Author Archives: Master Admin

Videos by BlueBarrel Customers

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Looking for rain barrel system ideas? Welcome to BlueBarrel’s Customer Video Gallery

With BlueBarrel, customers of any experience level build professionally-designed rain barrel systems at home—and get it right the first time. The BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® is a top-to-bottom design that can be customized to your unique needs.

About the BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®

Videos by BlueBarrel’s Customers across the USA

Looking for rain barrel system ideas? See how BlueBarrel customers have customized their own BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems® for a wide range of rainwater harvesting projects.

(These videos were created independently by BlueBarrel customers. While we cannot verify every statement made in third-party content, these examples are provided to inspire ideas for your own projects.)

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CUSTOMER ACCESS: BlueBarrel’s RainKit® Installation Videos

DIY Files: How to Set Up Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation from Rain Barrels (Bubbler Emitters)

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Drip Irrigation from Rain Barrels: a How-To Guide

Watch Jesse demonstrate how to install BlueBarrel's Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation Kit with Bubbler Emitters.

Got rainwater?

Setting up drip irrigation from rain barrels is easier than you think, and can be completed in an afternoon.

If you’re looking for a gravity-fed drip irrigation system suited to your ornamental garden, bubbler emitters may be your best option. These systems allow you to place individual emitters at the base of each plant, allowing for precise control over where water is emitted from the drip line.

Each bubbler emitter can also be adjusted for flow to accommodate the water needs of individual plants. Gravity systems operate at lower pressure than municipal water systems, so emitter selection matters.

Read on to learn how to set up our Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed with Bubbler Emitters. 

(If you're irrigating veggie rows, we recommend our Inline Emitter Kit instead)

The following steps outline how to install BlueBarrel's Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed - Bubbler Emitters, and will be useful once you have the parts in-hand. If you're looking for guidance on how to plan your gravity-fed irrigation setup, including videos and a number of different gravity system types, start with our Gravity-Fed Irrigation Guide. 

Step-by-Step Guide

BlueBarrel's Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed - Bubbler Emitters

Attach filter and timer:

Step 1 – After setting up your BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System, attach a streamlined 100-micron filter to your drain valve (sold separately from our accessories menu). It screws directly on to the drain, no extra parts needed.

 Step 2 – You'll see that the filter has male threads coming off perpendicular to the drain. Attach your no-pressure irrigation timer here (if using). Timers are also sold separately, and add major convenience, allowing you to automate your irrigation cycle with frequency and run-time. Set it and forget it!

Lay out irrigation mainline:

 Step 3 – Next comes the swivel adapter. This part has a standard ¾” hose-threaded port on one end and a compression fitting for attaching ½” irrigation tubing on the other end.  Attach the threaded end of the adapter to the timer, or directly to the filter if you are not using a timer. 

Step 4 – Press the ½” irrigation tubing firmly into the compression end of the swivel adapter. Simply push and twist to seal.  

Step 5 – Design the layout for your drip irrigation system. You may wish to create connected rows, a loop, or a single line depending on the placement of your plants.  Use pipe cutters or garden shears to cut custom lengths of  ½” tubing. Run the line of tubing around the garden using ells and tees (compression fittings) as needed to create your formation. Use the stakes to secure tubing to the ground.

Step 6 – If your design is not a closed loop or if it features any offshoots, use the figure 8 fitting(s) to crimp off and secure the end(s).

Place & test bubbler emitters:

Step 7 – Now it is time to insert the bubbler emitters near each plant. Securely holding the tubing, push and twist the hand-held hole punch tool to make a hole and then insert an emitter. If you make a mistake, insert a “goof plug” into the hole and carry on! 

Step 8 – Test the system. Turn on the water and watch the magic happen! Adjust the flow of water by twisting individual emitters until each plant is happy.

set up drip irrigation filter, timer, tubing
connect filter, timer, adapter, tubing
insert tubing into compression fitting
insert tubing into compression fitting
bubbler puncher
punch bubbler emitter holes in tubing
bubbler emitter
insert and adjust bubbler emitters
drip irrigation bubbler layout
final layout of drip irrigation system
Related Post: Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation Basics
Related Post: How to Set Up Drip System with Inline Emitters

Environmental Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting + Free Webinar

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Enjoy a free webinar on this topic!

Learn the whats, whys and hows of rainwater harvesting with BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou.

(To contextualize the intro, this webinar was given live on April 21st, 2020, the eve of Earth Day's 50th anniversary, and the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic.) Click the image to play recording:

Environmental Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting in Brief

April is Earth Month. What if you could make a big difference just by installing a few rain barrels?

You've heard rainwater harvesting is good for the environment, but if you're like most of us, you can't explain exactly why.

Here are a few quick points followed by some key details for why rainwater harvesting is absolutely vital for a thriving ecology, both in your own garden, and for the global water cycle!

 

Rainwater harvesting is a great way to:

Environmental Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

  • Protect your local watershed;
  • Make your garden more resilient in the face of droughts, floods, and fire;
  • Restore the hydrologic cycle;
  • Recharge groundwater;
  • Reduce your carbon footprint;
  • Maintain healthy soils;
  • Keep your garden lush and healthy (which, in-turn, enriches habitat and helps to regulate local temperatures and precipitation);
  • Lessen the impacts of extreme wet and dry spells;
  • Mitigate impacts of climate change;
  • Utilize recycled materials (a given, if you choose BlueBarrel!)

Environmental Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting Explained

Most of us know that rainwater harvesting is good for the environment, but we need a little help articulating why. Here are five major ways you align with Earth's cycles when you capture rainwater for on-site use:

drought

1. Reduce your Draw on Stressed Systems

(Conserve Water)

Aging water infrastructure is expensive to update; and groundwater and reservoirs are often overdrawn. When you supply a portion of your own water from the rain that falls on your roof, you reduce your draw on these stressed systems.

2. Restore the Hydrologic Cycle (a.k.a Water Cycle)

(Reduce Stormwater Impacts & Recharge Groundwater)

Environmental Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

Click to enlarge image

In a natural landscape, approximately 50% of stormwater infiltrates into the ground, hydrating soils and recharging groundwater. About 40% evaporates, and only 10% runs off.

In developed landscapes, by contrast (e.g. our neighborhoods); only 15% infiltrates and a whopping 55% runs off! This is because water can't penetrate hardscape (roads, rooftops, parking lots, etc...).

When you collect rainwater to use in your garden, you reduce stormwater impacts by holding water on-site rather than letting it run off. As you release it later (when the ground is no longer saturated), you allow that water to sink back into the ground where it belongs, hydrating soils, nourishing plants, and recharging the groundwater beneath us. In other words, you restore the broken infiltration link in the hydrologic cycle.  If you've heard the mantra: Slow it, Spread it, Sink it, Store it! that's what we're talking about here (as opposed to Pump it, Pipe it, Pollute it!).

 

Stream ecosystem

3. Protect your Local Watershed

(Reduce Pollution & Erosion)

When rainwater infiltrates onsite, it is filtered naturally by the earth, and is prevented from entering storm drains and surface waters as polluted runoff. Left unmitigated, rainwater sheets off roofs and paved surfaces, collecting contaminants along the way. When stormwater runs heavy, it causes stream banks to erode as well, causing further damage to our sensitive waterways and wildlife habitat. According to the EPA, stormwater runoff is the number one source of pollution in the USA. When you Slow it, Spread it, Sink it, Store it on your site, you prevent this from happening.

 

4. Reduce your Carbon Footprint

(Mitigate Climate Change by Reducing Energy Use)
Footprints on beach

There is a strong nexus between energy and water in our modern world. In the state of California, for example, heating, treating, and transporting water accounts for over 20% of per-capita energy use! When you reduce your reliance on pumped and treated water sources, you contribute to a collective savings in energy at the same time.

Better yet, if you pair your rainwater catchment system with a user-friendly gravity-fed drip irrigation system, you don't need any electricity at all to run your irrigation.

 

5. Increase the Health of Your Garden 

Butterfly in Garden

(Enjoy Healthier Plants & Soils)

It's no coincidence that plants love rainwater better than any other water source. Not only is rain free of the salts, chemicals and minerals found in other water sources; by nature's design it has the perfect pH balance and nitrate delivery, ready for uptake by your thirsty garden.

Benefit from the beauty of a healthy plant and soil ecosystem, while the earth benefits from all that a healthy garden provides... including cleaner air, carbon sink, pollinator habitat, temperature and precipitation regulation, and more!

The Deeper Why: How Rainwater Harvesting Heals the Earth

We just threw a few biggies at you, so let's break down some of these environmental concepts a little more. What do we mean by temperature and precipitation regulation? Here's where we can really start to understand the interconnected nature of Earth's vital systems, and why carbon reductions alone do not address the deepest roots of climate change.

Have you heard of the urban heat island effect? Temperatures in urban areas are significantly warmer than in immediately surrounding natural areas because dark rooftops and pavement absorb extra heat that then radiates back into the environment. The more we vegetate our towns and cities, the more we regulate temperatures. Vegetation in urban areas also helps to improve air quality.

And precipitation regulation? Believe it or not, a lush garden will actually make rain. Get this: plants evapotranspirate, meaning they uptake water from the soils, and emit water vapor into the sky, which contributes to cloud formation. Plants also release bacteria to form "water nuclei," and these attract water molecules to form rain drops. Plants ask mother nature for a drink, and she provides. Between adding more moisture to the atmosphere and sending up water nuclei to ask for rain, a landscape of lush gardens will summon more rainfall than a parched one.

Just imagine: by tapping into the otherwise-wasted water source that comes from your roof, you can create abundance in your own backyard. If others do the same, we collectively have the power to bring vitality back to an ailing environment.

So What Are You Waiting For?

No need to imagine any longer. With a full understanding of the environmental benefits of rainwater harvesting, you can align with Mother Earth and start collecting rain today. Click here to get started!

BlueBarrel Logo - Earth Day

Customize Your Own Rain Barrel System Now!

DIY Files: Sarah Sets Up Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation from Rain Barrels (Inline Emitters)

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raised bed with drip irrigation
This garden is irrigated with gravity-fed driplines, from rain barrels!

Contributed by Sarah DePhillips

In my four years on BlueBarrel's customer service team, I fielded lots of questions about setting up a rain barrel drip irrigation system. Gravity-fed drip irrigation pairs wonderfully with rain barrels to water gardens, shrubs, and trees. If you're mystified by the irrigation component of your rain barrel setup, you are not alone! In this post, I'll walk you step-by-step through setting up our Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed with Inline Emitters. This is the emitter type we recommend for vegetable gardens, or any row-plantings with regular spacing.

(See this post for how to set up our Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed with Bubbler Emitters, which you might prefer for ornamental gardens, or any layout with irregular plant spacing.)

These steps will be useful once you have the parts in-hand. If you're looking for more general information about how to think through a gravity-fed irrigation setup, including videos and a number of different gravity system types, start here.

How to use BlueBarrel's DIY Gravity-Fed Irrigation Kit with Inline Emitters:

Step 1. After setting up your BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System, attach a 100-micron Streamlined Drip Irrigation Filter to your drain valve. Available in our online store, the filter screws directly onto the drain, no extra pieces needed. The streamlined shape of this filter does not restrict flow as much as standard irrigation filters.

Step 2. The filter has male threads coming off perpendicular to the drain. That's where you'll attach your No-Pressure Irrigation Timer (if using), or your drip line, or an extension hose. If your garden isn't right next to your barrels, you can run a garden hose to the point where you want your 1/2" irrigation line to start, or you can use the 1/2" line itself to reach the garden. As shown, I used a garden hose to span the distance between barrels and garden.

Step 3. Next comes the Swivel Adapter, included with our drip kits. This part transitions from a standard garden outlet (a hose in my case), to the poly tubing in the drip irrigation kit. Depending on your setup, this piece will either go directly onto your filter (or timer if you're using one), OR go at the "garden" end of your garden hose. This is where your 1/2" irrigation tubing will start.

Step 4. Press the included 1/2" tubing firmly into the swivel adapter. If your garden has rows, it's a good idea to run the 1/2" perpendicular to the rows. The actual rows of pre-drilled 1/4" drip-line will tee into this 1/2" main line.

Step 5. Using the Hand-Held Punch Tool in your kit, punch a hole in the 1/2" main line where you want your first 1/4" emitter-line to begin. Remove the punch and insert one of the Barbed Connectors, pushing it into the hole firmly.

Step 6. Press the 1/4" pre-drilled emitterline over the other end of the barbed connector until the connection feels snug.  Run the line the length of your garden row, staking it in place where necessary.

Step 7. At the end of your row, cut the 1/4" emitter-line. Insert a Goof Plug (included) to cap the end of the line.

Step 8. Repeat steps 5-7 for each row, or each place you want to run 1/4" emitter-line off the 1/2" mainline tubing.

Step 9. When all your rows are in place, leave a few feet of extra 1/2" tubing at the end and cut it off. (You'll need the extra length to create your crimped end.) Use the included Figure-8 End Fitting to crimp it off and secure the end.

Step 10. Turn on the water (or let your timer do that for you) and watch (and listen!) for the magic. There's nothing like the sound of drip emitters "waking up" with their first flow of water.

rain barrel drip irrigation filter
Step 1
Steps 2 & 3
Steps 2 & 3
STEP 5 (punch hole)
STEP 5 (punch hole)
Step 5 (insert barb)
Step 5 (insert barb)
Step 6
Step 6
Step 9
Step 9

Another Example Rain Barrel Drip Irrigation Setup: Raised Beds!

Additional photos provided by BlueBarrel customer Robert in Virginia.

2 barrel system
drip irrigation in raised beds
rain barrel drip irrigation
Related Post: Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation Basics
Related Post: DIY Drip Irrigation System with Bubbler Emitters

Raised Rain Barrel Foundations for Gravity-Fed Irrigation

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Need a raised rain barrel foundation for gravity-fed irrigation?

The BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® is an irrigation-ready setup, and the result of many years of R&D. We tinkered until we got it just right, so there's no guesswork for our customers—just a system that works, optimized for gravity.

Of course, as a customizable DIY kit, there is plenty of room for tailoring your BlueBarrel System to your space, and to your taste! We’ve shared plenty of creative customizations over the years. This article covers alternative rain barrel foundations for BlueBarrel Systems, including designs for raised foundations to assist with gravity-fed irrigation, submitted by our clever DIY customers all over the USA.

The Standard Rain Barrel Foundation

Firstly, the standard BlueBarrel System foundation begins with a level base. Each barrel rests on two parallel cinderblocks; the under-plumbing sits in the gap between the two rows (see diagram below).

System sketch
man with rainbarrels
BlueBarrel customer Terry set up a standard foundation for his BlueBarrel System.

Raised Rain Barrel Foundations for BlueBarrel Systems

Over time, some of our customers have come up with their own foundation adaptations, most often to elevate the system. The main reason for elevating a rain barrel is to increase head pressure for gravity-fed drip irrigation, another one of our specialties! If you want the base of your system to rest more than 16” above the ground (the height of two cinderblocks), a custom platform is your best option.

Please note a 55-gallon rain barrel weighs nearly 500 lbs. when full. While BlueBarrel loves sharing inspiration from our DIY customers, the custom foundations featured here are not our design. If you build a custom platform solution, make sure you build it to local specifications and standards, or work with a professional suited to the task! You may also want to consider how to strap rain barrels for safety.

Raised Platforms - Wood

Wood platform 1:

Thomas built individual wood frames for his purple-painted 3-barrel system in Connecticut. He began with a level gravel base. Next, he placed concrete footings to secure the platforms and keep the heavy barrels from sinking the platform legs into the gravel and earth beneath it. On top, he used BlueBarrel's standard cinder-block layout that allows for under-plumbing the barrels. And, Thomas chose a lovely lavender paint color—for the barrels and cinderblocks—to coordinate with the home’s exterior. Nicely done!

barrels platform purple
purple barrels
Wood platform 2:

Steve used a similar approach—including a classy custom paint job!—for his 4-barrel system in Washington. He left out the cinder blocks, and instead drilled through the wooden base for the underplumbing. In this setup, the barrels are placed directly on the platform. Additionally, Steve stained the wood platform to match the storage shed the system is connected to (yes, even a small shed roof can fill a system—find out how much you can collect from your rooftop with our nifty rainwater calculator!)

***please note: it is necessary to use pressure treated wood to help prevent rot and moisture damage over time.

Raised rain barrel foundation platform
Wood platform 3:

Chris from Minnesota shows us another set of painted barrels, raised up on a wood foundation. Look closely to see how he built the foundation to completely conceal BlueBarrel's signature underplumbing, boring a hole through the wood to access the spigot.

Says Chris: "I sanded and painted the barrels and then elevated them onto a stand to increase pressure and to hide all the plumbing underneath. They work fantastic!!"

raised rain barrel foundation on platform
rain barrel platform
Wood platform 4:

Brian from Virginia used the raised platform concept as well, but built out a 3-walled enclosure to help protect his barrels from the east coast elements. He added some other embellishments as well.

Raised rain barrel foundation
"I installed a 4-barrel system on a raised platform that I built. Also added a solar powered system (motorcycle battery and pump) to deliver the water 100 feet up hill from the barrels. I could not be happier with the result. Bravo!"
- Brian | Palmyra, VA

Raised Platforms - Metal

Metal platform:

Laura raised her 2-barrel system up significantly by placing crafty wood-clad barrels on a metal platform, artfully maximizing Colorado's 2-barrel-per-household limit. And, yes, this is a BlueBarrel System: the barrels are hidden beneath wood strips, the underplumbing is painted black to match the frame, and the addition of a brass spigot completes the look. Read more about Laura's system, and other strategies for masking your BlueBarrel System here.

clad barrels platform
Metal platform 2:

David also built a custom metal platform to gain elevation for a 4-barrel system so he can water his Texas garden with gravity-fed irrigation. Notice the extra room on the platform? That's so he can add another 4 barrels using BlueBarrel's multi-row connection. Notice he also used our longer inlet hose, custom-cut to span the distance from his downspout. Multi-row connections and longer inlet hose are both available with any RainKit order, or from our accessories menu.

Says David: "My BlueBarrel System is located under my deck, next to my vegetable garden. I wanted my barrels to be higher than the highest point of my garden, so I built a custom rack and shelf made of heavy gauge structural steel, capable of carrying the one ton weight of my 4 barrels, and a second row of 4 barrels in the future. I also plan to use the under shelf as a seedling greenhouse."

Raised platform for rain barrels

Custom Block Wall

Erica built a decorative block wall foundation for the 9-barrel system in her Florida garden. Instead of the standard two rows of evenly spaced cinderblocks, she constructed two parallel walls for a raised rain barrel foundation (about 18” in height) with room for the under-plumbing in the gap. Erica placed the barrels in groups of three, leaving space between each grouping to access the plumbing when needed.

block wall florida

Distributing the Weight

Shane made a smart and simple modification to the foundation for his 4-Barrel System in sunny Arizona. He used an additional stack of cinderblocks for a raised rain barrel foundation, plus a capstone on the top and bottom of each tower. Not only do the capstones add additional height for his gravity-fed irrigation system, they distribute the weight of full barrels over clay-heavy desert soils. This is a smart move to reduce settling over time. Another climate-inspired move is the lattice shade that Shane built. More on that here!

rain barrel foundation, cinder blocks

More Customizations: Share Your Creations!

We love hearing from our customers and are delighted to see creative customizations for the Bluebarrel System®. Don't hesitate to share your own DIY ideas with the BlueBarrel community...please send photos and videos to info@BlueBarrelSystems.com.

Related Post: Gravity-Fed Irrigation Basics
Related Post: Site Prep for a BlueBarrel System
Related Post: BlueBarrel System Dimensions & Foundation Specs
Related Post: Strapping Rain Barrels for Safety

Holy Toledo! It’s a BlueBarrel System® at the Black Diamond Garden Center

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In creating a 3-part podcast series about rainwater harvesting, YMGP hosts Scott Sandstrom and Mike O'Rourke decided to set up a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® at their Black Diamond Garden Center in Toledo, OH.

As a functional demo, local visitors can follow signage to "The Rain Barrel Farm." The rest of us can enjoy the virtual tour below, via photos, video, and of course the lively podcast episodes that kicked it all off.

The Rain Barrel Farm at Black Diamond Garden Center
Rain Barrel Demo
BlueBarrel System at the Garden Center

"With a goal to avoid city tap water at Black Diamond Garden Center, we installed a four-barrel BlueBarrel System, with room to expand to six. Very efficient design, all the parts were there. Now we have a working demo at the garden center. BlueBarrel took all the guesswork out of my hands and in no time we have 250 gallons watering hundreds of plants each day."

- Scott Sandstrom

Video Description: In creating a 3-part podcast series about rainwater harvesting, Scott and Mike decided to set up a BlueBarrel System at the Black Diamond Garden Center in Toledo, OH. See how they pump the water through a hose to water flowers for sale. 

In the podcast episodes below, Scott and Mike discuss this setup with BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou. Enjoy the lively banter as this trio talks through why they installed the system, how it works, and what they’ve learned along the way. 

A Garden Podcast for Listeners from Coast to Coast

Mike O'Rourke & Scott Sandstrom host casual conversations about gardening on the popular Your Midwest Garden Podcast. Enjoy fun and relaxed interviews with experts and DIY gardeners that will interest listeners from coast to coast.

In these episodes, Mike and Scott are joined by BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou. As a special bonus, listeners get a discount code for their first purchase at bluebarrelsystems.com!

YMGP Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

Episode 1 of 3. Run time 59 min.

