If you are going to make your own, check out these DIY tips from Better Homes & Garden.

It’s Crucial Role

Rain barrels play a more crucial role than you probably realize both when it comes to water conversation and protecting your home. The water you collect can be used in a lot of ways including watering the lawn, washing your car and certain other outdoor chores. Whether or not you live in a drought prone area or not, it is a good idea to conserve water whenever we can. And did you know that it can also save you money on your water bill?

When it comes to protecting your home, the benefits of using rain barrels is twofold. First, the average rooftop collects a couple hundred gallons of water for every inch of rainfall and all that storm water runoff can put a lot of pressure on our municipal systems and lead to erosion and flooding.

The other benefit of using rain barrels is that there is less water pollution. See typically rainwater will pick up chemicals as it goes through the storm sewer system. By using rain barrels, you are reducing the amount of pollutants that ultimately get to your local bodies of water.

How to Set Up and Use Your Rain Barrel

Before the next storm, place your barrel right underneath a rain gutter downspout. Make sure it can hold at least 30 gallons of water and it has a screen to catch dropping leaves and other debris and a faucet to pour out the water later.

Like mentioned earlier you can use the water you collect in the rain barrel to wash your car and windows and water your plants, but you should never drink it or use it for cooking. It is a safety precaution because you don’t know what types of pollutants are in it. Clearly label your rain barrels with a warning so kids don’t try to drink from it.

Also, don’t use the water for fruits or vegetables, especially if any chemicals were put on your roof to help keep moss at bay or if your rain gutters are made of copper.

Keep in mind that if you end up collecting more than you can use, you can dump it on the ground, just be sure that it is sunny and dry when you do it. When the ground is dry, it can better absorb the rainwater.

Another good things about rain barrels is that they require very little upkeep or maintenance. They will last you for a long time if you take good care of them. The only caveat is that if you live where it gets cold in the winter you should store them inside so they won’t crack or any water left inside freezes up.

Managing Gutters with a Rain Barrel

In order to keep your rain barrels in good working order, you also need to make sure that your gutter system is not clogged either. Debris from your gutters and downspout can get into the barrel and clogged gutters can prevent the water from running into the barrel. Clogged gutters can also cause water damage to your home.

To keep your gutters in tip top shape, you need to clean them out at least once a year and fix or replace them when they are no longer doing their job properly. Gutter guards and other gutter protection products can also help.

At Storm Master, we are experts at all things gutters including installing rain gutters and we can assist you with all of this. We have been providing gutters and gutter services like gutter installation for over 40 years now and we guarantee affordable and reliable products and services always. We also provide gutter cleaning, gutter repair and protection services.

To protect your gutters from damage and leaks, we offer a variety of products like the LeaFree, Leaf Relief and GutterRX. LeaFree keeps debris out, but allows the water to flow freely down to the ground. Leaf Relief by PlyGem adds extra support to your gutter system to reduce the normal wear and tear that occurs especially with bad weather. The GutterRX, on the other hand, completely encloses your gutters so no wildlife can get in. If the chore you hate the most is cleaning out the gutters, then these products can help reduce the amount of debris you will have to clean up.

Want to learn more about rain gutters and rain barrels and how we can help you protect your home from water damage, call us for a free estimate today.