Join hosts Mike O'Rourke and Scott Sandstrom of Your Midwest Garden Podcast as they enjoy a fun-filled hour with BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou. The trio discusses system planning, water quality benefits and legalities of collecting rainwater all over the USA. 

Your Midwest Garden Podcast Show Graphic

Episode 2 of 3. Run time 47 min.

One year later, Jesse re-joins Mike and Scott to review their progress installing a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System at the Black Diamond Garden Center. Learn about system siting, sizing, downspout diverters, how to avoid common pitfalls, and more!

Episode 3 of 3. Run time 1:03.

Enjoy the latest in this 3-part series! BlueBarrel founder, Jesse Savou, joins Mike and Scott to see how the BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® is doing at the Black Diamond Garden Center. The trio discusses Scott's experience with installation, irrigation, and winterization.

Episode background: Scott decided to build a BlueBarrel System after recording the first episode about rain water quality. He has now set up a demo to water plants at his garden center that are under cover. Tune in to hear how it's going!

Gravity-Fed Irrigation Basics: Easy Rain Barrel Irrigation for DIY-ers

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BlueBarrel's founder demos her gravity-fed DIY drip irrigation system. Four rain barrels supply the water, and gravity does the work to hydrate her garden beds.

Can you Irrigate from Rain Barrels with Just Gravity?

Yes! A properly designed rain barrel system can water gardens, raised beds, and landscaping using gravity alone, without electricity or pumps.

The key is sufficient elevation, proper plumbing, and irrigation components designed for no-to-low pressure.

In this guide, we explain:

  • How gravity irrigation works

  • How much height you need

  • What types of irrigation supplies are compatible

  • What parts you don't need for gravity-feed

  • When a pump might be necessary

  • Components for success with gravity-fed irrigation

If you're starting from scratch, consider a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®. This specialty rain barrel system is plumbed for optimal gravity-fed performance, including a fully bottom-draining design, high-flow valves and more.

That said, any rain barrel, cistern, or tank can be paired with our gravity-fed drip irrigation kits as long as you follow the basic principles covered in this article. Read on for a complete primer!

Your rain barrels are full. Now what? 

Rainwater harvesters know how fast and easy it is to fill a rain barrel—or a series of them—from the roof. But once those barrels are full, how do you distribute stored water through the garden? When you let gravity do the work, that part can be easy, too.

Drip irrigation is the most water-efficient way to irrigate. When you rely on gravity for distribution, it is also the most energy-efficient. A perfect solution for off-grid living, or for any gardener wishing to conserve energy and water, these systems run reliably with no electricity.

man with rainbarrels

Even BlueBarrel's standard cinderblock foundation provides enough lift to distribute water over a flat site. The bottom-draining design allows all barrels to feed a single irrigation outlet. Additional irrigation valves can be added to extend the irrigation area in both directions.

How Gravity Irrigation From Rain Barrels Works

Gravity irrigation relies on one simple principle: water flows downward and outward until something stops it.

When rain barrels are positioned higher than the irrigation area, even by a millimeter, gravity creates enough force to move water through properly-sized tubing and into your garden. No electricity or pump required.

Unlike pressurized household systems, gravity-fed systems operate at very low pressure. The goal is not to spray water—it is simply to deliver a steady flow that can fill the mainline and supply emitters or soaker tubing.

This approach works best when:

  • The irrigation area is at or below the water level in the barrels

  • Distances are reasonable

  • Tubing is sized appropriately

  • Components are designed for no-to-low pressure

When designed correctly, gravity systems can provide reliable, automated watering for gardens, raised beds, and landscaping.

Do vs. Don't schematic illustrating gravity-fed irrigation

This graphic illustrates the principle of gravity-fed irrigation. The system on the left will work no matter how full the barrels are. The system on the right will work when the barrels are full, but as the water level drops below the high-point in the irrigation line, flow will stop.

Do you need a slope like this to create gravity pressure? No! Water always seeks its level, so even on a flat site, water will distribute through a gravity-fed mainline as long as the line doesn't rise above the water level in the barrels.

Elevation: The Key to Performance

Drip irrigation doesn't actually require any pressure, it just requires water in the line.

Water will keep flowing downward and outward until it has nowhere else to go. Or in other words, until something restricts it. As long as your drip line stays below the water level in your barrels, you can irrigate with gravity.

Height is the single most important factor in a gravity-fed system.

Every 1 foot of elevation produces 0.43 PSI of water pressure.

Systems elevated several feet above the garden perform best, but even minimal elevation can work for a smaller landscape area right near the rain barrels or tanks.

Some sloped sites provide a natural setup for this, with gardens situated downhill from the buildings collecting rain. On flat sites, barrels can be elevated on raised foundations. 

rain barrels on raised foundation

A simple wooden foundation adds height for this painted BlueBarrel System on an otherwise flat site.

clad barrels platform

A metal frame elevates this wood-clad BlueBarrel System for additional gravity advantage.

Most setups fall into one of these categories:

0–1 ft elevation (flat sites, ground-level)
 Can work for small, nearby irrigation zones.

2–5 ft elevation (moderately sloped sites, or elevated barrels)
Suitable for many typical home gardens and raised beds.

6–10+ ft elevation (hilly sites)
 Provide the strongest flow and greatest flexibility in layout.

Remember: You do not need high pressure. Drip irrigation technically doesn’t require any pressure, it just requires water in the line. You only need enough force for water to flood the mainline and move through the system.

Just make sure you:

  • Use non-restrictive supply lines

  • Use timers, filters, and emitters that are designed for gravity-feed (examples below)

  • Follow max line length guidelines (also below)

  • Keep your entire distribution line below the lowest water level in your rain barrels

Rain Barrels Drip Irrigation

This 6-barrel BlueBarrel System® irrigates a water-wise garden with gravity-fed drip irrigation. The gentle slope towards the sidewalk allows for easy distribution through the mainline, and adjustable bubbler emitters allow the user to control how much water each plant gets. A native plant palette and mulch cover maximize the water-efficiency of this setup. With self-charging solar lights, this landscape requires no electricity.

With a BlueBarrel System, you can run more than one drip line to reach more of your garden. In the photo above, there is a high-flow drip irrigation connection on Barrel 1 and another on Barrel 6 to reach plants in opposite directions. Tee off the main lines to service the entire area in between using a grid or "fork" pattern.

The gravity-fed irrigation kits available in our Online Store include fittings to create these basic layouts.

If you follow the principles of gravity, rain barrel irrigation systems are completely customizable to your garden.

Distance and Layout Considerations

Water can travel long distances through a properly sized mainline, as long as the line stays flat or downtrending.

Key design principles:

  • Keep irrigation zones close to the barrels when possible, especially on flat sites

  • Avoid unnecessary bends and restrictions

  • Use larger-diameter mainline tubing to reduce friction

  • Lay your line for level or downhill flow

Ground-level barrels on flat sites often perform best within about 20–50 feet, though longer runs are possible when tubing is sized appropriately, and when micro-topography doesn’t create too much “up and down.”

EXPERT TIP: We used to advise that gravity-fed irrigation systems on flat sites perform best within 25’ of the water source in all directions. But after years of observation, we learned that a 1/2" mainline is broad enough to carry the water much farther. Raised beds can be irrigated by gravity if the water level in your barrels remains above the entire feeder line. Ups and downs will begin to limit the distance you can distribute water. This is because you need extra head-pressure (water level) in your barrels to push the water over any rise.

Why Mainline Design Matters

The mainline is the backbone of the irrigation system. It distributes water from the barrels to the rest of the network.

A properly sized mainline (provided with our gravity-fed irrigation kits) can carry water across large areas because it offers minimal resistance. Problems usually arise not from distance alone, but from:

  • Small-diameter tubing

  • Long runs of restrictive emitter line

  • Uphill sections

  • Inline components that reduce flow

AmazonPhotos_Inline5

Parts included in BlueBarrel's Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation Kit with Inline Emitters.

Water will continue moving until it encounters enough resistance to stop it. Good design minimizes those obstacles. As you plan your gravity-fed drip irrigation system, lay out your mainline to avoid uphill segments, though some up-and-down can be tolerated if the high point in your line stays below the water level in your barrels.

Using Pre-Drilled Emitter Line

Emitter tubing (also called dripline) releases water at fixed intervals along its length. While convenient, it introduces resistance that limits how far water can travel in a gravity system.

For best performance:

  • Follow maximum line lengths depending on emitter spacing
  • Avoid compensating line
  • Use the mainline to distribute water broadly, then branch into emitter sections

Max Line Lengths for Predrilled Emitterline

If using 1/4" predrilled emitterline, (like our Gravity-Fed Irrigation Kit with Inline Emitters, or the emitterline sold individually in our Online Store), mind maximum line-lengths to make sure plants at the end of the line get water.

Limit your line-lengths as follows:

  • 6" emitter spacing: 16 feet per row
  • 9" emitter spacing: 22 feet per row
  • 12" emitter spacing: 28 feet per row
drip emitter: inline
inline drip emitter
drip emitter for rain barrel
bubbler drip emitter

We also carry a Gravity-Fed Irrigation Kit with Bubbler Emitters. Bubbler emitters punch directly into the 1/2" irrigation mainline, and the ones we sell are individually adjustable for flow, so the distance restrictions are not as strict. (More on inline vs. bubbler emitters below under KEY COMPONENTS.)

HOW TO: DIY Gravity-Fed Drip System with INLINE Emitters
HOW TO: DIY Gravity-Fed Drip System with BUBBLER Emitters

EXPERT TIP: If you're on a flat site and using pre-drilled emitterline (recommended for veggie rows), plant the most water-loving plants closest to the water source, with more drought-tolerant plants farther away. Output will decrease farther down the line. (Watch our mid-season update video for more detail.)

If you're using our custom-punch bubbler emitter kit (see below), you can twist each emitter to control the flow based on individual plant-needs. This is what we recommend for ornamental gardens.

Working With Slopes and Uneven Terrain

Gravity irrigation naturally favors downhill or level sites.

Uphill runs reduce flow and can stop it entirely if the water must climb above the water level in the barrels. However, small rises in the landscape are workable if the entire irrigation system remains below the water level.

Helpful guidelines:

  • Keep the highest point of the irrigation line lower than the barrels

  • Avoid routing tubing over ridges or raised obstacles if possible 

On sloped properties, positioning barrels at the upper end of the garden can dramatically improve performance. For raised beds, consider drilling a hole to side-route the mainline directly at soil level. 

Gravity-Friendly Components: 4 Steps to Success!

Most irrigation products are designed for household water pressure and may not perform well with gravity alone.

A gravity-fed system should use components that operate effectively at little or no pressure.

Here’s a barrel-to-garden supply list to get you started. All items available in our online store!

1. High-Flow Valves

High-flow spigot

While gravity will distribute water until it has nowhere else to go, you can minimize resistance by using full-port valves and fittings.

A standard 3/4" spigot has 3/4" threads on it, but the gate-valve or ball-valve inside standard offerings has a much narrower opening, often less than half an inch.

Use High-Flow Spigots and Drain Valves to head off your gravity-fed irrigation system with strong flow. These high-flow valves are included standard with our DIY RainKits®, and available for individual sale from our accessories menu.

Multiple drain valves can be used on larger systems to extend your irrigation area in all directions.

2. Streamlined Fine-Mesh Filters

Drip Irrigation Filter Tee

A fine-mesh filter is essential for any drip irrigation system. You may be familiar with the large cartridge "Y filters" on standard drip manifolds. They are bulky and filter the water through an off-course loop, reducing the pressure more than you may want for your gravity-fed irrigation system.

For gravity-fed irrigation, we recommend a 100-micron Streamlined Drip Irrigation Filter. These are less expensive than Y filters, much smaller (a.k.a. better looking!), and they keep the water on a streamlined course to your drip-line.

3. Zero Pressure Automatic Timers

Automated timers offer the major convenience of a set-it-and-forget-it irrigation cycle. But there's a catch: standard irrigation timers require pressure to fully close. We've heard many stories from rainwater harvesters who set their timers and walked away, only to find their rain tanks empty and garden over-saturated the next morning.

No Pressure Irrigation Timer

BlueBarrel offers battery-operated no-pressure timers. The timer has two simple dials to set watering frequency and duration. (We used to carry a solar version, but over time these proved less reliable. We’ve tested many brands and now offer only the timer that we found works best.)

Watch our quick video tutorial on how to program and use this amazing no/low-pressure timer!

4. Non-Restricting Emitters & Soaker Hoses

Bubbler vs. Inline Emitters

BlueBarrel stocks two plug-and-play options for gravity-fed drip irrigation in our online store:

Go to Tools & Accessories to see our full menu of supplies, and recommended uses for each kind of emitter kit. (The video below demonstrates how inline and bubbler emitters can be used together.)

Join Jesse in the garden again to see how inline and bubbler emitters can be combined for a customized gravity-fed drip irrigation setup.

Soaker Hoses

Soaker hoses have a porous surface that allows controlled amounts of water to seep out as water flows through. Weave a soaker hose through your garden and water will sink into the soil along the length of the hose.

Soaker hoses work wonderfully for shady perimeter gardens, hedge rows, or any layout where the hose can curve gently to serve every plant without a lot of exposure in between.

You can lay a soaker hose around tree trunks for the occasional deep watering that trees need. This perfectly targets the root-zone under the leaf line.

 

Click the image for a short video about irrigating with a no-pressure soaker hose. The next image shows this garden 5 weeks after planting!

rain barrel soaker hose garden

A no-pressure soaker hose (specially for rain barrels) irrigates this new perimeter pollinator garden. See below for a video demoing how to set up a system like this.

What's special about a "rain barrel soaker hose?"

Like drip irrigation lines, most soaker hoses are designed to work optimally with standard water pressure.

BlueBarrel is proud to be one of the few vendors that offers No-Pressure Soaker Hoses specifically for rain barrels and rain tanks.

Rain Barrel Soaker Hose

Rain barrel soaker hoses have a more porous wall so non-pressurized water can easily seep into your garden. Each hose is 50 feet long, and two hoses can be linked together for up to 100 linear feet of gravity-fed distribution.

EXPERT TIP: Rain barrel soaker hoses are prone to clogging for two reasons:

  • (1) The pores are larger to compensate for non-pressurized water. This lets a little bit of sunlight in, which leads to algae growth.
  • (2) One of the major benefits of irrigating with rainwater is that it isn't chlorinated. While your garden loves the organic matter in the water, hose pores can clog with prolonged exposure because there's no chlorine to combat the accumulation of algae and other particulates.
How to prevent clogs in a rain barrel soaker hose

For long-term use, soaker hoses perform best when kept fully shaded. Got a dense hedge-row? The soaker hose is perfect. Need a deep-watering aid for your trees? The soaker hose is your friend. When put away between uses, you won't have any problem.

If you do lay it out in the sun, you may notice the output declines over time. Flush out the pores with a blast of pressurized water and scrub the surface gently with a soft-bristled brush to restore the hose.

As with a standard drip system, always use a fine-mesh filter. Our Rain Barrel Soaker Hoses come with a 200-mesh filter—finer than the filters we sell for our Gravity Fed Drip Irrigation Kits—to help prevent clogs.

When Gravity Irrigation Systems do Best

Gravity irrigation shines in situations where simplicity, reliability, and water conservation are priorities.

Ideal applications include:

  • Small to medium garden plots

  • Raised beds near the barrels

  • Larger plots with sufficient elevation drop

  • Existing drip irrigation zones*

  • Off-grid watering

  • Sites without access to pressurized water or power

Because there is no pump to fail and no electricity required, these systems can operate quietly and dependably for years.

*A gravity-fed drip line can be overlaid on to one or more "zones" of a pressurized drip system. Simply turn those zones off while you have rainwater, and back on when you run out.

When Gravity Alone May Not be Enough

While highly effective in many situations, gravity-fed systems have limitations.

You may need a pump if you want to:

  • Run sprinklers

  • Irrigate large landscapes

  • Deliver water uphill

  • Achieve high flow rates

In those cases, a hybrid approach—gravity storage with pumped distribution, or pumping to a relay tank that’s higher in the landscape—may be appropriate.

What Parts Don't I Need for Gravity Feed?

Typical pressurized drip systems require a few components that are not needed with gravity irrigation systems:

Pressure Reducers

Pressure reducers (a.k.a. pressure regulators) are a key component of pressurized drip irrigation systems. Municipal water is usually delivered at high pressure. When using city water, a pressure reducer brings PSI down to the 12-20 PSI range so you don't blow out your fittings.

With gravity-fed irrigation systems operating well below that pressure spec, you can completely forget about the pressure reducer.

Vacuum Breakers

Vacuum breakers (a.k.a. backflow preventers) prevent dirty water from being sucked back into the main in the event of a pressure reversal. When irrigating with city water, these are important for protecting the public drinking water supply.

When irrigating from rain barrels or tanks, you should not have a cross-connection with the municipal water system. There is no risk of your rain barrels sucking the water back in.

Watering Time

Following the basic principles from this article, you can successfully irrigate with very low pressure. On flat sites, you will get about 2 PSI from full rain barrels, approaching zero as the barrels empty. 

While pressurized drip systems are spec’d for flow rates—usually noted as GPM (gallons per minute) or GPH (gallons per hour)—these ratings are based on consistent, standard water pressure.

set up drip irrigation filter, timer, tubing

Special irrigation timers are made for gravity-fed systems. See above for details.

Your gravity-fed system runs on lower pressure, so you will likely need to leave the water on for longer to get the desired output. Your drip line may have a 1 GPM (gallon per minute) rating, but a gravity fed line will take longer than a minute to emit one gallon. Experiment and observe to see how much water your plants really need.

EXPERT TIP: One benefit to slow water delivery is increased saturation efficiency. While you may think you’ll need to double your irrigation time, an extra 5-10 minutes may do the trick.

Still deciding whether gravity-feed will work in your situation? The answers below address the most common questions we answer about gravity-fed irrigation:

Frequently Asked Questions About Gravity Irrigation From Rain Barrels

How high do rain barrels need to be for gravity irrigation?

Most setups work best with barrels 2–10 feet above the irrigation area. More height means more pressure and better flow. That said, elevating barrels one foot or less can still work if the irrigation area is small and close to the barrels. You do not need pressure—you just need water to be able to flood the entire mainline.

Can rain barrels run sprinklers?

No. Sprinklers require much higher pressure than gravity can provide. Rain barrels pair best with drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which are much more efficient for your limited stored water anyway. A gravity-fed drip irrigation system offers a win-win.

Can you irrigate uphill from rain barrels?

No. Gravity systems work on level or down-sloping landscapes. Uphill watering requires a pump. Special consideration: If you have uphill segments in the irrigation line but the entire line remains lower than the rain barrels, a well-designed gravity-fed system can still function.

How far can gravity irrigation run from rain barrels?

Water can travel indefinitely through a properly sized mainline. Flow continues until it encounters resistance, such as an uphill section or restrictive tubing. While the mainline can cover a large layout, it is important to follow recommended lengths for pre-drilled emitter line. Ground-level rain barrels on flat sites often perform best within 20–50 feet, depending on micro-elevations and tubing size. Longer runs are possible if there are no small rises in the landscape.

Do I need special drip irrigation gear for gravity-fed systems?

Yes. Many drip components are designed for higher household pressure and will not work well with gravity alone. Gravity systems require no-to-low-pressure components that are compatible with gravity flow. See the article above for examples of gravity-friendly filters, timers, emitters, and more.

Ready to get started?

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Related Post: Raised Rain Barrel Foundations for Gravity-Feed
Related Post: DIY Gravity-Fed Drip System with INLINE Emitters
Related Post: DIY Gravity-Fed Drip System with BUBBLER Emitters

Moving to a New Climate: What to Know About Rainwater Harvesting in Your New Region

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A person jumping in water puddle

Moving to a new climate brings both exciting opportunities and challenges.

One important aspect to consider is rainwater harvesting, especially as rainfall patterns can differ greatly between regions. By collecting and storing rainwater, households can reduce water bills, lessen dependence on municipal sources, and promote sustainable living.

The process involves setting up gutters and a modular rainwater collection system, which can be easily customized to any climate or garden size. This DIY-friendly system requires minimal maintenance, offering an efficient and sustainable solution. Understanding local rainfall trends and choosing the right system ensures you get the most out of your rainwater harvest.

Adapting to the local weather and using a modular rainwater harvesting system can be an effective strategy for managing water resources in your new home.

Assessing the Rainfall Patterns in Your New Region

Assessing the rainfall patterns in your new region is key to setting up an effective rainwater harvesting system.

In wetter regions, frequent rainfall makes it easier to collect water year-round. Smaller rain barrel systems fill and recharge as a reliable source of irrigation water. In drier climates, rain is less frequent, which makes storing water all the more important from a water conservation perspective. In drier climates, larger barrel or tank systems are heavy-hitters for ensuring sustainability and water supply between expected rains.

Modular rainwater collection systems offer a flexible solution, allowing you to scale up or down depending on the amount of rainfall and your garden’s needs.

By checking local rainfall data, available through many online tools; and measuring your roof's harvesting potential using a simple rainwater calculator; you can assess how much water you can realistically collect.

Adapting your modular system to match local rainfall patterns ensures efficient collection and maximizes storage potential. With the right planning, you can make the most of the natural water resources available in your new region, all while keeping your system simple and DIY-friendly.

A man holding an orange umbrella on rainy urban sidewalk.
Understanding local rainfall patterns helps you plan your harvesting system accordingly.

Choosing the Right Rainwater Harvesting System for Your New Home

Selecting the right rainwater harvesting system depends on your region's climate and rainfall patterns. In wetter areas, a simple barrel system may be all you need to collect water year-round. In drier climates, you can still use a modular system that can be easily expanded by adding barrels as needed, offering a flexible solution that adapts to your water collection needs. When choosing your system, consider factors like roof size, available space, and your garden's irrigation needs.

Gutter systems also play a role in how much water you can collect, so make sure they are properly installed and maintained. As you move to a new climate, adjusting your approach to rainwater harvesting can be easy with the right system. Modular, DIY-friendly systems allow you to customize your setup to match your climate, making installation and upkeep both simple and cost-effective.

Sustainability and Broader Environmental Practices

Rainwater harvesting is an important part of a larger sustainable living strategy. To make your relocation more responsible, you should focus on how to have an eco-friendly move. In addition to rainwater collection for garden irrigation, consider other simple steps, such as recycling, composting, and choosing energy-efficient appliances, which align with your goal of conserving water and reducing waste. Using renewable energy sources and gravity-fed drip irrigation in your new home can also complement your water-saving efforts.

By combining rainwater harvesting with these straightforward, eco-friendly practices, you can create a more sustainable lifestyle without the need for complex systems or heavy investments. As you adjust to your new climate, think about how these simple changes can conserve resources and help support a healthier planet. Every small action contributes to an eco-conscious home, benefiting both you and your local environment.

Rain rolling off roofline
Even in dry climates, a single rainfall can provide hundreds or thousands of gallons of high-quality irrigation water.

Regional Restrictions and Regulations on Rainwater Harvesting

Before installing a rainwater harvesting system, it’s important to check your region’s regulations. Rainwater harvesting is legal all over the USA, but in limited cases, such as Colorado, there is a limitation on size. 

Contrary to popular belief, many cities, counties, and water districts offer rebates and incentives to encourage rainwater harvesting for its environmental and financial benefits. Search local rain barrel rebates, or this nationwide directory for financial incentives.

Modular rainwater harvesting systems with customizable barrel designs are typically not subject to the same restrictions as large-scale systems, making them a great choice. These systems are flexible and can be adjusted to your needs, often without requiring permits or complex paperwork.

With the right knowledge, you can confidently install a modular rainwater system that benefits both your garden and the environment, without the worry of facing fines or penalties.

Maintenance and Upkeep of Your Rainwater Harvesting System

Maintaining your modular rainwater harvesting system is straightforward and simpler than you might think.

Regular cleaning of gutters ensures that rainwater flows freely into your barrels. Since the modular system is simple and customizable, it’s easy to check for any debris buildup in the barrels or downspouts. During dry seasons or in areas with high dust or pollen, a quick inspection every few months will ensure smooth operation. With its easy-to-use design, this system requires minimal maintenance—perfect for DIY-ers.

By setting up a simple inspection schedule for key components, you can keep your system running efficiently year-round without a lot of hassle. Regular upkeep helps extend the lifespan of your system, ensuring it continues to provide water for your garden without complicated maintenance tasks.

Terra cotta tile rooftop
Combine rainwater harvesting with other sustainable practices for a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Moving to a New Climate: Adapting Your Water Management Strategies

Adapting your water management strategy is essential when moving to a new climate. Rainfall patterns and water availability can vary greatly depending on your location. For example, transitioning from a wet region to a dry one will require you to rethink your water usage and storage needs.

Start by assessing how much water your garden typically uses and compare it to the rainfall in your area. With this in mind, adjusting your rainwater harvesting system to fit the new conditions ensures that your water needs are met.

For instance, a modular, multi-barrel system is customizable for any size setup. Whether you need a small system or a larger one for more extensive storage, the flexible design ensures it’s easy to set up and maintain. Storing water helps make you resilient in future weather shifts—such as long-term droughts or wetter seasons—can help you remain flexible and prepared. Taking these steps will give you peace of mind in your new environment.

4-barrel BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System
Photo Source: BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems

Embrace Sustainable Water Solutions in Your New Home

Moving to a new climate offers an opportunity to embrace sustainable water management through rainwater harvesting. By understanding local rainfall patterns, choosing the right system, and integrating eco-friendly practices, you can make your move more responsible. Adopting these strategies helps conserve water and resources, benefiting both your home and the environment.

Environmental Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting
Best Roofing for Your Region

Six Trends Redefining Regenerative Home Design in 2026

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This article was contributed by Neal and Alissa Collins of Latitude Regenerative Real Estate.

Read on for a nationwide take on this year's exciting trends in regenerative home design, and enjoy the podcast collaboration between Latitude and BlueBarrel, linked below.

Finger touching calm water

Every January brings a wave of forecasts about what will be “in.” But at Latitude, we’re less interested in predicting the next big thing and more focused on the deeper changes shaping how people want to live. As co-founder, Alissa Collins, says, “Those of us at Latitude have always been seeking to live values rather than adopt trends.”

For decades, mainstream building and design have been shaped by speed, scale, and efficiency—often at the expense of health, connection, and longevity. The results show up everywhere: interiors that off-gas, materials that wear down quickly, and technologies that promise ease but create new forms of distraction and dependence.

What’s pressing now is a course correction. People are choosing homes that support the body, reflect their connection to place, and participate in the living world rather than sit apart from it. The common thread across these shifts is simple: a renewed desire for relationship—with materials, with food, with land, with water, and with one another.

These are the shifts shaping the regenerative home in 2026.

1. The Healthy Home Ecosystem

Homes are beginning to function the way our bodies do: responsive, sensitive, and built to regulate.

Homes are increasingly being treated as living sensory environments, not just places to store belongings. People are paying attention to how interiors affect their bodies—how they breathe, move, sleep, and settle. This shift centers on three essentials that shape daily well-being inside any home: air, light, and water.

Air

More homeowners are prioritizing indoor air quality because they can feel the difference day to day. Ventilation systems like energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) and heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) are showing up more often because they quietly bring in fresh air and exhaust stale air without wasting heat.

There’s also rising awareness around materials that do not off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs). People want finishes and plasters that don’t leave a lingering chemical smell, trigger sensitivities, or exacerbate health issues—an issue especially relevant for anyone dealing with allergies, autoimmune conditions, or cancer treatment and recovery.

And as wildfire smoke becomes a near-yearly event in many regions, homeowners want a sanctuary where they can breathe easily even when the air outside is hazardous.

Light

Lighting is shifting toward low-glare, blue-light-free bulbs that support circadian rhythms and make evenings calmer. Harsh, cool LEDs keep the brain “on,” so people are choosing warmer-spectrum lighting that helps the body wind down for sleep. This matters biologically: blue-heavy light at night suppresses melatonin and shifts the body’s internal clock, which can degrade sleep quality.

Because circadian rhythms help regulate immune activity and inflammation, protecting darkness and gentler evening light supports the body’s nightly repair cycle—not just better rest, but more resilient immune health over time.

Sound

Homeowners are also paying attention to how a home sounds. Natural textiles and earth-based finishes like clay or lime plaster soften acoustics, reduce echo, and create quieter rooms that let the nervous system relax. Research on noise exposure shows that chronic, everyday noise activates stress pathways, disrupts sleep, and increases inflammation—factors that can weaken or dysregulate immune function over time.

In that context, quieter homes aren’t just more pleasant; they can support immune health by lowering baseline stress and giving the body more space to restore and repair.

Water

Water is finally getting the attention it deserves. Homeowners are realizing it affects how they feel just as much as air and light. Beyond basic filtration, people are adding remineralization—such as calcite or magnesium post-filter cartridges or trace-mineral drops—to restore beneficial minerals removed during filtering. Some are also exploring water restructuring as a ritual of care, using vortex-based devices that move water through spiral pathways to mimic the flow of natural streams, like the Vortex Water Revitalizer and similar units.

As interest grows, services like Tap Score are helping households understand what’s in their water and which systems or interventions might be the right next step.

Together, these choices reflect a growing understanding that air, light, sound, and water inside the home behave like nature—a weaving of living systems that directly influence human health on a day-to-day basis.

For water in the landscape, see #5.

teacup on natural wood table
Photo source: EcoNest Architecture

2. Biobased + Low/No-Tox Interiors

Natural materials are becoming the new baseline for healthy, timeless interiors.

For years, mainstream interiors relied on synthetic paints, engineered surfaces, vinyl flooring, foams, and factory finishes—materials chosen for speed and cost rather than longevity or health. Today, homeowners are questioning what these materials release into their air, how long they last, and whether they can be repaired.

The Global Wellness Institute—the leading wellness real estate research nonprofit—notes in its latest report,*Build Well to Live Well: The Future:*

“Healthy building concepts are quickly transforming from a niche market to the mainstream and expanding into every real estate category: residential, mixed-use, commercial/office, educational/research, healthcare, and hospitality. It’s also being built at every scale, from a single house to massive, town-sized developments with thousands of residents. Spreading from the luxury market to all price points, including large affordable housing communities.”

Biobased, breathable materials offer a path to live well. Clay plaster and limewash regulate humidity, soften acoustics, and create a calm sensory environment. Straw and wood-fiber insulation support cleaner indoor air. Earth pigments add depth and warmth that manufactured colors rarely match.

Natural-fiber bedding and furniture—linen, wool, hemp, and cotton—help homeowners avoid synthetic off-gassing and chemical fire retardants. And solid-wood furniture can be repaired instead of replaced, extending its life by decades.

Homeowners aren’t adopting these materials to be “eco-forward.” They’re choosing them because they make a home cleaner, quieter, calmer, and more grounded—and because these materials age well, repairs are simple, and the relationship to them deepens over time.

Wood burning stove
Photo source: Home Wood Stoves LTD

3. The Slow Tech Home

After years of smart-everything, people are discovering that simpler homes often work better—and feel better.

The last decade was defined by rapid automation: voice-controlled lights, app-connected appliances, and cloud-dependent climate systems. But many homeowners are starting to experience the hidden costs—constant updates, privacy concerns, interruptions when devices lose connectivity, an overall sense that the home has become another interface to manage, and even sleep disruptions from being over-wired.

The response is subtle but clear: a return to simplicity.

According to Mate’s Internet and Security Blog, “Hardwired Ethernet is replacing whole-home Wi-Fi for those wanting fewer radio waves, more reliable connections, and greater security. It adds resilience too. We’re seeing a practical return to structured wiring as a foundational layer—not a replacement for Wi-Fi, but its essential, high-performance backbone for critical devices.”

Manual switches and thermostats are regaining appeal because they don’t fail when the cloud does. Wired speakers outperform Bluetooth for people tired of pairing and re-pairing. Appliances that simply work—and can be repaired without subscriptions or apps—feel refreshingly stable.

This isn’t a rejection of technology; it’s a recalibration. A highly automated house can be fragile. A simple house is resilient. And resilience is quickly becoming a core value in home design.

4. The Regenerative Kitchen

The kitchen is becoming the heart of the home again—a place of nourishment, craft, and relationship to food.

For decades, the kitchen was optimized for speed: quick meals, minimal mess, maximum efficiency. Now, homeowners are gravitating toward kitchens that slow things down and make cooking feel connected and meaningful.

We’re seeing early signals everywhere. In the latest season of Chef’s Table: Legends, Alice Waters cooks meals in a wood-fired oven inside her home—reigniting interest in food prepared with elemental heat. It’s old-tech and romantic. According to Wkinformation:

“Sales of wood-fired stoves and ovens were on the rise in 2025, driven by demand for energy efficiency, cost savings, sustainability, and energy independence, with strong markets in North America and growing interest in the Asia-Pacific region. Modern, cleaner-burning designs reduce indoor air quality issues and can also serve as backup heating and cooking during power outages.”

Alongside heat, the tools of slower food are returning. Cold storage, root cellars, fermentation stations, dehydrators, and expanded pantries support seasonal eating and reduce waste. Households are buying from local farms, co-ops, and bulk buying clubs, rebuilding direct relationships with their regional food systems.

What ties all of this together is relationship: to land, to ingredients, to the people who grow them, and to the rhythms that govern food.

Homeowners aren’t adopting these materials to be “eco-forward.” They’re choosing them because they make a home cleaner, quieter, calmer, and more grounded—and because these materials age well, repairs are simple, and the relationship to them deepens over time.

Oasis House - home with lush native garden.
Photo Source: Latitude Regenerative Real Estate

5. Living With Land, Not On It

Outdoor space is shifting from décor to ecological participation.

More homeowners are moving from ornamental landscaping toward ecological stewardship. Biodynamic gardens help rebuild soil health and align plant care with cosmic cycles.

A growing number of people are also redesigning how water moves across their property. Disconnecting downspouts is often the first step (and now required in some place like Toronto and New York City), followed by creating rain gardens, swales, or small ponds that slow and hold water where the land needs it most. In fire-prone regions, this stored water can even support basic fire resilience.

Rainwater harvesting is a simple solution to collect roofwater into barrels or tanks. When paired with a gravity-fed drip-irrigation system, this  irrigation solution—within reach for most DIY-ers—keeps gardens healthy and hydrated, in tune with nature.

Graywater systems—which reuse laundry, bathroom, or kitchen water—are another step for those ready to take on more complexity. Because this work requires some know-how, many homeowners turn to their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts or to books like The Water-Wise Home by Laura Allen for accessible guidance.

Habitat certifications are gaining momentum too, as people replace lawns with native plants, adjust outdoor lighting to protect wildlife, and create structure for birds, insects, and pollinators. Mary Phillips, head of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife and Certified Wildlife Habitat programs, emphasizes that “ecologically meaningful gardens are crucial in urban areas to connect corridors for wildlife and support local species.” The North American Butterfly Association echoes this through its own habitat certification efforts.

The shift is both practical and philosophical: the home includes the land beneath it, and caring for that land deepens the experience of living there.

4-barrel BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System
Photo Source: BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems

6. Co-Ownership Models

How people acquire homes is evolving toward cooperation and shared resilience.

Intergenerational down-payment support is becoming one of the most common pathways into homeownership, reflecting a return to family collaboration.

“Many of my younger buyers are working with family members to make homeownership a reality these days,” says Mark Voss, Latitude Partner and Change Agent.

Co-buying is also on the rise: friends, siblings, and multigenerational households are purchasing land or clustered homes together, sharing tools, childcare, and stewardship.

These models reduce per-person resource use and rebuild the interdependence that modern housing often erodes. They also create stability and belonging—qualities increasingly recognized as essential to well-being.

This is ownership as relationship, not isolation.

Saratoga House: Aerial view of large wood-clad multi-unit home nestled in the woods.
Photo Source: Latitude Regenerative Real Estate

Why These Shifts Matter

People want to make a meaningful difference in a world that feels fast-moving and fragile. The home is where this work can begin. It’s close enough to shape with intention and powerful enough to influence the land, community, and future generations.

These shifts are not about keeping up. They are about coming back—to relationship with materials, with ecosystems, with food, with water, and with one another.

Looking for a place to start? Download Latitude’s Home as Sanctuary guide to begin shaping a home that supports your well-being and the world around you.

Enjoy more from the collaboration between Latitude and BlueBarrel in The Regenerative Real Estate Podcast's interview by Neal Collins with BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou. 

Go to Podcast Episode

Best Rain Barrel Videos of 2025

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As we launch head-first into a new year, we're reflecting on 2025 by sharing inspiration with our most popular rain barrel videos of the year.

According to data collected from our YouTube channel:

Most Watched Rain Barrel Video of 2025:

Gravity-Fed Irrigation with a Rain Barrel Soaker Hose

Run Time: 7:21

Views in 2025: 12.8K

Hours watched in 2025: 563

Description: Learn all about rain barrel soaker hoses! Different than standard soaker hoses, see how these nifty hoses can make irrigating from your rain barrels easy as pie. For an overview of gravity-fed irrigation and our other DIY rain barrel irrigation options, check out this article.

Most Viewed Short of 2025:

Downspout Diverter in Action! Rain Barrels Fill

Run Time: 0:42

Views in 2025: 5,282

Lifetime Views: 31.4K

Description: See how a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® fills with a simple downspout diverter. The 6-barrel system in this video fills with just 2.75" of rain falling on the 200 square-foot rooftop that feeds it. See it to believe it! Check out this article for a deep-dive on how this downspout diverter works. 

Most Popular NEW Rain Barrel Video of 2025:

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System at Ohio Garden Center

Run Time: 0:31

Released: October 24, 2025

Views Oct-Dec 2025: 3,615

Description: In creating a 3-part podcast series about rainwater harvesting, Scott and Mike decided to set up a BlueBarrel System at their Black Diamond Garden Center in Toledo, OH. They pump the water through a hose to water flowers for sale. Scott and Mike discuss this setup with BlueBarrel's Founder in their podcast series. Check out all three episodes here!

Most Popular All-Time Video:

Jesse Explains Gravity Fed Drip Irrigation: Inline Emitters

Run Time: 5:41

Released: May 2018

Views to date: 90.5K

Description: BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou, demos her tried-and-true gravity-fed drip irrigation system. Four rain barrels supply the water, and gravity does the work to keep her garden beds hydrated. Here's a how-to for setting up your own!

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

Browse our YouTube Channel and use that Like button to tell us your faves. Subscribe to get all our latest updates. Let's see which vids top the charts for 2026!

BlueBarrel's full Video Gallery

10 Winter Uses for Rainwater

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What are the best ways to use rainwater in winter?

If you have rain barrels and you're not in a climate where you have to drain them in the winter, chances are they're full to the brim at this time of the year.

Benefits of using stored rainwater in winter:

If you're in an area that experiences deep freezes, it's time to think about winterizing your rainwater catchment system.

But if you live in a more temperate climate zone, you want to use your stored rainwater, to free up capacity to catch more. This is especially true in western states where most rainfall comes between October and April.

If you use stored rainwater steadily throughout winter, you will maximize the bang for your buck in a handful of ways:

Rainwater for Christmas Tree
  • You'll save some bucks, literally: Every drop you use from your rain barrels is a drop you won't see on your water/sewer bill.
  • You'll maximize the environmental benefits of collecting rainwater: Most notably by multiplying the amount of water conserved, and the amount of stormwater runoff mitigated. If you continually draw down your stored water and allow it to recharge, you will save (and benefit from) much more water than you have storage capacity!
  • You'll cycle older water out, making room for newer water: Although rainwater can be stored safely for long periods of time, common sense dictates that fresher is better.

Read on for ideas about how to use your rainwater throughout the winter, so you can free up capacity to catch more.

winterize rainbarrels snop-capped barrels

Ten winter uses for rainwater:

In many North American climate zones, it rains during the winter when we're not irrigating. What can we do with full rain barrels while we wait for irrigation season to roll around again? Plenty!

Rainwater is suitable for most non-potable uses:

1. Water your winter garden (carrots and beets and broccoli, oh my!).

2. Water houseplants, because they need water year-round. They'll show extra appreciation for the rainwater for many reasons. (And what about that Christmas tree? Give it a fresh flush of rainwater every few days to keep needles fragrant and green.)

3. Water pets, livestock, and wildlife (while us humans need to treat rainwater before drinking, if your animals drink out of toilets or puddles, they can safely drink stored rainwater).

4. Re-fill the kettle on your wood-burning stove to humidify the dry winter air.

kettle on wood burning stove

5. Defrost your windshield on frosty mornings by pouring a bucket of rainwater over it.

6. Wash your car—guilt free!

7. Rinse patio furniture, compost buckets, and other gardenware.

8. Flush toilets, bucket-brigade style.

9. Pump water into extra storage containers to free up space to catch more. (Click here to learn how.)

10. If you still have extra water, release some into a simple infiltration basin or rain garden during winter dry spells. This allows water to infiltrate and recharge groundwater. It also helps take the peak off of stormwater loads by making space in your barrels to collect more rainfall.

Special tip from the common-sense pros:

watering can and rain barrels

Leave a watering can next to your rain barrels at all times and fill it up again every single time you use it (that's right—keep it full!). That way you'll have at least one bucket's worth of capacity to catch more fresh rainfall, and you'll have water at-the-ready to grab in a hurry. It's the best way to encourage consistent use!

If you use your water throughout the winter, you'll get continual refills as the rainy season goes on. You may be able to double or triple (or more!) your effective storage capacity (and your positive environmental impact) by continually drawing down and recharging your system all winter long.

Ready to build your own BlueBarrel System?

Visit www.BlueBarrelSystems.com to size and site your BlueBarrel SystemTM.

Then enter our Online Store to customize your RainKitTM and recycled barrels.

Check out our online photo gallery for inspiration, see what our customers have to say, and contact us if we can help you with your order as you get ready to collect winter's rains!

RELATED POST: How to Winterize Rain Barrels

How to Winterize Rain Barrels

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Just in time for winter, we're here with tips on how to protect your rainwater catchment system (and drip irrigation gear!) from the frosty weather. Read on for three ways to winterize rain barrels, depending on your climate zone!

winterize rainbarrels snop-capped barrels

Snow-capped barrels! Photo courtesy of our customer, Tom, in Glastonbury, CT.

How to Winterize Rain Barrels:

We serve customers all over the USA and Canada, so winterization techniques will vary depending on your climate zone. (Click here for our nationwide network of barrel pickup locations.)

In general, you'll want to follow local protocols for outdoor plumbing in your region. Here are a few specifics:

IF IT'S COLD...

In areas with light, intermittent freezes, there may be no need to winterize at all. Water tanks, barrels, and even PVC plumbing lines will tolerate temperatures below freezing if the water doesn’t have time to freeze solid.

dripping faucet

A slow-drip can keep water from freezing short-term.

EXPERT TIP: If your pipes are unprotected and you fear they'll freeze and break on especially cold nights, you can leave a slow-drip in the faucet or drain valve. Moving water freezes at much colder temperatures than still water, so a slow-drip will offer some protection. Just don't forget to shut off the tap when the sun comes out in the morning!

IF IT'S C-C-COLDER...

In colder climates, plumbing lines can be insulated with standard pipe insulation, available in hardware stores and home improvement outlets.

If you are insulating other outdoor pipes, you should insulate the underplumbing on your BlueBarrel System®, too, and use insulated faucet covers, available in our online store, to protect your valves.

If you have power-supply nearby, you can use a pipe heating cable under your insulation for extra protection. Our pipe heat cables have a built-in thermostat that turns on at 37 degrees F, and off at 50 degrees F.

Check our online store for pipe heating cables and insulated faucet covers.

Pipe Insulation

Standard pipe insulation can keep pipes from freezing.  Pair with pipe heating cable, available in our online store, for extra protection.

Winter Pipe Heating Cable
Insulated rain barrel pipes

David insulated his pipe and faucet expecting a cold snap in Austin, TX.

IF IT'S C-C-C-C-COLDEST...

In areas that experience deep freezes (e.g. where you can ice skate on the local lake!), drain and detach rain barrels and tanks from downspouts during the coldest months of the year. To protect all parts from freezing temperatures, make sure ball valves are fully drained as well.

We have winter covers available under Tools & Accessories in our online store.* These will restore your downspout to normal function when you disconnect your rain barrels. Order winter covers along with a 1-1/2" twist plug (also available from our Tools & Accessories menu) to cap the exposed inlet hole in your barrel.

Just don't forget to reattach in time to catch the spring rains after the danger of deep freeze has passed!

See BlueBarrel's Maintenance & Operations Manual for more details about weatherizing and maintaining your BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment SystemTM.

*The winter cover is compatible with our current downspout diverters. If you ordered your RainKit® after August 15, 2015, then it will be compatible. If you ordered before then, to disconnect your diverter, simply remove the inlet hose and plug the hole—both in the diverter and in your barrel—with the 1" Expandable Twist-Plugs, also available in our online store.
rain barrel plug

1.5" Expandable Twist Plug caps the barrel inlet.

Winter Cover

Winter cover restores downspout when disconnected.

Disconnected rain barrels

Annette disconnected her barrels from the downspout for the snowy winter in Vancouver, WA.

Winterizing Drip Irrigation Lines:

Many of our customers pair their rain barrels with a gravity-fed drip irrigation system to distribute rainwater to their gardens. In the colder climate zones, we need to winterize drip irrigation systems as well. Drip irrigation line is more flexible than PVC and not quite as vulnerable to freeze damage. That said, all materials suffer over time with extreme weather exposure.

Rolling up and storing irrigation lines during your off-season will prolong it's life, but it may not be absolutely necessary.

At the very least, make sure your irrigation lines are fully drained if you're expecting hard-freezes. If your system has an obvious low-point (or points), you can drain the line from there. On a flat site, lift the line a few feet at a time until all water discharges from the line's end.

Whether or not you decide to roll up your line, if you are draining your rain barrels to prevent freeze damage (see above), you should also remove any ball valves, filters, and timers that connect to your irrigation line. Shake out remaining water, and store those for the season—the moving parts can get damaged if they contain water that freezes.

Gravity-fed irrigation systems are remarkably simple and don't usually include pumps, pressure regulators, or vacuum breakers, so you have less to worry about than with a pressurized drip irrigation system. But if you have a pressurized system with more bells and whistles, here's a resource from Penn State Extension with full winterization guidelines for drip irrigation systems.

Want to build your own BlueBarrel System?

Visit bluebarrelsystems.com to size and site your BlueBarrel SystemTM. Then enter our Online Store to customize your RainKitTM and find recycled barrels for local pickup.

Check out our photo gallery for inspiration, and contact us if we can help you with your order as you get ready to collect winter's rains!

Shop Winterization Supplies
RELATED POST: 10 Winter Uses for Rainwater

Demystifying the Downspout Diverter: Rain Diverters for Barrels, Tanks and Cisterns

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As a rainwater catchment company, we answer lots of questions about the rain diverter for barrels, tanks and cisterns. Just how do you get water from your roof downspout into a rainwater storage system, anyway?

The BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® provides a top-to-bottom (roof to barrel to garden, that is) solution for harvesting and storing rainwater, and then irrigating with it.

This article covers the standard downspout rain diverter (included with our DIY RainKits® and sold separately for use with other kinds of rain barrels and tanks), demystifying how it works. We'll also cover some alternatives, for those who are thinking:

"What if the standard solution won't work for me?”

Gutter vs downspout
A quick breakdown:

On the average building, rainwater cascades down the roof and into gutters, which run horizontally to capture water from the roofline. Then, water courses through a number of downspouts, the vertical elements that carry stormwater to the ground.

Without rain barrels, this water usually makes its way into a storm drain, or is piped away from the building onto the landscape.

Rain barrels allow you to divert this water and store it as a free source of the highest quality irrigation water. This has environmental benefits both in terms of water conservation and stormwater mitigation.

BlueBarrel's Standard Downspout Rain Diverter

The BlueBarrel System® uses a flexible-fit, rubberized downspout diverter. This nifty piece intercepts rainwater flowing through a downspout and redirects it into a linked system of barrels. Once the barrels reach full capacity, the diverter redirects excess flow down the existing downspout automatically.

When you customize your BlueBarrel System in our online store, you get to choose from three different diverter sizes for an easy-to-install and well-fitted downspout solution.

After 10+ years in business (and longer for R & D!), this is the downspout rain diverter we like best, especially for a multi-barrel system like the BlueBarrel System. Here’s why: 

It’s easy to install:

EarthMinded Flexi Fit Downspout Diverter for Rain BarrelsThe rubberized diverter head is flexible. It inserts into standard downspouts with a simple hole, and no need to cut your downspout. 

We carry versions fitted for standard 2" x 3” and 3" x 4” rectangular downspouts, and also for round downspouts between 3” and 4” in diameter. (Click here for details on how to measure your downspouts to select the right diverter size.) The rubber diverter head seals inside the downspout. Water collects in an interior reservoir and flows swiftly through the inlet hose, into your tank or barrel(s). 

It optimizes the inflow rate and handles overflow automatically:

“But what about that big hole in the middle?”

Ah, there’s another common question. The most brilliant thing about this diverter is that it optimizes inflow to fill rate, and handles system overflow automatically. Because of that hole, this is all possible with no on-and-off switch. It’s a true set-it-and-forget-it solution.

If your barrels have any capacity at all, water will flow in. When they are full, it will flow down as if they weren't there. This is an easy and automatic way to keep barrels topping up even as you use the water throughout the seasons.

When installed correctly (with the inlet hose completely level), a full barrel will cause excess water to back up in the hose. Once the water column starts rising in the downspout, excess flow falls down that hole in the middle to exit your downspout as it normally would.

This adds major convenience—you don't even need to think about system overflow! While there are plenty of ecological overflow solutions you can pursue when you have time, rest assured that you will not be creating any new drainage problems when you install a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®.

a downspout diverter
Our standard diverter connected to a downspout (with a Leaf Eater installed above it). Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Jan K. in Lanesville, IN.

How does the downspout rain diverter capture enough water with the hole in the middle?

First, it's important to understand how water flows through a downspout to begin with. Many people imagine stormwater coursing through the gutters, and then free-falling inside the downspout. But that's not how it happens. Surface tension causes water to hug the interior walls of the downspout as it exits.

(Have you ever tried to pour water from one container to another, only for it to run down your arm and drip from your elbow? That's the same effect. The water hugs the surface, whether it's your arm, or a downspout!).

So most water will be delivered directly to the reservoir at the edge of the diverter head. Only when rainfall volumes exceed the inflow rate of the inlet hose will you begin to see simultaneous overflow: another important concept that we'll help you understand.

Understanding Simultaneous Overflow

In heavy rains, you may notice water is entering your system and exiting the bottom of the downspout at the same time. You can double check to make sure the diverter head is installed correctly (with a level inlet hose and not crimped inside the downspout), but otherwise, this is how the piece is designed to work.

If water enters the system faster than it can move through the pipes that connect all the barrels, you will end up with backup. This can lead to uncontrolled overflow, which can be a big problem.

So simultaneous overflow could also be thought of as balanced inflow. That sounds better, doesn't it?

How hard does it have to rain before we see simultaneous overflow?

That depends on the size of your rooftop, paired with the rainfall intensity rate, which can change from minute-to-minute. The smaller your collection surface is, the harder it has to rain before you'll see simultaneous overflow. If you’re collecting from a very large surface, you may see simultaneous overflow with just moderate rains.

TWO DOWNSPOUTS
This (beige-painted) BlueBarrel System taps into two downspouts for a faster fill. Leaf Eaters are circled, above each rain diverter. Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Erik D. in Moreno Valley, CA.

Is Simultaneous Overflow Bad?

We don't think so! Simultaneous overflow (a.k.a. balanced inflow) allows inflow and overflow to be more balanced throughout the season.

Your storage tanks have the ability to collect a certain amount of water. Excess water will overflow regardless, so by optimizing the inflow rate, overflow exits at lower rates over a longer period of time. This increases your ability to infiltrate this water onsite, which is what you really want for the best ecological design. It is also your best bet for minimizing the chances of damage caused by uncontrolled overflow. 

How to Increase Inflow:

That said, we do have a few suggestions for how to increase inflow for faster fill. First, just remember a multi-barrel system like the BlueBarrel System can't fill any faster than water can get through the connection lines. While there are some creative ways to increase the rate of transfer between barrels, in a standard setup, the most sound approach is to match the inflow rate to the rate at which the system can fill. Otherwise you will have issues with backup.

But there are many ways to increase inflow without creating overflow issues. For example, the system above collects from two separate downspouts: one at each end of the system. The BlueBarrel System is very flexible in this way. Our interactive online store allows you to choose all kinds of customizations, including extra diverters, so you can feed a single system from multiple downspouts.

Selector Valves:

The picture below shows another creative approach to increasing inflow. With two diverters collecting the same downspout, one is installed higher than the other. The lower diverter will catch overflow from the higher one in heavy rains. But again, for a small system, there is such a thing as too-much/too-fast, so the RainRouter Selector Valve on the bottom diverter allows the user to send excess water through a hose to direct it elsewhere. (RainRouters are available in our online store as well).

double diverter set up
This is another system at Erik's place. He used a second diverter to capture overflow from the first. The RainRouter Selector valve on the second diverter allows him to direct water away from his rain barrels if he wants.

Full Diversion:

Still, many folks contact us about cutting the downspout to divert all flow into the rain barrel. While it’s common for beginners to want to fill the barrel as quickly as possible, unless you have large tanks sized to capture full-season rainfall volumes, this is usually not a good design decision. Diverting all water into a barrel requires a separate overflow (we’ll go over that below), and your system will fill so quickly that all excess water will overflow at sometimes-higher-than-manageable volumes.

Again, our professional recommendation is to allow some simultaneous overflow when rainfall volumes are excessive. Overflow is much easier to manage at lower and more consistent rates. 

In most cases, a more balanced inflow solution with automatic overflow handling makes the most sense. Review the double-diverter strategies above for balanced ways to increase inflow while still benefitting from the automatic overflow function.

What if My Downspouts are Not Compatible?

We carry diverter kits for 2" x 3" and 3" x 4" rectangular downspouts, and round downspouts between 3" and 4" in diameter. This covers most standard residential and industrial sizes.

Do you have a different size, or maybe a completely different roof drainage system like rain chains or scuppers? No need to worry. We have a surprisingly simple solution. 

Leaf Eater as Adapter

A Leaf Eater is a standard upgrade to any rainwater system, and is highly recommended for keeping leaves, mosquitoes, and other debris out of your rain barrels or tanks in any case. Also known as a debris excluder, it is one of our most popular accessories. 

The great thing about the leaf eater is it adapts to any of the standard sizes listed above—round or rectangular! Installation, while simple, does require a clean cut to the downspout. This is a good thing if you have non-compatible downspouts, or no downspouts at all.

Water free-falls onto the leaf eater, so it doesn't matter what dimension you have above it. Downspout material is inexpensive and you can replace your lower segment with 2" x 3" downspout material for a standard diverter connection, as shown in the video. 

While we don't love the idea of plastic in general (except for re-used of course!), plastic downspout material is a low-hanging fruit in this case. It is inexpensive, easy to cut, and seals very well against the rubberized diverter head. 

In fact, the "leaf eater-as-adapter" solution is so effective, it really matters not what's going on "upstream" of the leaf eater, as long as you can funnel water onto the screen in one way or another. 

Rain chains can be cut to release onto a leaf eater. Leaf eaters can be installed to catch water from a scupper, or a makeshift drainage system. The options are limitless!

leaf eater as adpater options
Non-standard downspouts? Simply direct your roofwater onto a Leaf Eater to adapt!

What if I Still Want Full-Diversion?

In general, this is not a proportional approach for smaller systems like single rain barrels, or even linked rain barrel systems, for the reasons described above. But it may be a good idea for larger tanks. 

Whether your tanks are large or small, for proper ventilation and overflow handling, you need to have an overflow equal to or greater in size than the sum of all inlets. To make that simple, if you have a 3" inlet, you need a 3" overflow on the same vessel.

Overflow Issues and Capacity Loss:

Imagining this on a 55-gallon rain barrel, you can see how the overflow port takes a significant bite out of your storage capacity. Multiply that loss for a multi-barrel system. In addition to uncontrolled overflow, loss of storage capacity is another reason full diversion is not ideal for smaller systems.

While our prefab diverter handles overflow automatically by design, full-diversion will need to be paired with a carefully-designed overflow management system.

Consider that overflow rates will be irregular and sometimes very high. Direct overflow to an infiltration basin at least 15' from any structures, where it can safely infiltrate. 

Custom Downspout Diverter
"I commend you on your how-to videos. I've watched many videos for home projects and yours is head and shoulders above most on YouTube. Jesse is precise and easy to understand. Being a plumbing professional, I thought I'd watch your videos and improve upon the design, but now I can't say I'll do this any other way than following your instructions."
- Robert | San Luis Obispo, CA

This BlueBarrel customer created his own inlet. A separate overflow of at least the same size will be required, to route excess water to a safe drainage spot. Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Robert E.

Custom downspout for rain barrels
"Success! My husband installed our 10-barrel system in a day. He added a gutter over the path to feed into the downspout. Genius!"
- Georgann | Montara, CA

In this submission from Georgann C., although BlueBarrel's standard diverter is used, it enters from the top of the barrel. Because her inlet hose is not level, Georgann employs a separate overflow that exits behind the barrels, directed to a drain that feeds a small pond.

What if I Don't Have Gutters or Downspouts at All?

The simple answer is you would need to install them. But not necessarily. What you really need to do is gather your water into a single location so that it can be collected. Really, as described above, all you need to do is get the water onto a leaf eater in one way or another.

Check out Occidental Arts & Ecology Center's (OAEC) Wonder Gutter solution for one inexpensive way to create your own gutter system!

What if I Don't Have a Roof?

In comes the rainwater funnel. Rainwater harvesting works because the roof catches a large volume of water and (usually) funnels it through a series of gutters and downspouts. This concentrates large volumes of water for easy collection. 

Can't I just put an open barrel in a field?

Sure, but if you get one inch of rain, you'll have exactly one inch in the bottom of your barrel... until it starts evaporating!

This is the beauty of the collection surface: That same inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot rooftop will generate over 600 gallons of high-quality rainwater. That's enough to fill 11 standard 55-gallon rain barrels, to put things in perspective. 

Even a very small surface (like an 8' x 8' garden shed) will fill a 55-gallon barrel with less than 1.5" of rain. If you don’t have outbuildings to collect from, you can create a modest increase to your collection surface with a rainwater funnel.

While it won't give you the kind of surface area that even a small rooftop would, the funnel can increase your surface area two times or more. This may be a useful solution for open-field watering needs like livestock, birdbaths, establishing orchard plantings, or habitat restoration. 

rain barrel with rain saucers
No roof? No problem! You can outfit your barrels with a funnel, a.k.a. "rain saucer"

Outbuildings and Solar Panels:

Consider installing a small outbuilding, or even a shelter to shade your storage tanks. Some folks have installed free-standing solar panels in the middle of a field and collected from those. Solar panels have high collection efficiency, and provide other ecological benefits as well. Wouldn't it be useful to have some shade or storage (or energy production!) out next to your stored water anyway?

rain barrels on shed

Look how much storage Peggy K. fit along the side of her 10' x 12' garden shed.

Jesse & Team

With no other rooftops nearby, the Windsor Garden Club also utilized a garden shed to harvest water for their planted beds. Those solar panels make for a nice collection surface!

With this in-depth primer, we hope you're ready to start harvesting, no matter what kind of downspouts you're starting with. Step through our online planning tools to customize a rainwater system for your place, and feel free to contact us with questions. We're here to help!

 

Article by Jesse Savou, MA Ecological Design, ARCSA/ACCE Certified Rainwater Harvesting Professional. Graphics by Olivia Loughrey, MS Ecological Design. Photos contributed by BlueBarrel customers all over the USA!

Related Post: Downspout Diverters in Action
Related Post: How to Measure Downspouts for a Diverter
Related Post: Inlet Hose Extensions for Rain Barrels
Related Post: Doubling Up on Downspout Diverters
Related Post: Hood Upgrade for Leaf Eater
READY TO START? Customize Your BlueBarrel System® Now!

How to Paint Plastic Barrels—Any Color You Like!

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Check out Mike and Judy's photo-illustrated guide to rain barrel painting. They're painting their barrels to match their house!

In fact, so many of our customers ask us why the barrels are blue, we thought we'd share Judy and Mike's story along with some tips & tricks on how to paint barrels!

RAIN BARREL PAINTING: A How-To Guide

Mike & Judy show us the ropes

man snads rain barrel to paint barrel
how to paint barrels: woman spray paints barrel for rainwater catchment
man lift rain barrel
7-Barrel Rainwater System

We sell blue barrels because blue is the industry standard for food-grade plastics. Blue drums are also UV-resistant, unlike the white ones. When you purchase barrels through BlueBarrel, they'll be blue to ensure they're of suitable quality, safe for rainwater harvesting, and compatible with our DIY RainKits®.*

If blue's not for you, paint them! 

STEP 1: PRIME THE SURFACE
Mike gives his barrels a once-over with sand paper to help the paint stick better. It's best to paint the barrels before you install them for a good, even coat.

STEP 2: SELECT THE PAINT
Judy shows us the paint. Check your local hardware store for spray paints that are made for outdoor use and bond to plastic. It can take over two cans of paint for each barrel to get an even finish.

STEP 3: PROTECT YOUR STUFF!
Speaking of plastic, notice she's protected her fence and plants. She wants white barrels, not a whitewashed garden!

STEP 4: APPLY THE PAINT
Follow the directions on the paint can. You may need two coats for a solid finish. And remember, you don't need to paint the bottom! To conserve paint, some folks don't paint the house-facing side of the barrels.

STEP 5: INSTALL YOUR SYSTEM!
Follow the instructions in your DIY RainKit to complete your BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® of any color!).

* If you start with white barrels, you HAVE to paint them. White, light, or transparent barrels will grow algae faster than you can say "hey, why are my white barrels green?!". Blue barrels are UV-resistant to exclude sunlight, so they won't grow algae. 

Painted BlueBarrel Systems® from Across the USA:

Painted Rain Barrels

Kurt started with white barrels and painted them to match his house (and for UV resistance). With foundation elements also painted to match the trim, these two BlueBarrel Systems complement the home beautifully!

BlueBarrel System painted white

Melissa's barrels started blue, but now they're white. She did a very nice paint job to match the trim on her southern home.

Rain Barrels with Site Level Gauge

Terra cotta is a nice accent at Jim's place, and a perfect offset to the greenery surrounding. The ell-shaped formation goes to show how flexible a BlueBarrel System® can be!

White Rain Barrels for rainwater catchment

Erik's barrels, painted to match the house and following the subtle contour of the wall, nestle nicely under the overhang for an inviting entry. Erik installed multiple systems at his place, each one customized to the locale. Click here for a full tour of this site.

Rain barrels painted red

Gayle painted not only her barrels, but also the cinderblock footings for an inviting display at the entry to her southwestern home. She chose a rusty red to pull the natural wood tones from her stairs and decking, and the stone finish behind the barrels.

Decorative painted rain barrels

ShuShila did an amazing job with a decorative approach, crediting the style of Studio Ghibli & Natsume Yuujinchou. Follow the links below for more info on decorative painting!

RELATED POST: Decorative Painting for Rain Barrels
RELATED POST: Mask or Decorate Rain Barrels: 7 Ways to Beautify

Best Roofing Materials for Rainwater Harvesting

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By Jesse Savou, ARCSA A.P. / ASSE 21110 & 21120 Certified. Last updated September 22, 2025.

Urban Rooflines

If you're thinking about rainwater harvesting (also known as roof-water harvesting!), you may be wondering about the best roofing materials for rainwater collection.

Whether you're working with existing conditions, or spec-ing out a brand new roof, we've got expert advice for you.

The good news is *most* roofing materials are perfectly suitable for rainwater harvesting. While metal roofing or plastic sheeting (e.g. greenhouse roof) has the highest collection efficiency, most other surfaces are also a-ok, even for irrigating veggies and other edible plants.

There's just a short list of rooftop surfaces that rainwater harvesters should avoid. Read down the list for info on roofing materials for rainwater harvesting.

Standing Seam Metal

If you're installing a new roof for the purpose of collecting rainwater, standing seam metal may be your best choice. A high quality enameled roofing material that is easy to clean, standing seam metal offers the highest collection efficiency available.

The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) advises that "standing seam roofs, powder coated or enameled, Galvalume (zinc + aluminum alloy) with non-toxic baked or enamel finish are appropriate for potable use with non-toxic finishes and appropriate components, tanks, and post-tank treatment."

metal roof for runoff
If you're designing from scratch, standing seam metal may be the best choice for rainwater harvesting.

While it isn't the most affordable material out there, think about standing seam metal even for a garden shed. You can fill a 55-gallon barrel with less than single inch of rain falling on a 10' x 10' surface, so don't overlook those outbuildings when you think about opportunities to collect and store rainwater on your site. Check out our rainwater calculator to see how much water your roof can collect.

Corrugated Metal

Corrugated metal also makes an efficient collection surface, but there is a precaution:

Most corrugated material is galvanized, which will leach some zinc into the rainwater. Many people collect from galvanized roofs with no problem, but this is something to be aware of. Collect a sample of rainwater and use a home test kit or send it to a lab to make sure zinc levels are below allowable limits. Zinc is an herbicide, so even if you won't be drinking the water, you'll want zinc levels to meet that standard to avoid hurting your plants.

corrugated metal roof water

HINT: Check the spot where your downspout currently drains to (or where rainwater releases from your galvanized roof). If the plants are dead where that roof-water hits the ground, it may be a sign that zinc levels are high enough to impact plant growth. Consider coating the rooftop to keep zinc from leaching into your water. (See below for details on roof coatings.)

Asphalt Shingle / Bitumen / Composition Shingle

Got asphalt shingle (like most of us do)? Asphalt is inert, and generally safe for rainwater collection. That said, the adhesives used for installation are worth a mention. These adhesives do most of their off-gassing within a year of installation, and virtually all of it within three years, so if you have a brand new asphalt shingle roof (also known as composition shingle), you may wish to avoid irrigating edibles for the first few years.

Folks often wonder about the gravel bits that come off asphalt shingles. Make sure you have inlet screening! While BlueBarrel's DIY RainKits and diverter assemblies include this, Leaf Eaters add more robust screening.

asphalt roof for rainwater
Most homes are topped with asphalt shingle. Generally speaking, it's safe to collect from this material, and to irrigate edible plants with your collected water.

Concrete Tile or Clay Tile Roofs

Clay and concrete tiles have lower collection efficiency than other roofing materials, because the tiles are porous and absorb so much water. This doesn't mean you can't harvest off them, though. With 623 gallons of high quality water available from a single inch of rain falling on 1000-square-foot surface, even an 85% collection efficiency rate (estimated for clay tile) will give you a lot of high quality water. Concrete tile may leave some alkalinity in your water, but this isn't necessarily a problem. Use a home test kit to measure your pH.

clay tile roof for rainwater catchment

Solar Panels

Eco-conscious, budget-conscious, or off-grid homeowners may be interested in solar panels as well as rainwater harvesting. Solar panels make a wonderful collection surface. Water will roll off them nice and smoothly. While the water may also come into contact with your native roof surface, the solar panels will shed water cleanly. If adhesives are used for installation, it may be worth collecting a sample to see if there are toxins in the water.

solar panel roof ok for rainwater catchment

Other Materials

Slate tile, painted tile, plastic sheeting, the list goes on and on. Most rooftop surfaces are just fine for rainwater harvesting. There are just a few roofing materials to avoid for rainwater collection...

 

Materials to Avoid

What roofing materials do we need to watch out for when it comes to rainwater harvesting?

  • Cedar Shake: Wood shingles are usually treated with fire retardants. This probably isn't something you want in your water. Have a sample tested to be sure. This water may be suitable for irrigation.
  • Copper: The lucky few who can afford copper roofs may already know that copper is naturally resistant to algae/moss growth because it is an herbicide. Copper will leach into your rainwater, so if using for garden irrigation, copper isn't an ideal choice.
  • Lead: Lead flashing is more and more rare, but test for lead if you're in an older building or harvesting for drinking water.
  • Biocides: Some rooftops are treated with biocides. Zinc- or copper-treated shingles are common in the Pacific Northwest to curb mold, moss, and algae growth on the roof. If you're harvesting for irrigation, make sure your biocide levels are low enough not to hurt your plants. (Check the spot where your downspouts release onto existing landscape to get a sense of whether biocides are concentrated enough to harm the plants in that area.)

Roof Coatings

Elastomeric paints are specialty roof coatings specifically for rainwater harvesting. While the material isn't cheap and multiple coats are often required, this could be something to consider, especially for rooftops that aren't otherwise safe to collect from. The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) provides a list of approved roof coatings for potable rainwater catchment systems.

*All water collected for potable use (e.g. human consumption) must be treated to meet drinking water standards.

roof coating for rainwater catchment
Use an approved rooftop coating to make an otherwise-unsuitable material harvestable.

When in Doubt...

You can always collect a sample and send it to a lab to know what you're up against.

If you're collecting for potable use, you'll need to treat the water anyway, but it's essential to know what's in it to understand what kind of treatment is most appropriate.

If you're collecting for garden irrigation (like so many people do!), you don't need to worry about organic pathogens. It's just the herbicides you need to look out for. You'll get a good hint about whether your water contains herbicides by paying attention to where your roofwater currently falls (e.g. where your downspouts release, or where the water falls from your roofline). If the grass in that area is patchy or dead, you may want to think twice. Otherwise, harvest away!

Thanks for reading Part 1 of our roofing materials series. Sign up for our email list to get articles like this one straight to your inbox!

RELATED POST: Roofing Materials for Weather: Rain, Snow, or Shine
RELATED ARTICLE: Irrigate Veggies with Rainwater, Safely

Podcast Features: 5 Lively Interviews With BlueBarrel’s Founder

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Enjoy the latest of a 3-part series! BlueBarrel founder, Jesse Savou, joins Mike and Scott to see how the BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® is doing at the Black Diamond Garden Center. The trio discusses Scott's experience with installation, irrigation, and winterization.

Scroll down to listen to the first two episodes in this series. 

Episode background: Scott decided to build a BlueBarrel System after recording the first podcast about rain water quality. He has now set up a demo to water plants at his garden center that are under cover. Now we get to hear how it's going!

August 2025. Run time 1:03.

A Garden Podcast for Listeners from Coast to Coast

Mike O'Rourke & Scott Sandstrom host casual conversations about gardening on the popular Your Midwest Garden Podcast. Enjoy fun and relaxed interviews with experts and DIY gardeners that will interest listeners from coast to coast.

In these episodes, Mike and Scott are joined by BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou. As a special bonus, listeners get a discount code for their first purchase at bluebarrelsystems.com!

Your Midwest Garden Podcast Show Graphic

One year later, Jesse re-joins Mike and Scott to review their progress installing a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System at the Black Diamond Garden Center. Learn about system siting, sizing, downspout diverters, how to avoid common pitfalls, and more!

April 2025. Run time 47 min.

YMGP Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

Join hosts Mike O'Rourke and Scott Sandstrom of Your Midwest Garden Podcast as they enjoy a fun-filled hour with BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou. The trio discusses system planning, water quality benefits and legalities of collecting rainwater all over the USA. 

September 2023. Run time 59 min.

Podcasts Highlighting BlueBarrel's 10+ Year Journey

BlueBarrel was featured in two sustainability podcasts in late 2022, highlighting interviews with our founder, Jesse Savou, as she reflects on the 10-year journey that began with BlueBarrel's unlikely inception in 2012.

Join hosts Izumi Tanaka of Home Green Homes and Neal Collins of The Regenerative Real Estate Podcast to learn about Jesse's journey to launch BlueBarrel, the values behind our business, and how our offerings have evolved to what's available to customers all over the USA through this very website today.

Regenerative Real Estate Podcast Graphic

Neal Collins' Regenerative Real Estate Podcast features architects, developers, land stewards, farmers, philosophers, and community organizers who are pushing culture toward a more resilient future.

November 2022. Run time 1 hr 10 min.

HomeGreenHomes Podcast Image

Izumi Tanaka's Home Green Homes Podcast invites a variety of experts in the world of green homes to have conversations about how we can all live in healthy, resilient and efficient homes. 

October 2022. Run time 36 min.

DIY Files: David’s BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®—From Rooftop to Veggies, Winterization & More!

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David Jacobson with his BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System

This highlight comes from BlueBarrel customer David Jacobson, in Austin, TX.

David used our DIY RainKit® to install a 4-barrel BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® under his deck. He then used our Add-On Kit to add four more barrels, for a total of eight barrels irrigating his vegetable garden. 

He used our website to customize for his site, including extra downspout connections, inlet hose extensions, and double-rows of barrels. He also shares some of his own customizations for painting his leaf eater, winterization, and adding a Wi-Fi controlled timer to automate his gravity-fed drip irrigation system.

Enjoy photos and videos of David's project, and read on to get inspired by our DIY highlight of the season!

Customize your BlueBarrel System® now!

Starting Small

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System
Elevated BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System

David started with a 4-Barrel RainKit® with the intention of doubling the size of his system later. He built a custom raised foundation for extra elevation, with room for a total of eight barrels.

Says David: I wanted to share photos of my new Blue Barrel Rainwater Catchment System. It is under my deck, next to my vegetable garden. Because I live on a slope, I wanted my barrels to be slightly higher than the highest point of my garden. So, I designed and built a custom rack made of heavy gauge structural steel, capable of carrying the one-ton weight of my four barrels, and a 2nd row of four barrels in the future. I also plan to use the under-shelf as a seedling greenhouse. The water is collected from the downspout off the roof above my deck.

Downspout Details

BlueBarrel System with Double Downspout Diverters

David installed the double-diverter with RainRouter Selector Valve configuration featured in BlueBarrel's Creative Twists article, inspired by another customer, Erik, in California.

To span the extra distance between downspout and barrels, David used Longer Inlet Hose, sold by-the-foot in our Online Store.

Next Came the Leaf Eater

Rain Harvesting Leaf Eater, Painted

The Leaf Eater is our most popular accessory, providing a robust, stainless-steel pre-filter for water entering rain barrels. As recommended, David installed it in an accessible location so he can easily reach the pull-tab to shake off the screen when needed. He also gave it a nice paint job to complement the color of his trim.

With the mature trees on David's site, the Leaf Eater was definitely a good choice.

Says David: Here is my newly installed Leaf Eater. It is installed at my deck level where I can easily access the filter, while also being well above my diverters. You might also see my dog, Thor, in the pic. 🙂

Leaf Eater for Rain Barrels

Enjoy this short video showing David's Leaf Eater in action:

Click here for a playlist of videos featuring the Leaf Eater and other popular accessories.

Winterization

Rain Barrel Winterization

Since BlueBarrel serves customers all over the USA, we recommend different winterization techniques for different climate zones.

David used standard pipe insulation for Austin's fairly mild winters. A nice, insulated cinch-bag covers his outlet for easy access to the valve.

Pipe heating cable on BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System
Pipe heating cable under pipe insulation

David then decided to add a plug-in pipe heating cable, as extra insurance against an unexpected cold snap.

David explains: With the recent low temperatures, I experienced some icing in my wrapped pipes and decided to upgrade my winterization with an inexpensive heating cable, specifically designed to heat pipes; it comes with its own built-in thermostat. Seems to be working, and should work nicely as long as I have power.

Expanding the System With BlueBarrel's Add-On Kit

BlueBarrel Add-On Kit turns 4-barrel to 8-barrel system.
BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System with insulated pipes
As planned, once he had gotten a feel for all the features of his BlueBarrel System, David returned to BlueBarrel's Online Store to order an Add-On Kit (which he customized for four barrels) along with a Muti-Row Connection so he could configure his addition into double rows.
In his words: I just finished connecting my additional four barrels using BlueBarrel's Add-On Kit, and Multi-Row Connector! My original four barrels were almost full when I started. It was pretty cool to watch my Tank Gauge equalize down to halfway when I opened the cross-connect valve, telling me I had doubled my capacity to 440 gallons! Expecting rain this week, we’ll see how long it takes to fill it back up again. Done with our frigid cold snap a week ago, but I winterized everything anyways just in case we get another winter front before spring.

Automating a Gravity-Fed Drip Irrigation System

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System with pump
Lastly, David added a remote-control valve so that he can operate his gravity-fed irrigation system remotely. Please note, while BlueBarrel does sell a no-pressure irrigation timer to automate frequency and duration for your gravity-fed irrigation cycle, we do not sell or support remote control Wi-Fi products. For customers also interested in experimenting with remote-control Wi-Fi solutions, we offer David's discovery.
David shares: I ended up getting this motorized ball valve because it’s already neatly wired for 110V. It works beautifully, and has a very large opening. I paired it with this outdoor WiFi smart plug (there are LOTS of brands of these of course). Connected to the smart plug, I can open and shut it remotely, schedule it via Google Home or Amazon Alexa or Apple Home; do advanced scheduling like sunset and sunrise, etc. I think it’s going to work nicely.

Enjoying the Fruits

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System in vegetable Garden
Veggie garden irrigated with rainwater

David's fenced-in garden area is protected from browsers—a perfect place to grow vegetables to feed the household.

Notice the blue barrels peeking out from under the deck, holding high quality irrigation water for this garden, and situated just high enough to water with with a gravity-fed drip irrigation system.

Tomatoes with irrigation line
pepper plants with gravity-fed irrigation

See the drip irrigation line running through these tomato and pepper plants. Gravity does the work to keep the soil hydrated, and the plants happy.

David used our Drip Irrigation Kit for Gravity Feed with Bubbler Emitters, but also ordered some predrilled emitterline (a.k.a. inline emitters) separately for a perfect mix-and-match to service this garden. All of these kits and parts are available in our Online Store.

vegetables watered with rainwater
Nice work, David, and enjoy your bountiful harvest!

READY TO GET STARTED?

Is Rainwater Safe for Veggies and Edible Gardens? Sustainable Irrigation You Can Trust

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Is rain barrel water safe for vegetable gardens? Here’s what you need to know:

At BlueBarrel, we hear this question all the time: Is it safe to irrigate my vegetable garden with rainwater from the roof, stored in barrels?

The short answer: Yes, generally it is—and it’s a smart, sustainable move for your garden and your water bill.

Let’s walk through why using rainwater for vegetables is not only considered safe, but also beneficial.

Plants Filter Water Differently Than We Do

Plants don’t “drink” water the way people do. When you irrigate with rain barrel water, the plants pull moisture through their roots, but what reaches the edible part of the plant is essentially clean water. Most contaminants (if any) remain in the soil or rinse off the leaves.

In addition to pure water (H₂O), plants also have some ability to uptake dissolved nutrients and minerals, like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. You may know these as NPK, the macro-nutrients provided in fertilizer. As one of nature's great gifts, rainwater contains nitrates from the atmosphere, the bio-available form of nitrogen.

So while the water in your rain barrel may not be suitable for drinking, it’s not only safe, but also beneficial for watering edible plants.

Your Garden Gets the Same Water When It Rains

One of the biggest myths we hear is that roof runoff is dirtier than what naturally lands on your garden. But here’s the truth:

Everything that falls on your rooftop is also falling directly onto your garden. What ends up in your rain barrel is already concentrating on your garden during every storm.

Collecting rainwater from the roof just gives you a way to save it for later. In fact, roof-harvested water often contains nutrients that plants love, like nitrogen from the atmosphere, and organic goodies like pollen and leaf litter.

7-Barrel Rainwater System

UC Davis plant pathologist, Mike Davis, boasts his BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®, painted to match the house. His terra cotta clay tile roof is perfectly safe for harvest. Mike's extensive vegetable garden and fruit trees love the water!

Farmers Use Far “Dirtier” Water—Safely

Large farms routinely irrigate crops using untreated surface water from rivers, ponds, and canals. Agricultural water is far from pristine, yet it’s widely accepted and regulated for food production.

Think trench irrigation, or "purple pipe" irrigation. Purple pipe water refers to recycled water that gets treated for non-potable uses like irrigation. The purple color distinguishes these irrigation pipes from those carrying drinking water.

In comparison to agricultural water, rain barrel water from a residential rooftop is often much cleaner.

trench irrigation

Storage Can Improve Water Quality

Contrary to popular belief, storing water in barrels doesn’t make it more dangerous—it can actually help.

A closed system like the BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® filters out debris through code-required 16th" mesh. Our tight-head, UV-resistant, food-grade barrels prevent algae growth completely (algae needs sunlight to grow).

Smaller particulates either flush through our bottom-draining design to fertilize your plants (rather than collecting on the bottom, as they would in more standard rain barrel designs); or stick to the barrel walls, forming what's called a biofilm.

Biofilm is a self-managing layer that hosts a beneficial biology, creating a light composting effect inside your barrels. This is why they say irrigating from rain barrels is like a light application for fertilizer each time you water!

While it was once a standard recommendation to scrub rain barrels out once per year, ARCSA removed that recommendation from published maintenance schedules in light of research about the benefits of a natural biofilm inside of a rain barrel.

For extra peace of mind, we recommend installing a leaf eater as a more robust pre-filter. It's one of the most popular accessories in our online store!

Washing Produce is Always Smart

Whether you grow your own or buy from the store, washing fruits and vegetables before eating is a standard best practice. It helps remove soil, dust, or any particles that might have stuck to the surface during growing, watering, or handling—rainwater or otherwise.

Rainwater is Better for Plants—and the Planet

Here’s something else to consider:

Rainwater is naturally soft and free of the salts, chlorine, and other chemicals that are common in municipal tap water. It is also free of the earth elements (minerals and metals) that are in well water. This makes it gentler on plant roots and better for soil health—especially important for organic gardeners.

Using rainwater also reduces demand on potable supplies and supports a more self-sufficient, climate-resilient lifestyle. Win-win.

How to Do It Right with BlueBarrel

Our DIY RainKit® makes safe, sustainable rainwater harvesting easy. Built with repurposed food-grade barrels, the BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® keeps your water clean, contained, and accessible—perfect for veggie gardens, fruit trees, container beds, and more.

Want to go the extra mile? Add gravity-fed drip irrigation to deliver water right where your plants need it, reducing splash, and with it, pathogens that may end up on the surface of your plants.

Rain barrel water safe for vegetable gardens

This BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® irrigates a community garden in Windsor, California. The leafy greens in the foreground love the light application natural fertilizer that's delivered with every flush of rainwater.

What About Harmful Contaminants, Like Lead?

In most cases, rooftop rainwater is considered safe for irrigating edibles, but certain conditions could introduce contaminants that are worth knowing about—especially if you're growing food for young children or those with compromised immunity.

The main contaminants that may be uptaken by edible plants—particularly into leafy greens or root vegetables—include:

  • Lead (Pb): Can leach from old lead-based paints or solder on older metal roofs and gutters.

  • Cadmium (Cd): May be present in industrial air pollution that settles on rooftops, or in galvanized metal.

  • Zinc (Zn): Galvanized roofing may release excess zinc, which can build up in soil over time.

  • Copper (Cu): Often from copper gutters or downspouts—copper is essential in small amounts, but toxic in excess.

  • PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons): Formed from combustion and may accumulate on roofs near roadways or urban areas.

Keep in mind, if these environmental toxins are present in your neighborhood in concerning concentrations, you may not want to grow a vegetable garden at this time.

As for roofing materials, you can be cautious by making sure your roof and gutter system are updated to current standards, and don't concentrate any of these elements into your stored water.

If you have copper gutters—these are not common, as they are quite expensive, but sometimes an aesthetic choice in upscale neighborhoods—water may not spend enough time in them to create a problem, especially if they are pitched correctly for proper drainage. Keep in mind you can always paint the inner-course of your gutters with a protective enamel that will prevent any leaching. Galvanized roofing can also be coated with enamel for rainwater harvesting.

If you have ash settling on your rooftop due to industrial activity or wildfires, disconnect your rain barrels until the burn cycle has passed, and rainfall has washed your roof naturally.

tomato plants are safe to water with rainwater

Fruiting plants like tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, melons, and of course fruit trees, uptake pure water into the fruiting part of the plant. If you have any concerns about environmental toxins, use your rainwater on these guys!

When in Doubt, Test Your Water

If you believe your stored rainwater may have contaminants in it that are unsafe for irrigation, send a sample to a local lab, or buy a home test kit.

If you want to be extra cautious—especially in urban areas, near highways, or with older buildings—you can:

  1. Test your rainwater or soil. Labs can screen for heavy metals, pH, and other potential contaminants.

  2. Avoid collecting from certain roofs. For example, wood-shake roofs treated with chemicals or those with flaking lead-based paint may not be good candidates.

  3. Prioritize fruiting crops. Tomatoes, squash, peppers, and tree fruits uptake fewer contaminants than leafy greens or root vegetables.

Most importantly, remember that these contaminants are the exception, not the rule. When you collect and store it properly, rainwater from residential rooftops is widely used and trusted for home food production. This is true throughout history, and around the world.

In Summary

Yes, rain barrel water is safe for irrigating vegetable gardens and other edibles, as long as you follow best practices like using a well-designed rain barrel system and rinsing your produce before eating.

When you collect roof runoff using a system like BlueBarrel’s, you’re not only saving water—you’re creating a healthier garden, a lighter footprint, and a smarter, self-sustainable way to grow.

Food Grade vs. Food Safe Barrels: Understanding the Difference for Used Plastic Drums

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It's one of our most frequently asked questions: Are your barrels food-grade? This article answers that question, including important definitions used in the industry to determine what kinds of containers are suitable for different uses.

When shopping for water barrels—especially the popular blue plastic drums that we sell in our online store—you’ll often come across terms like “food grade” and “food safe.” These labels sound similar, but when it comes to used barrels, the distinction matters.

At BlueBarrel, we specialize in reclaimed 55-gallon drums made of #2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene)—a durable, FDA-approved plastic. But here’s the key point: just because a barrel is made of food-grade plastic doesn’t mean it’s food safe.

Let’s break it down.

Food grade vs food safe barrels

What is Food Grade Plastic?

Food grade refers to the type of plastic used to make the barrel. In our case, that’s #2 HDPE, a strong, chemical-resistant plastic commonly used in:

  • Milk jugs

  • Juice bottles

  • Food storage containers

New HDPE drums are manufactured in clean environments and can legally be used to transport food and drink.

✅ Used barrels like ours are made of food-grade plastic.

Why Used Barrels are Not Food Safe

Even though our drums are made from food-grade material, they are used—which disqualifies them from food-safe certification.

Most of our barrels previously held edible products like syrup, vinegar, or food flavorings.

Some contained "food-grade" cleaning agents (e.g. sanitizers for commercial kitchens and labs). This is an obvious case-in-point that "food-grade" doesn't actually mean safe to eat or drink.

Whether it contained food products or cleaning agents, once a barrel has been used, it can no longer be guaranteed as clean enough for drinking water or food use.

Tip for BlueBarrel customers: If you're wary of the sanitizing chemicals, choose barrels that contained food products. We list all prior contents for each of our participating barrel pickup locations in our online store. That said, a barrel that contained sanitizing agents (think bleach or ethyl alcohol), will be about the cleanest barrel you could ask for!

❌ Used barrels are not food safe under FDA guidelines and should not be used for potable water or consumables.

What Does “Food Safe” Actually Mean?

Food safe means that a container is:

  • Made from food-grade material

  • Never used or fully certified for reuse

  • In compliance with FDA or NSF safety standards

Only new, never-used barrels are truly food safe.

blueplasticbarrel

Summary: Food Grade vs. Food Safe

Term Meaning Used Blue Barrels?
Food Grade Made from plastic suitable for food contact (e.g., #2 HDPE) ✅ Yes
Food Safe Certified safe for storing food or drinking water ❌ No

What Are Used Barrels Good For?

Our reclaimed blue barrels are perfect for non-potable water storage, and other uses including:

They're a sustainable, affordable way to reuse high-quality materials without sending them to landfill.

2 rain barrels with drip irrigation

A BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® is made from food-grade barrels. This speaks to the high quality and durability of the plastic, but does not mean "food safe." Rainwater collected from the roof is non-potable, but when stored properly (as shown), it's the highest quality irrigation water available!

Looking for "Food Safe" Barrels?

If you need a barrel for drinking water, brewing, or food storage, be sure to buy a new, FDA-compliant container from a certified supplier. These are typically more expensive but required for safe food use.

Build a Floating Dock with Plastic Barrels

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Our DIY Rainwater Catchment System is just one way to upcycle 55 gallon blue plastic drums. We’ve seen many creative uses over the years—including a DIY composter. And when they’re not holding water or tumbling compost, empty barrels make a great base for a floating dock or even a DIY boat! Read on to learn how to build floating docks with used plastic barrels.

Getting Started: How to Build a Floating Dock

A quick web search will result in many methods for building a floating dock from barrels. Whether you choose to go for a simple solution or complex custom design, the basics will include:

  • recycled 55 gallon blue plastic drums (make sure to get "tight-head" drums with no removable lid)
  • treated lumber for the frame and platform
  • fasteners (ranging from bungee cords to bolts)

A floating dock can be anchored to the land via a stationary platform or other landing for attaching the dock to so it doesn’t float...away. Alternatively, you can anchor the dock with cinder blocks or other weights, but this may not work in deep water or fast currents.

build floating dock
This sturdy upcycled barrel dock is ready for life by the water!
A dock in the making! Click the image to visit the DIY blog.
This longer dock extends far into the water. Click the image for the DIY video.

Blue Barrel Boats

Why stop at a stationary floating dock? If these barrels float (and they really do!) why not turn that platform into a pontoon party boat?! There are many fun examples of barrel boats to look at for inspiration. Here are a few to get your imagination going…

Platform boat with picnic table and umbrella built with blue barrels.
Belly up to the beach with this picnic boat sighted in Australia.
This pontoon is great way to upcycle barrels and get out on the water.
This pontoon is great way to upcycle barrels and get out on the water.
Fishing boat? Party boat? The possibilities are endless! Make it your own.
Fishing boat? Party boat? The possibilities are endless! Make it your own.
A blue barrel boat built for two. Click the image to visit the DIY blog.

Find Used Barrels Near You!

Barrel docks and boats are a great way to pluck 55-gallon drums from the waste stream and utilize them creatively. There is an island of plastic trash floating in the ocean...let’s try to upcycle and float some of it responsibly! 

Here at BlueBarrel, we connect people with local recycled blue barrels throughout the US. Visit our website to find barrels near you and to learn more about creative ways to upcycle them.

Find Used Barrels Near You
Patch Holes in Used Barrels

Mask or Decorate Rain Barrels: 7 Ways to Beautify & Protect

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There are two kinds of BlueBarrel customer (or so we like to say!): those who boast their blue, and those who's first question is how to mask, hide, or decorate rain barrels.

While we love it when people put their rain barrels on display in their landscape or balcony garden, we do understand that blue barrels in the front yard aren't for everyone.

We're here with a handful of great ideas for decorating, masking, or blending your BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®, inspired by our very own customers across the USA.

1. Creative Covers

By Laura | Fort Collins, CO

Laura's BlueBarrel System is a poster-child for Colorado, maximizing the 2-barrel per household limit in that state.

Wait, that's a BlueBarrel System? YES! Underneath the wood veneer is a classic 2-barrel BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®.

Wood strips are secured to pre-drilled plumber's tape, measured to wrap the circumference of each barrel.

Barrels masked with wood paneling

BlueBarrel's signature under-plumbing easily exits the bottom for full system drainage, painted black to match the frame. A single hole near the the top of the wood veneer allows the downspout diverter to handle inflow and overflow automatically.

Laura's system is also elevated on a stable foundation to provide more natural head pressure for gravity-fed drip irrigation.

Well done Laura!

By Greg | Farmville, VA

Would you know there's a BlueBarrel System in there? Greg has artfully hidden a classic 3-barrel BlueBarrel System® with a simple trellis.

With easy access to collect from an existing downspout and the perfect 2' footprint next to his deck, the trellis fills this corner nook perfectly. The irrigation valve exits from the front for easy access to Greg's (hidden) water storage.

Around the corner, a 6-barrel system peeks out from behind a different kind of trellis. Plants will fill in to create shade and mask the barrels even more. The flexible underplumbed design is easily customized into two rows using our multi-row connection, and Greg can access the spigot and drain valve from outside the trellis.

Rain Barrel Cover
Trellis for rain barrels

By Linda | Sanford, FL

Linda got creative with an easy idea that anybody could implement at home. She says:

"This is one of the barrels in a 2-barrel system. I covered it in a tablecloth usually used for bar-height tables at outdoor weddings, put it under a table, added trellises, and planted morning glory flowers. This is in the front yard, so I'm trying to camouflage it while also keeping the hot Florida sun off of it."

Linda points out that creating a cover for your rain barrels provides the double-benefit of protecting your barrel(s) from sun damage (more on that under Excluding the Elements below!).

Covered rain barrel
"This is one barrel in my 2-barrel system. I covered it in a tablecloth, put it under a table, then added trellises, and planted morning glories. This is in the front yard, so I'm trying to camouflage it while also keeping the hot Florida sun off it."
- Linda | Sanford, FL

2. Artsy Archways

By Kathy | Windsor, CA

These handy homeowners recently expanded their system with a BlueBarrel Add-On Kit.

Says Kathy: "We had 3 barrels, but after a few years and droughts we recently purchased 3 more. It was easy to add on. Let it rain!"

Rain Barrels with Trellis

And they built an artful wooden trellis for screening, complete with a beautiful hanging glass orb. "It will look even better in a year when it’s had a chance to grow," adds Kathy, "milkweed and black-eyed Susans for the butterflies, and wisteria."

We can't wait to see this when its all grown in!

By Erica | Tallahassee, FL

Look at this garden paradise with a 9-Barrel BlueBarrel System® neatly framed behind a lush planted archway. Erica also used an alternative (and artful) stone-wall foundation. With a nice thick mulch layer and gravity-fed drip irrigation from barrels to garden, this is a model water-wise landscape!

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System

3. Posed with Plants

By Erik | Moreno Valley, CA

Erik placed one of his BlueBarrel Systems® in the front yard and paid particular attention to curb appeal! The 9-barrel System is curves with the front walkway and is softened by potted plants placed around and on top of the barrels.

White Rain Barrels for rainwater catchment

Erik also painted his barrels (more on that below), but the potted plants help to nestle the system and soften its look. Some customers surround their barrels with larger plants such as potted citrus trees, or install behind existing trees and hedges.

Put up a trellis around your barrels and grow a vine as another vegetated approach to fully-masked barrels (see above!).

Erik did a number of creative things with his BlueBarrel Systems (he has three separate systems on his site for a total of 27 barrels!). Click here for a full tour of Erik's place.

4. Painted to Perfection

By Chandler | Lady Lake, FL

Painting is a simple thing that can be done to change the look of your barrels.

Whether you paint to match the house, or just choose the color you like best, you can really exercise your creativity with this approach.

And the creativity doesn't stop there. Decorative designs are also possible for the artists among us. See below!

green painted rain barrels

In addition to the barrels, Chandler painted the PVC piping and the cinder block base.

By Melissa | Madison, AL

Melissa might win a stylistic award here with barrels painted to match the trim on her southern home. What an inviting garden scene!

BlueBarrel System painted white

By Chris | Independence, OH

Chris mirrored the architectural style of his home, matching the trim and stone wall material with his paint job. The ell-shaped configuration allowed him to maximize water storage, in keeping with the rectilinear design of his home and landscape.

Painted BlueBarrel System

Says Chris: "I installed my 5-barrel system over the weekend and I love it!  I did an L-shaped configuration and am feeding downspout water from both ends; the entire system is interconnected. I can’t say enough great things about BlueBarrel. Both their product and service are second to NONE!"

By ShuShila | Fort Collins, CO

ShuShila did an amazing job with a decorative approach, in the style of Studio Ghibli & Natsume Yuujinchou. She also credited her partner TJ (and Mal the cat!) for their help with the heavy lifting.

PXL_20230604_154445433

Learn all about how to paint your rain barrels here.

5. Hidden under House

By Tim | Sebastopol, CA

These nine barrels are installed under the deck on Tim's country hillside property. With the ground sloping away under the house, there's plenty of clearance for barrels, and with garden beds even further down the hill, the outlet on this BlueBarrel System® exits through the trellis-walls for an ideal gravity-fed setup.

Rain barrels under deck

Narrow side-yard corridors are another great out-of-the-way spot to hide a long line of barrels.

Full disclosure: Tim has another 10 barrels lined up in plain sight, so hiding barrels wasn't his primary motivation. But the under-deck provides another great space for water storage.

Tim used BlueBarrel's multi-row connection to double up on barrels—one of many customizations available to our customers.

By Trevor | Lembertville, NJ

Rain Barrels under deck

Five full barrels are the perfect use of the under-deck space at Trevor's place, providing high-quality irrigation water for the surrounding landscape through his gravity-fed drip irrigation system.

6. Excluding the Elements

By Shane | San Tan Valley, AZ

Yep, there's a 4-barrel BlueBarrel System® in there!

Shane's system is appropriately shaded for this sun-soaked region outside of Phoenix, AZ. Desert climates get a lot of rain all at once with long droughts in between, so in addition to Shane's lattice with shade cover, he installed an extra downspout diverter to collect from both ends. This will maximize capture when those rare monsoons roll through!

Shaded rain barrels in Phoenix, Arizona

View our customer Photo Gallery for more pictures and details about Shane's desert-ready BlueBarrel System.

By Brian | Palmyra, VA

Another 4-barrel BlueBarrel System® installed inside a custom-built enclosure, this time including a raised platform.

See BlueBarrel's signature underplumbing peeking out from underneath.

While the plumbing is protected by the platform, the drain valve is visible, accessing water from all four barrels.

Raised rain barrel foundation

By Byron | Loranger, LA

And yet again, there's a 4-barrel BlueBarrel System® in there!

Byron got creative to protect his barrels from the elements.

Says Byron: "This is my finished assembly consisting of four blue barrels on a cinder block foundation and wrapped in double bubble ReflecTix (in sun all day) with two spigots and piping allowing add-on barrels. The BlueBarrel System is well engineered and I recommend this system to anyone who wants garden water or spare emergency water."

Insulated Rain Barrels

7. BONUS: Boast your Blue!

By Randy | Sacramento, CA

With a streamlined, uniform look, many of our customers don't mind keeping their BlueBarrel Systems® in plain sight. Even an Eichler-inspired home can benefit from the adornment of rain barrels, as Randy shows us here!

With a set of rain barrels next to each downspout, the clean lines and fresh paint on the house combine with the regularly-spaced vertical massing of the barrels for a clean, architectural look.

A talking-piece for every backyard barbecue!

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System

We've featured front-yard installations in some of our other posts as well.

What better way to inspire sustainability and self-sufficiency than to let everybody see your water system at work!

blue barrels in front yard
RELATED POST: How to Paint Blue Barrels
RELATED POST: Decorative Paint Jobs for Rain Barrels
RELATED POST: Creative Twists on the BlueBarrel System®
RELATED POST: Creative Foundations for the BlueBarrel System®

BlueBarrel Garden Tour Sightings

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It's garden tour season and we've had a number of BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® sightings across the USA!

Some tour hosts coordinate with us. Others we find out about after-the-fact when somebody sends a photo. Either way, we're here to share the experience with you.

Enjoy our Virtual Garden Tour on Video!

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership took their annual tour online. Watch this short video to experience BlueBarrel's 2021 "tour stop."

2025 Garden Tours

Garden tour hosts with BlueBarrel System

BlueBarrel customers Ann and Brad with BlueBarrel founder, Jesse, ready to demo their BlueBarrel Systems on the 2025 Sonoma-Marin Eco-Friendly Garden Tour. Three BlueBarrel Systems totaling 11 barrels in this gorgeous California native habitat garden. 

6-barrel BlueBarrel Rain Barrel System

About a half-mile away, BlueBarrel customer, Suki, features her 6-barrel system tucked along the side yard, on the way in to her pollinator garden.

linked rain barrels

More barrels at Ann and Brad's place collect from a different downspout. A set of three in the foreground, connected to four more by the gate.

4-barrel BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System

A blooming rhododendron frames the view of Ann and Brad's 4-barrel system, which sits amongst ferns and native grasses in their north-side shade garden. 

2024 Garden Tours

Jesse Savou garden tour

BlueBarrel founder, Jesse Savou, with customer Dean at the Sonoma-Marin Eco-Friendly Garden Tour.

Jesse Savou teaches about rain barrels

Jesse greets tour participants at Dean's place, discussing the benefits of rainwater harvesting.

Jesse Savou demos Leaf Eater and Rain Diverter

Jesse demos the leaf eater and downspout diverter for tour guests. We are so thankful to Dean for inviting us out to his place to help host his tour site.

BlueBarrel System at Water Education Facility

This BlueBarrel System® was also spotted on the Eco-Friendly Garden Tour (and can be toured any day!) as it is located at Sonoma Water's water education facility in Healdsburg.

Says their coordinator: "The green barrel is not functionally a rain barrel. It was a deep fake to connect the downspout to a 4” drain outlet to the adjacent redwood grove. A leaf eater was added to take a portion of the flow into our BlueBarrel System to water the low-water-use garden for the kids."

BlueBarrel System on Garden Tour

Anonymous BlueBarrel sighting! This BlueBarrel System® was spotted on the Pence Garden Tour in Davis. Zoom in on the decal to know it's one of ours 🙂

Find a Garden Tour in Your Area

Want to find out about tours in your area? Sign up for our email list! We take your ZIP code so we can notify you of events in your local region. You will get a 10% discount coupon when you sign up for our email list.

Sign Up to Learn About Local Events

Showcase your BlueBarrel System®

If you are a BlueBarrel customer wanting to showcase your system on your local garden tour, please reach out to us for materials and support. Depending on the location, we may even be able to send a rep to help you host and educate visitors about the benefits of rainwater harvesting.

View More Customer BlueBarrel Systems®
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Rain Diverters, Leaf Eaters, and First Flush (Oh my!)

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As a rain barrel company, we answer lots of questions about rain diverters for barrels, tanks and cisterns. Just how do you get water from your roof downspout into a rainwater storage system, anyway?

If you need a basic primer, click the button for our beginner's guide, Demystifying the Downspout Diverter:

Related Post: Demystifying the Downspout Diverter

This article covers next-level techniques for pre-filtering rainwater to keep your rain barrels and rain tanks muck-free. 

Read on to learn about leaf eaters (a.k.a. debris excluders), why they are more effective than first flush diverters, and how to upgrade your leaf eater with a fitted hood.

The suite of products featured below simplifies rainwater collection, filtering it on the way into your tanks for cleaner storage.

Jesse demos the Hood Upgrade for Leaf Eater (above).

Read on for details about the Leaf Eater and compatible Rain Diverters.

Start with BlueBarrel's standard Downspout Diverter

For any rain barrel system, we recommend a flexible-fit, rubberized downspout diverter, available in three sizes in our online store.

The diverter head intercepts rainwater from the downspout and redirects it into your rain barrels or tanks. When barrels are full, the diverter redirects excess flow down the existing downspout automatically.

For more about the downspout diverter, click here.

Next, add a Leaf Eater

a downspout diverter
Our standard diverter connected to a downspout (with a Leaf Eater installed above it). Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Jan K. in Lanesville, IN.

Leaf Eater vs. First Flush

The Leaf Eater (a.k.a. debris excluder) is the most popular accessory we sell, available in our online store. It is a robust, stainless-steel pre-filter that is easy to install. Put this piece a few inches above your rain diverter to keep leaves, insects, roof gravel and more out of your barrels.

Maintenance is easy, too. Simply pop the screen off using the pull-tab, and shake it off as needed.

Many folks ask us about first flush diverters. We find the Leaf Eater to be a much simpler and more effective method for pre-filtering rainwater. Click the button to learn why:

Related Post: First Flush vs. Leaf Eater for filtering rainwater
TWO DOWNSPOUTS
This (beige-painted) BlueBarrel System taps into two downspouts for a faster fill. Leaf Eaters are circled, above each rain diverter. Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Erik D. in Moreno Valley, CA.
double diverter set up
This is another system at Erik's place. He used a second diverter to capture overflow from the first. The RainRouter Selector valve on the second diverter allows him to direct water away from his rain barrels if he wants.

What if My Downspouts are Not Compatible?

We carry diverter kits for 2" x 3" and 3" x 4" rectangular downspouts, and round downspouts between 3" and 4" in diameter. This covers most standard residential and industrial sizes.

Do you have a different size, or maybe a completely different roof drainage system like rain chains or scuppers? The Leaf Eater can be used as an adapter for any kind of downspout. 

Leaf Eater as Adapter

A Leaf Eater is a standard upgrade to any rainwater system, and is highly recommended for keeping leaves, mosquitoes, and other debris out of your rain barrels or tanks in any case. Also known as a debris excluder, it is one of our most popular accessories. 

leaf eater as adpater options
Non-standard downspouts? Simply direct your roofwater onto a Leaf Eater to adapt!

The great thing about the leaf eater is it adapts to any of the standard sizes listed above—round or rectangular! Installation, while simple, does require a clean cut to the downspout. So you can replace the lower segment of your downspout with a compatible material, and install your Downspout Diverter as normal.  

The "leaf eater-as-adapter" solution is so versatile, it doesn't matter what's going on "upstream" of the leaf eater, as long as you can funnel water onto the screen in one way or another. 

Leaf eater with spacer
This photo is from David J. in Austin, TX. He shows us how to use a simple spacer if your downspout doesn't run flush against your wall or post. Nice paint job, too!

This suite of products makes rainwater collection easy, filtering it on the way into your tanks for cleaner storage.

Are you ready to set up your own system? Step through our online planning tools to customize a rainwater system for your place, and contact us with questions. We're here to help!

 

Article by Jesse Savou, MA Ecological Design, ARCSA/ACCE Certified Rainwater Harvesting Professional. Graphics by Olivia Loughrey, MS Ecological Design. Photos contributed by BlueBarrel customers all over the USA!

Related Post: Demystifying the Downspout Diverter
Related Post: How to Measure Downspouts for a Diverter
READY TO START? Customize Your BlueBarrel System® Now!

Spanning the Distance: Inlet Hose Extension for Rain Barrels

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What if you can't place your BlueBarrel System® right next to a downspout? You may even need to turn a corner, or bypass a fence or walkway. Or perhaps you're working in a cramped space where you don't have room for a standard inlet.

This article is a guide for spanning the distance between your downspout and rain barrels by extending (or shortening) the inlet hose.

The Standard Inlet Hose: A Briefing

A red BlueBarrel System? Indeed barrels can be painted. Search our blogs for tips on painting and other beautification techniques! (Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Jeff in Helotes, TX)
A red BlueBarrel System? Indeed barrels can be painted. Search our blogs for tips on painting and other beautification techniques! (Photo courtesy of BlueBarrel customer Jeff in Helotes, TX)

When it rains, water flows through the downspout, is intercepted by the rain diverter, and directed into the barrel through a flexible inlet hose.

Our standard inlet hose, included with the downspout diverter kits in our online store, is an accordion hose that extends up to 31", or 2.5'. If you want to place your BlueBarrel System® (or other rain barrel) further from a downspout, we have easy options for extension!

Tip: With BlueBarrel's underplumbed design, you only need to access one barrel with the inlet hose. All barrels in a BlueBarrel System® will fill from the bottom with a single inlet! 

Inlet Hose Extension for Rain Barrels

If you need to span a distance longer than 2.5' from downspout-to-barrel, we have longer inlet hose available by-the-foot in our online store. Order the number of feet you need, and we'll cut you a custom length. The material is easy to cut at 1' intervals. If you need more than one inlet hose extension for rain barrels, enter the total number of feet you will need to service all systems.

A longer hose can sag, however, so read on for ideas on how our DIY customers have supported their hose extensions for success!

Anchored Extensions

Inlet Hose Extension for Rain Barrel

Here is a classic example from Hilleary in Santa Rosa, CA. A couple of C-shaped pipe hanger straps anchor the inlet hose extension to the wall to keep the hose level.

long inlet hose for rain barrel

Greg in Farmville, VA routed his extended inlet hose along the edge of a deck to reach his 6-barrel BlueBarrel System around the corner. With the deck to support and vegetation to shade and protect the hose, a loose anchor next to the downspout does the trick to hold things in place.

Raised platform for rain barrels
Catching rain barrel overflow

David in Austin, TX installed 4 barrels under a deck, on a custom-built raised metal foundation. He used zip-ties mid-span, to secure his three hose extensions to the deck joists above. Click the hyperlinks to learn more about raised rain barrel foundations and the double-stacked diverter approach shown here.

Rain barrels with supported inlet hose

This creative example is from Gayle in Boerne, TX. She used standard PVC pipe and fittings to craft a pass-through tee to support her inlet hose. Even though her span was short enough to use the standard accordion-style inlet hose included with BlueBarrel's standard diverter kits, a little support prevents sagging.

Covered/Encased Extensions

wall-anchored inlet hose

With an air conditioning unit between his BlueBarrel System and downspout, Erik in Moreno Valley, CA used a similar approach, but added some standard pipe insulation. The sponge-like insulation protects the inlet hose both from sun and from abrasion with the hanger straps. See more creative ideas from Erik's place here.

PVC extends the inlet hose. The pipe is pitched away from the downspout and anchored to a wall.

In this example, Stephen in Lawrence, CT has encased his inlet hose extension inside of standard 1.25" PVC pipe. This serves the dual purpose of holding the hose steady, and keeping it protected from sunlight. He connected PVC ells to a short pipe segment to turn a corner. He then anchored the pipe extension to the siding using a combination of plumber's tape and pipe hanger straps.

Rain barrel hose extension

Danny in Palo Alto, CA also used PVC to encase a very long run. Danny has three BlueBarrel Systems collecting from four different downspouts at his place. Two of his four downspout connections required an extension. The other two are standard.

Supported Extensions, Offset From Wall

supported inlet hose extension

Byron in Loranger, LA offset his BlueBarrel System from the wall, so he needed to be creative in supporting the inlet hose extension into his rain barrels.  He employed a lightweight wooden furring strip to support the hose from underneath. Zip-ties secure everything in place.

Re-Routed Downspouts

Custom downspout for rain barrels

This beauty was submitted by Georgann in Montara, CA, showing an extended trellis to bring the downspout over a walkway. She says: "Success! My husband installed our 10-barrel system in a day. He added a gutter over the path to feed into the downspout."

Hidden rain barrels

Also offset from the house, Fred in Davis, CA built a simple archway over his gate using 2x4 lumber, and replaced the downspout from that corner of his house with 2" ABS pipe, a material that's easy to work with for re-routing overhead. The 2" round pipe empties onto a Leaf Eater, just visible behind the gate, which makes an easy transition to BlueBarrel's standard diverter.

re-routed downspout for rain barrel
BlueBarrel rain barrel system in Washington

Here's another approach to downspout re-routing from Keith in Port Orchard, WA. Keith wanted two downspouts to feed his 12-barrel system, with overflow from both draining to the same spot.

He used standard downspout material to run the second line over a window and along the side of his garage, eventually to be hidden by the BlueBarrel System. He used Leaf Eaters and downspout diverters to collect from both spouts.

Says Keith: "My 24' x 36' garage needs only 1.2 inches of rain to fill all 660 gallons."

Pass-Through Extensions

The following solutions exemplify more creativity from our customers! Sometimes you have to navigate distance or a corner, and sometimes you hit a wall, so to speak...

inlet hose under deck
Trevor-LambertvilleNJ

Trevor in Lambertville, NJ tucked his BlueBarrel System beneath a deck, but had to navigate around timber cladding to connect with a downspout. In order to keep the inlet hose level, he bore a hole in the wood, with the same hole saw used to create the inlet hole in the downspout. On closer inspection, you'll notice that he used copper to trim the inlet configuration! Fine craftsmanship, Trevor.

Mary-LarkfieldCA
Mary-LarkfieldCA 2

A number of our customers have placed BlueBarrel Systems alongside their house, tucked behind a fence or gate. This is a great solution for utilizing narrow spaces on your property. Mary, in Larkfield, CA, lined up eight barrels discreetly behind a fence, but the nearest downspout was on the other side. Much like Trevor, Mary used BlueBarrel's hole saw to bore a right-sized hole in the planking to ensure the inlet hose would run horizontally from the downspout to the first barrel's inlet.

What about short spans?

How to use "longer" inlet hose in tight spots:

Our "longer" inlet hose is sold by the foot, and a one-foot segment can be just what the doctor ordered when barrels are too close to the downspout.

If the expanse is too short, sometimes the standard 2.5-foot accordion hose won't want to bend the right way.

This example is from our owner Jesse's house in California. She found herself in a tight spot, and replaced the standard hose with a one-footer to join downspout to barrel.

BlueBarrel owner Jesse

Says Jesse: "It was really a pain to get this hose in place, so I recommend giving yourself more space to work with if you can, but it's nice to know there's a solution for tight spots."

This 40-second video shows water entering Jesse's system through the shortened inlet hose, via a Leaf Eater. Watch a BlueBarrel System filling live!

We love learning from our customers and sharing their DIY tips and tricks with fellow BlueBarrelers! Check out our blogs below for more customer customization ideas. And browse our customer reviews and photo gallery for yet more examples of BlueBarrel Systems® across the country.

Related Post: Demystifying Downspout Diverters for Rain Barrels
Related Post: Custom Downspout Diverters

Fire and Rain: Rainwater Harvesting for Fire-Resistant Landscapes

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By Jesse Savou, ARCSA A.P., founder and owner of BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems

This article was written in response to the October 2017 wildfires that devastated the City of Santa Rosa in northern California; republished in January 2025 as even bigger wildfires ravage southern California. 

The devastating wildfires of 2017 brought themes of resilience to the forefront in California's North Bay Region, where I was living at the time.

As communities rebuilt, we reflected on the effects of fire storming over the landscape and wondered what we could do better to create fire-resistant landscapes.

Now in 2025, as Los Angeles County experiences the same with the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire displacing even more people, I want to bring this article back to the forefront in support of communities rebuilding in balance with today's environment.

North Bay Wildfire

The North Bay Wildfires of October, 2017 were the most devastating in California history to date, because of their impact on housing.

Wildfire Ecology

Environmental issues compound. While the 2017 Tubbs Fire grabbed our attention because of its devastating impact to the City of Santa Rosa, had we already forgotten the historic six-year drought that preceded it? As the owner of a rain barrel company (since 2012) I witnessed frenzy to harvest water growing every year as we entered our second through sixth consecutive years of drought.

In 2016, California had one very wet year, and the urgency to become water stewards all but drained away. Then came the fires.

While climate change ushers in more extreme swings in temperatures and precipitation, in an interrelated matrix, we are more vulnerable to natural disasters.

Environmental stewards point out that California is a fire ecology: Cycles of low-intensity fire and regrowth drive healthy forest succession.

 

Humans and Nature (or Human Nature)

But human communities sprout up and understandably don’t want fire in the backyard. We suppress it. We create environments where large browsing mammals can’t coexist, eliminating their role in controlling low-burning fuel load.

Meanwhile, as we replace natural groundcover with hardscape mile by mile, (think buildings, roadways, parking lots, and even lawns); rather than creating fire-resistant landscapes, we’ve built a landscape that’s carefully designed to shed water away. This comes in direct opposition to Mother Nature’s preference, to welcome rainfall in to hydrate soils and recharge groundwater.

Without knowing better, we have created an environment that is highly vulnerable to drought and fire... And we just witnessed the compounded effects of both.

But do we know better? I certainly think so. During each year of continued drought, more and more community members engaged in water conservation, and beyond that, true watershed stewardship. Motivation was high to harvest the abundant water that falls on our roofs every year—a measure that helps level off the peaks and valleys between wet and dry spells, and allows our landscapes to mimic nature’s pattern of infiltration—a vital link in the water cycle that is typically broken by our roofs, lawns, and driveways.

(If you raised your eyebrows at my use of the word abundant, keep reading…)

 

What's rainwater harvesting got to do with fire-resistant landscapes?

Natural vs Developed demonstration of water cycle and fire-resistant landscapes

Which one of these landscapes allows water to infiltrate into the ground; which one interrupts the natural hydrologic cycle?

As a rainwater harvesting professional, I’ve been focused on collecting rain on-site to mitigate the impacts of all the hardscape in our landscape. Simply put, if the living, breathing “skin” of our earth (soil) is all covered up, it can’t perform the vital ecosystem service of infiltrating water.

Water instead sheets over roadways, through storm drains, and is delivered to local waterways in overwhelming quantities as polluted runoff. The ground underneath, on the other hand, remains parched. And like an overdrawn bank account, water levels in our reservoirs and aquifers keep dropping.

 

How much water are we really talking about?

In short, a lot. Every inch of rain that falls on a 1,000 square-foot roof translates to over 620 gallons of high-quality water to store and use later. Apply that to modern-day home of 2,500 square feet, and multiply by an average Santa Rosa winter with 32 inches of rain, to generate nearly 50,000 gallons of water per year. In a severe drought year (with only half of the average precipitation) we’re still just shy of 25,000 gallons from that same rooftop. Perhaps more water than you expected.

For our friends in Los Angeles with average annual rainfall of only 14 inches, we're still talking 21,000 gallons available from standard rooftops in an average year, maintaining five-digit figures during drought years.

(Use our RAINWATER CALCULATOR to estimate the amount of water that's available from your own roof)

 

The broader benefits of rainwater harvesting

Do you believe me now when I say that, when managed correctly, rainfall really is abundant?

If stored, used, and infiltrated on site, that water is a tremendous resource. It provides free irrigation water, and all of the ecosystem services that come with keeping plants and soils hydrated. It also helps to recharge the water table underfoot. The soil acts as a living sponge in a healthy garden. If sent away by the standard design of drain pipes and gutters, the same water contributes to our stormwater issue.

Is 20,000+ gallons of water storage realistic? Probably not for most of us. But what if you could catch and store just some of that water? You succeed in two ways: (1) by giving yourself a free water-supply to use during dry months as an alternative to further depleting wells and reservoirs; (2) by taking a bite out of the stormwater problem, as—even during the most severe drought on record—stormwater impacts remain one of the biggest environmental issues of our time. These are two sides of the same coin.

 

To our readers all over the globe:

one of the most common misconceptions about rainwater harvesting is that it is only appropriate in certain climate zones. In fact, rainwater harvesting is a key technique both for conserving water, and for managing excessive stormwater; mitigating hardscape by helping the land to infiltrate water the way it would if your roof weren't there... in any climate.

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System Santa Rosa

These barrels wet the roof of this Santa Rosa home as the wildfire encroached upon the urban area.

Fire and Rain

But bring fire into the discussion and we highlight even more angles. Keeping plants and soils hydrated makes landscapes more resistant to fire. And beyond resistance, there’s downright emergency preparedness.

After the Santa Rosa fires, I got emails from customers who used their rainwater to wet down the roof and garden as the wildfire approached.

Watching coverage from Los Angeles in 2025, two featured residents tried to save their homes by filling buckets from hose bibs. In both cases the interviewees said the pressure was low and they wished they had some water stored.

In other types of emergencies, rainwater makes a great backup drinking water source, provided that you keep some emergency water treatment supplies handy.

I have a series of 19 rain barrels collecting from my own 700-square-foot roof. At 55 gallons each, that’s a total of 1,000 gallons of storage that I draw down and recharge a handful of times each year. I feel like I’m making a dent in the stormwater problem while also keeping my garden hydrated with the highest quality irrigation water available.

Consider rainwater harvesting when you think of things you might do to cultivate resilience at your own home. (This extends into your community, too; nature knows no boundaries.) And don’t be surprised if you find some peace of mind, too, knowing you’re more prepared should another emergency occur.

More info available at BlueBarrelSystems.com.

RELATED POST: Barrels for Hurricane Relief

Best Rain Barrel Videos of 2024

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As we launch head-first into a new year, we wanted to reflect on 2024 by sharing inspiration with our most popular and best rain barrel videos of the year.

According to views on our YouTube channel:

Most Watched Rain Barrel Video of 2024:

Gravity-Fed Irrigation with a Rain Barrel Soaker Hose

Run Time: 7:21

Released: July 2022

Hours watched in 2024: 788

Description: Learn all about rain barrel soaker hoses! Different than standard soaker hoses, see how these nifty hoses can make irrigating from your rain barrels easy as pie. For an overview of gravity-fed irrigation and our other DIY rain barrel irrigation options, check out this article.

Most Viewed Short of 2024:

Downspout Diverter in Action! Rain Barrels Fill

Run Time: 0:42

Released: March 2016

Views in 2024: 5,922

Description: See how a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® fills with a simple downspout diverter. The 6-barrel system in this video fills with just 2.75" of rain falling on the 200 square-foot rooftop that feeds it. See it to believe it! Check out this article for a deep-dive on how this downspout diverter works. 

Most Popular New Rain Barrel Video of 2024:

Hood Upgrade for Leaf Eater - CLEAN Rain Barrels!

Run Time: 2:54

Released: September 2024

Views Sep-Dec 2024: 383

Description: This video highlights the Hood Upgrade option for Rain Harvesting's Leaf Eater Advanced. Compatible with many downspout sizes and any kind of rain barrel, cistern, or rain tank, watch Jesse demo how to use this new product for the CLEANEST rainwater! This product and others are available in our Online Store!

Most Popular All-Time Video:

Jesse Explains Gravity Fed Drip Irrigation: Inline Emitters

Run Time: 5:41

Released: May 2018

Views to date: 82.9K

Description: BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou, demos her tried-and-true gravity-fed drip irrigation system. Four rain barrels supply the water, and gravity does the work to keep her garden beds hydrated. Here's a how-to for setting up your own!

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Mythbusters: Are Rain Barrels Illegal?

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By Jesse Savou, M.A., ARCSA A.P., ASSE 21110 & 21120 Certified Rainwater Catchment Systems Designer/Installer, Founder of BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems

Here at BlueBarrel, we love highlighting customer projects on our website, Facebook, and Instagram.

But these days we can hardly post on social media without commenters claiming rain barrels are illegal. In 10+ years of speaking professionally about rainwater harvesting, it's one of the more questions I get:

Aren't rain barrels illegal?

No. Rain barrels are not illegal. Not if they are properly designed, anyway.

Are Rain Barrels Illegal?
Jesse with a perfectly legal 12-barrel rainwater catchment system.

What Gives? Where do the Nasty Rumors Come From?

After fielding the question for so many years, I have a few theories:

Tim Taylor with Mr Wilson over the fence

Tim The Tool Man: "Did you know you're not allowed to collect water from your own roof?"
Wilson: "You don't say...."

1. It's a fun rumor to spread. In a time when it's popular to distrust the government, it’s satisfying to grumble to your neighbor that you aren’t even allowed to collect water that falls from the sky.

2. In limited cases, it used to be illegal. Colorado is one of the only states that once had a statewide ban. Rainwater harvesting wasn't outlawed in name, but due to interpretations of a complicated set of laws governing the Colorado River (the prior appropriations doctrine), water falling in Colorado was determined to be owned by users downstream. In 2016, Colorado passed HB16-1005, officially legalizing rainwater harvesting. [More about that story here.] Nevada also had restrictions, but eased those in 2017 to allow rain barrels and large tanks.

3. When unsafe/code-violating systems get cited, it causes unfair assumptions that rainwater harvesting itself is illegal. Many folks mention the 2012 case of an Oregon man being penalized for collecting water. What has become popular legend is really the case of a rural resident building 13 million gallons of reservoir storage on his property, diverting the watershed. It's worth noting, the small-scale practice of collecting rainwater from rooftops is generally encouraged in Oregon. In other cases, when users do not follow codes that allow rainwater harvesting (e.g. not correctly screening for debris, and mosquitoes; installing tanks on unstable surfaces; adding unpermitted electrical hookups; or including unsafe cross-connections between potable and non potable water sources...), they may be dinged for those specific violations.

To be clear, well-designed, code-compliant rain barrels like the BlueBarrel System® are not illegal anywhere.

Can We Stop These Rumors?

Federal Energy Management Program Rainwater Harvesting Regulations Map

Click the map to view the legal status of rainwater harvesting in all 50 states!

While I groan about social media maraudeurs spreading this false rumor on so many of our posts, it offers a good opportunity engage in dialog to highlight the truth.

When someone insists that rainwater harvesting is illegal, I ask them to cite the local code that outlaws it. In my 10+ years as a rainwater harvesting professional, not one person has done that, though many mention that watershed-diverting case in Oregon.

If you're inspired to look up regulations in your area, I'll give you a cheat. Check out this interactive state-by-state map from the U.S. Federal Energy Management Program. Notice that Colorado and Nevada, as mentioned, are in limited (but not illegal) status. Also note the states designated with "regulations" specifically point to regulations allowing, encouraging, and even incentivizing rainwater harvesting.

What a relief!

To Conclude, I Have a Four-Part Challenge for You

1. Don't be that person who posts uninformed comments.

Jesse draws from an 8-barrel system. With a total of 18 barrels at her California residence, she has just shy of 1,000 gallons of storage capacity. The city rebates $0.25 per gallon!

2. If you believe rainwater harvesting may be illegal where you live, take a moment to research. Search your town, county, and state laws. For a state-by-state overview, start here. An easier approach may be to search for rebates and incentives. If you find your local water agency incentivizes rainwater harvesting, you can be darned sure it is not illegal. (If you do find a law on the books about rainwater harvesting, send us the reference so we can keep this article up to date.)

3. Tell everyone you know that rainwater harvesting is good for the environment, helps us be more self-sufficient, and is encouraged in many places! You can do so by sharing this post, or our Facebook and Instagram profiles.

4. If you're feeling newly inspired, build a system for yourself and share your experience to inspire others. We’re here to help!

The only way to combat the spread of false rumors is with the truth. So, for the sake of our water supply and happy gardens everywhere, help us spread the good word!

A Note on HOAs and How To Advocate

Some Homeowner Associations (HOAs) disallow rain barrels in their bylaws. This is usually driven by aesthetic uniformity standards, and does not indicate they are unsafe or illegal at large.

Luckily, most HOAs review bylaws frequently and members can influence them by demonstrating community-wide benefits.

If you are are working with HOA restrictions, bring these key points to the leadership: 

1. Debunk misconceptions about the legality of rain barrels. As the primary theme of this article, many HOA board members may assume rainwater harvesting is illegal altogether. With the help of this article, you can convince them it's not. Share link here.

2. Highlight the environmental benefits of rainwater harvesting. Water management is a big issue for many HOAs. Emphasizing conservation in drought-prone areas, runoff mitigation in flood-prone areas, (and overall watershed health everywhere), may help get the support you need. Many HOAs have an environmental officer that can help you advocate. Resource link here.

3. Address aesthetic concerns. Rain barrels can be beautiful, and can be masked or painted to meet visual uniformity standards. Share this article on barrel painting, and this one with more ideas for masking and concealing rain barrels.

4. Leverage bulk discounts and cost sharing programs. If your HOA is ready to allow BlueBarrel Systems as a code-compliant solution to help members be more water-self-sufficient, contact us for group discount options. You may also qualify for local rebates.

Related Post: Colorado's Journey to Legalize
Hear From Happy Rainwater Harvesters All Over the USA
Do You Qualify for Rainwater Harvesting Rebates? Check here

DIY Files: Can I Stack Rain Barrels? Everything You Need to Know

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It's one of our most frequently asked questions: Can I stack rain barrels vertically?

The quick answer is yes. But there's a but. A big one.

Vertical Stacked Rain Barrels

This isn't an approach we'd recommend. Do you know why? Read on!

While the BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® in its classic form consists of one long line of barrels (you choose how many), some people have vertical space they want to utilize.

Barrels can be stacked to maximize space, but with each barrel weighing upwards of 500 lbs when full, it's not possible to support the weight of one barrel directly on another.

As a second point, if you wish to enjoy the advantages of an under-plumbed design like BlueBarrel's, you'll need space between each layer to allow for the plumbing, and proper ventilation.

To illustrate our recommendations for a successful stacked-barrel design, we'll highlight two examples, sent by customers Michael Nunn of Daytona Beach, Florida; and Jill Waltman of Auburn, Illinois.

Thanks for sharing, Mike and Jill!

How to stack rain barrels

With Mike's well-detailed diagrams, we were able to work with him to refine the plan and make sure he received all the necessary pieces in his custom-packed BlueBarrel DIY RainKit® to build his custom design to stack rain barrels.

Vertical rain barrels

This diagram, provided by BlueBarrel customer, Michael Nunn, shows the key features of a safe and efficient vertical rain barrel setup.

Here are the key features of his design:

  • Each layer of barrels is supported on its own foundation. At 500 lbs per barrel (when full), a structurally sound foundation is important to support the weight of each barrel.
  • Each layer has its own downspout connection. BlueBarrel's DIY RainKits include a downspout diverter that handles inflow as well as overflow. If installed with a level hose as shown, water diverts into the barrels until they are full. When barrels reach capacity, excess water falls through an internal spillover to exit the downspout as normal. There's no on/off switch for this; it happens automatically with this simple but brilliantly designed piece. In Mike's case, the second diverter will catch most of this overflow to fill the bottom row of barrels.
  • There is a shutoff valve between levels. Each barrel in a multi-barrel system needs a vent so air can escape as barrels fill with fresh water. If all barrels are connected via the underplumbing and served with one diverter at the top, water from upper levels will push out through the vents on the lower levels, keeping them from filling. Note the placement of the isolation valve. The valve will remain closed while barrels fill so that both levels can hold water. As Mike uses his water, the top barrels will drain first. Once the top set is empty, he can open the valve to access the water from the lower level. (Another possibility is to have a separate outlet on each level, so that no valve is necessary. In other words, build two separate BlueBarrel Systems, one on top of the other.)

Compliments to Mike for a job well done, and for sharing images with us as well. Here's his finished project, now keeping his koi fish pond topped up with clean fresh water between Florida storms:

 

Another example

Jill used Mike's example to stack rain barrels for a community garden install in Auburn, IL. Many businesses and individuals dedicated time and resources to get this BlueBarrel System in place, and doubled the amount of water they could store by stacking rain barrels.

stacked rain barrels
stacking blue barrels

Jill says:

"The article on your site was a huge help in designing all of this.

"Here is our plumbing sketch. It shows where we placed all the valves. We needed to make sure we could isolate the top barrels from the bottom (when the bottom gets full) as well as isolate sections if we desired. We have 1200 square feet of roof feeding into the system.

"Thanks for assisting in making this happen!"

stack rain barrels diagram

Why not lay rain barrels on their sides?

stack rain barrels

What's wrong with this picture?

Here is a design that is commonly found on the internet. Why not do it like this?

There are a number of reasons we recommend the underplumbed design instead:

  • With the bung openings offset a few inches from the edge of each barrel, laying drums on their sides leaves a substantial "belly" in the bottom of each barrel where water cannot be accessed. Multiply that loss by the number of barrels in your stack and that's a lot of inaccessible water.
  • In addition to leaving water inaccessible, this belly will collect a sludge layer that can create turbidity in the barrels, leading to a heavy load of particulates in the water at the outlet. An underplumbed design flushes most sediments in real time, leading to naturally cleaner water. (Click here to learn why you want those little organic particulates to get to your garden rather than collecting in your barrels!)
  • With no ability to vent any barrels but the top one, and a narrow connection from barrel to barrel, it is unclear whether the bottom barrel will fill smoothly. A vent hole is necessary to allow air to escape as water enters, but unless carefully monitored and controlled, a vent hole in the bottom barrel would allow water to escape, preventing upper barrels from holding water.

Got a special situation, or need help customizing your BlueBarrel System? The knowledgeable team here at BlueBarrel is happy help you for a successful experience with rainwater harvesting. Give us a holler! We're here to help.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton: Barrels for Hurricane Relief

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This post is a reprint of an October 9th, 2024 letter to BlueBarrel's owner, Jesse Savou, from our participating barrel supplier, Mark, in North Carolina, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. At the time of this writing, our partners in Florida are still anticipating Hurricane Milton. Our participating barrel suppliers all over the country are providing barrels for hurricane relief, and more. 

Gary, one of our Arizona suppliers says this: "Phoenix-area residents with families in hurricane affected areas have been coming here every day for IBC totes, water barrels, dry goods barrels & steel fuel barrels. We're overjoyed that we're in a position to be able to help during such devastating hard times, but that is what we are doing all of this for...disaster preparedness & self sufficiency." 

Barrels for hurricane relief
Hurricane Helene aid station

Jesse,

Thank you for reaching out. In Charlotte, NC, where we are, we were spared serious damage aside from downed trees on power lines and some damage to lakefront property (mostly destroyed boathouses, docks, and a few homes in low-lying, flood-prone areas). This is because of the massive amounts of water that moved through our lakes and rivers that are downstream of the mountains.

Water in our local lakes rose to record highs in the days following Hurricane Helene. The storm dumped an estimated 40 trillion gallons of water on the western NC and eastern TN mountains in about 12 hours! I heard it was enough water to completely fill Lake Tahoe.

"The storm dumped an estimated 40 trillion gallons of water...enough water to completely fill Lake Tahoe"

A couple hours west of us is absolutely heartbreaking. There’s a list of 15 to 20 or more towns, and dozens of smaller communities that are literally, completely gone.

These quaint mountain towns are so beloved in our part of the country because of their history and their beauty. Most of them rely solely on tourism for commerce. They lure in hikers, campers, thrill seekers (whitewater kayaking & rafting, skiing) and all kinds of vacationers. It’s sickening to see the photos and videos coming out of these areas.

As I said, in our city, trees were on power lines. That’s bad, but repairable. In those areas hardest hit in our mountains, there’s nothing left to repair. Power lines, power poles, in many cases, the actual road, other infrastructure such as water and sewer lines, communication lines, power substations which serviced tens of thousands of people, all just gone… washed down the rivers.

"The loss of electrical equipment in the affected areas has basically reset the clock to 1936"

IMG_5164
IMG_5177

I just read this morning a statement from Blue Ridge Electric, who services most of that area: "The loss of electrical equipment in the affected areas has basically reset the clock to 1936, it will take years to restore power in some areas."

Entire water systems have also been heavily impacted. They are estimating in some towns, water services may not be restored for several months. There have been systems already put in place for fresh water delivery and distribution, which is basically just huge tanks being filled by tanker trucks weekly, and the people bring their own containers to fill and carry back home.

They are right, it will take years to rebuild, and some areas may never recover. If you want to see what I’m talking about, just search videos or images of Helene damage in any of the following NC towns: Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Spruce Pine, Elk Park, Banner Elk, Elk River, Fairview, Burnsville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Biltmore Village, Canton, Roan Mountain, Marshall, Old Fort, Marion, Erwin Tennessee… and the list goes on.

I heard one account of someone surveying the damage who said, “Catastrophic doesn’t really represent what I’ve seen. Apocalyptic would be a better description.”

“Catastrophic doesn’t really represent what I’ve seen. Apocalyptic would be a better description.”

Having said all that, like California with the wildfires, the only thing that amazes me more than the destruction is the resilience of the people, and the way the community, and practically the whole Southeast and beyond has come together.

We loaded two of our 26' box trucks from floor-to-ceiling with donated goods like bottled water, food, clothes, baby items, generators, chainsaws, tools, toys, snacks and candy, and all kinds of supplies. Some of this we donated and some was loaded up at one of several dozen donation drop points in our area, mostly churches.

The picture above shows one of our trucks fully loaded with barrels for hurricane relief.

There are hundreds of drop points in the mountains (again, mostly churches) where goods can be delivered for distribution directly to those in need, or transferred to other trucks and carried deeper into the mountains. We plan to continue making these trips as long as there is a need.

"The only thing that amazes me more than the destruction is the resilience of the people"

We have also donated many of our containers to individuals and/or sold to other charitable organizations, to transport water and fuel for generators. The highways between here and the mountains have become a steady convoy of all types of vehicles, from semi trucks to pickup trucks, to SUV’s and just regular cars, all loaded to the gills with supplies and equipment, headed to the mountains. It’s incredible to see!

IMG_5172
IMG_5137

"We loaded two of our 26' box trucks from floor-to-ceiling with donated goods like bottled water, food, clothes, baby items, generators, chainsaws, tools, toys, snacks, and all kinds of supplies."

Samaritan's Purse, a huge ministry located in NC bought a truckload (350) of steel drums from us (we discounted them deeply) which will be used for generator fuel. They are filling these drums and loading them into Chinook Helicopters which they rented, and flying them into remote areas which have been cut off due to roads being washed out, and the generators are supplying power for Starlink systems (donated by Elon Musk) so that the disaster relief effort has open lines of communication. The operation is quite impressive! It's amazing what people can accomplish when they come together for a common goal!

"...many will be without water for a long time."

One more thing, many will be without water for a long time. So I'm thinking if they can set up rain collection systems, at least that gives them water for plants and possible other uses so they can save their precious potable water for drinking, cooking, etc. It may be a little early to implement this, as people are still just in the first phase of digging out and getting their bearings on how to survive the next several months. But I do believe this will become a popular way to collect/conserve/store water in these areas, in the near future.

So sorry for the long email, but as you may be able to tell, I'm very passionate about this!
Thanks,
Mark

Photos of supply-runs provided by Mark McManus of McManus Drum Company. 

No apologies needed, of course. We're thrilled to be able to highlight such amazing work in a community so impacted by natural disaster. Keep up the great work!

In partnership with our participating barrel suppliers across the USA, we are well stocked with barrels for hurricane relief and more. Please reach out if you need help.

Find barrels near you
RELATED POST: Rainwater Harvesting & Wildfires

Hole-y Barrels! Patch or Plug Holes in Plastic Barrels to Re-Use Them Yet Again

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As a company that specializes in converting used food-grade drums into rain barrels, our customer service team often answers questions from folks who want to convert an existing rain barrel to a BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®.

The trouble is, a typical rain barrel has at least one hole drilled into the side for a spigot. Often there is a second (and even third!) hole used as a drain and/or overflow port.

Whether this is your situation, or your simply messed up and drilled a hole you don't need, we've got some great solutions for you!

This article will teach you how to patch or plug holes in plastic barrels for a watertight seal. Whether you need a removable or a permanent solution, read on for expert advice!

Single Rain Barrel

How to repurpose this...

Jeffs BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System

...into a multi-barrel BlueBarrel System®!

The BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System is a completely closed design, which keeps water very clean. Our unique, underplumbed linking solution allows the user to drain every last drop of water through the high-flow drain valve provided with our kits.

But if barrels need to be all closed up, what can you do if you're trying to repurpose hole-y barrels? The good news is, we’ve discovered some great solutions, both temporary and permanent, for a water-tight seal on pre-existing holes.

The Plug-and-Play Solution (Removable)

rain barrel plug

We carry twist plugs in our online store to seal holes that have been drilled in barrels.

Now available in our Online Store, these rubberized twist plugs insert into holes around 1″ to 1-1/2″ in size. The plugs are tapered to work with holes of varying sizes. Insert until it feels tight, then twist the knob to expand the rubberized plug head for a water-tight seal. It’s brilliant!

The 1″ version will work in many spigot holes. We also carry a 1-1/4″ version for larger spigot holes (such as those drilled for the EarthMinded rain barrel kits). The larger 1-1/2″ version will plug the inlet hole in an EarthMinded rain barrel or BlueBarrel System®. These are perfect for those who need to disconnect downspouts in winter. They can be easily removed when it's time to reconnect in Spring!

The Quick Patch Solution (Permanent)

Quick Patch Barrel Patch

Quick Patch is a newer product that provides a permanent stick-seal solution for holes in barrels, downspouts and more!

Quick Patch is a newer product that instantly repairs almost any hard surface. Simply peel it and seal it! Quick Patches come in multiple sizes, and adhere to all types of piping, glass, fiberglass, metals, wood, polyethylene, and more. Use this product for sealing unwanted holes in barrels or tanks, fixing ruptured PVC, patching gutters and downspouts, and more!

Quick Patch is as pliable as a Band-Aid when you take it out of the package and as hard as fiberglass with just 10 minutes of exposure to UV. This product cures in the sun outdoors, or with a UV flashlight indoors. See our video gallery for a product demo.

Available in two sizes in our online store, the 2" x 3" Quick Patch Mini will permanently patch unwanted spigot holes in your barrels, and small ruptures in your PVC line. The larger 3" x 6" version will permanently patch your downspout if you mis-drilled the hole, or wish to move (or remove) your rain barrels. Quick Patches can be cut to size easily with regular household scissors.

Threaded Insert Tap Seals

Threaded Insert Tap Seal

Also available in our online store, threaded insert tap seals provide a watertight seal for your spigot or drain.

If you have leaks around your tap or spigot, you can tighten up the connection without plugging the hole and starting over. For this, we recommend our threaded insert tap seal. Unlike bulkhead fittings, which are two-part fittings that require you to get inside the barrel to screw them in, threaded insert tap seals easily insert from the outside.

Similar to the tapered twist plugs, these fittings have a tapered shape that help them seal. They create a watertight port for any standard 3/4″ tap, spigot or drain valve. When the valve screws in, it tightens the tap seal beautifully against the barrel wall.

See our Online Store for these parts, as well as high-flow spigot and drain valves to pair with them. Our high-flow valves will improve your output for gravity fed drip irrigation (or just faster bucket filling!) while you’re at it.

An Example From the Field

Twist Plug Patching a Hole in blue barrel

Simply insert the plug and twist for a water-tight solution for hole-y barrels!

As a case in point, I had a conundrum while setting up a BlueBarrel System for a friend. She already had two 55-gallon blue barrels that were configured as single rain barrels. While they were the right kind of barrel, they already had spigot holes drilled in the side. They also had an overflow hole drilled on the sidewall toward the top.

After learning about BlueBarrel’s unique system design, my friend decided she would much rather have a 2-Barrel BlueBarrel System® than two singles. I had a chance to test the twist-plugs and they worked great to plug holes in plastic barrels!

Furthering our Sustainability & Self-Sufficiency Mission

Many BlueBarrel customers are attracted to our company not only for our unique rain barrel system, but also because we stand by our environmental values of creating a lighter footprint and helping households be more prepared and self-sustainable.

If you’ve read about BlueBarrel’s history, you’ll know it all started with a desire to create a rainwater harvesting system that uses upcycled food-grade barrels destined for the landfill. We make them available locally to our customers, thus reducing the costs and impacts associated with manufacturing, storage, and transportation. This also reduces costs, and helps households be more self-sufficient.

The products highlighted in this article help us take our mission further by giving yet another life to barrels that may have already been repurposed. Now you can patch or plug any barrel holes to prep them for another use. Turn a single rain barrel back into a sealed barrel suitable for reuse in the BlueBarrel System!

Furthering your ability to recycle, reduce, and re-use, re-use, re-use, we are proud to offer these simple and inexpensive solutions for making your property more sustainable emergency-prepared.

As always, we love to hear your stories from the field, so please keep them coming!

Article contributed by Beth Auerbach, BlueBarrel staff writer, MS ecological design.

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History of the Blue Plastic Barrel

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by guest blogger Adam Stephen of B. Stephen Cooperage, Inc., with intro by Jesse Savou, founder of BlueBarrel

You’ve seen them everywhere: along the side of the road, in junk yards, in your neighbor’s garage (or maybe even your own!); and repurposed into all kinds of things like ballasts, floats, storage bins, planters, and of course rain barrels. What could we be talking about?

55-gallon plastic barrels—the blue ones—what else?!

blueplasticbarrel
blue barrels floating dock in indonesia

And when I say everywhere, I mean literally all over the globe. Traveling in Bali in 2011, I took this picture (at left): a floating dock constructed with many of them. Well, a not-so-floating dock at low tide, but you get the point! Their versatility is proven, and we are happy to add rain barrels to the list of blue plastic barrel uses.

A friend sent me a similar photo from her travels in India—and here in the USA on a lazy river weekend, I waved to a floating party on a platform boat made of... you guessed it!

We’ve shipped our DIY RainKits® to Fiji and the Caribbean, because they have no problem finding barrels there. In fact, you'll have no problem finding them anywhere.

Why are these 55-gallon blue plastic barrels so ubiquitous?

Also known as poly drums, these are the internationally-approved container for shipping liquid food products, world-wide.

They get shipped in bulk to food manufacturers and distributers all over the globe containing edible oils, juices, sauces, vinegars, food flavorings, colorings, you name it. If you can eat it (or drink it!) and somebody needs lots of it, it probably reached its destination in a blue food-grade poly drum.

While the FDA has approved HDPE blue poly-drums for food storage, the US food industry is highly regulated. Once the their contents are emptied out, the barrels themselves enter the waste stream. In other words, they are not re-usable for food transport.

But how could we throw away such high-quality, durable, food grade, BPA-free, HDPE plastic containers? Luckily there are many creative re-uses for the blue poly drums, so we don't have to.

BlueBarrel was founded on the principle of keeping as many barrels out of the landfill as possible. Their thick, durable side-walls, food-safe plastic, leak-proof and UV resistant qualities make them perfect for harvesting rainwater. Of course there are many other uses for them as well.

Blue Barrel Planter
A creatively crafted set of garden beds.

We partner with food manufacturers and barrel dealers all over the USA to make these food-grade barrels available to our customers in many different regions. We reached out to one of our participating barrel suppliers, Adam Stephen, to give us more detail about the history of the food-grade poly drum.

DIY Fountain made from Barrel
IMG_2563

Creative garden art for day and night, by BlueBarrel barrel supplier Anthony from Florida!

Blue Barrel Tractor
Count on kids to inspire us with fresh new ideas!
Blue barrel train cars
Kids train car made from blue plastic barrel.

Just for kiddos! These photos were submitted by a BlueBarrel fan from Idaho.

Here's what Adam had to say:

History of The Polyethylene Drum

The use of barrels as storage containers is not a new concept. Originally, barrels were created from wooden planks and metal bands. These containers were excellent because they didn’t leak when filled with liquid and required no glue or nails to build. The iconic wooden barrel is still used to this day in wine and whiskey making.

In the early 1900s, wooden barrels gave way to a new more durable and easily machined material: Steel. Steel barrels were stronger, safer for use in transport and able to be manufactured on an assembly line with much less labor than wooden barrels. The steel drum is still widely used for liquid storage and transportation to this day.

More advanced technology and manufacturing practices in the late 1960s allowed for another iteration of the barrel to come about: the plastic barrel. Plastic barrels are made from high density, high molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE).

Polyethylene is an excellent material because it is inert and resistant to high or low pH contents. As foodies know, the acidity of food products can be high or low. Some materials, including food products, are caustic and can even break down steel. Have you ever left tinfoil over tomato sauce for an extended period of time? The undesirable result is a case in point: the sauce eats right through metal.

The use of high density polyethylene (HDPE) as opposed to low density (LDPE) allowed for barrels to be created completely from polyethylene, as opposed to using a plastic liner in a steel drum.

 

How are plastic barrels made?

Plastic drums are manufactured through a process called blow molding. This process allows for various shapes to be created with no seams on the inside. Barrels are still molded in a cylindrical shape to allow for rolling and handling using the same tools as a steel drum. The round shape lacks weak corners (corners are vulnerable to cracking with impact and exposure). The added benefit of a seamless design is that it prevents buildup of bacteria in crevices.

 

Why are the barrels blue?

Ah, the million dollar question. Polyethylene barrels come in various colors. Some barrels come in a natural semi-transparent color to allow for a filler to see the levels of material in the barrels. However these are not UV resistant and are not suitable for outdoor storage. Black drums are problematic as black pigment is often created by mixing various colors in a recycling process and there is no certainty as to what the previous plastic material was used for. Black barrels are generally not food-grade.

Most polyethylene drums are blue. And thus blue became the industry standard for food storage. The blue pigment in polyethylene drums has a higher UV light resistance than natural and does not show dirt or residue as readily. Blue is the standard food-grade drum.

One of the often forgotten and perhaps most important aspects of polyethylene is how easy it is to recycle and reuse the containers. The inertness and impermeability make them a perfect candidate for reuse or "upcycling."

upcycle definition

And this is where BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems steps in to upcycle food grade polyethylene drums as rain barrels. Their innovative and effective approach for water conservation is sure to lead to a positive impact on the environment – for the tandem benefit of reusing high quality barrels and helping users manage rainwater sustainably on site.

Blue Barrel Rain Water Collection System Demo
A 3-barrel BlueBarrel System. Customize your own and find recycled food-grade barrels at BlueBarrelSystems.com
Find used barrels near you

DIY Files: Danny’s 3 BlueBarrel Systems® from rain barrel kit to install

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Get Inspired!

This highlight is from BlueBarrel customer Danny, of Palo Alto, California. He used our custom rain barrel kits to install three separate BlueBarrel Systems® collecting from four downspouts.

Danny used the tools right here on this website to customize for his site, including extra downspout connections; inlet hose extensions; custom barrel spacing to work around obstacles; and double-row and L-shaped configurations.

Enjoy photos and videos of this project, and read on to get inspired by our DIY highlight of the season!

Customize your BlueBarrel System® now!

Barrel Pickup

Barrels in minivan

After placing his order in our online store, Danny picked up his barrels from one of our local BlueBarrel pickup locations.

Danny says: "We could fit seven barrels in our minivan so it took two trips to get all fourteen barrels."

Check out our FAQ for more guidelines on how many barrels fit in different types of vehicles. (Some of our participating barrel suppliers offer doorstep delivery, too!)

System 1: Standard Setup with Extended Inlet Hose

Rain Barrel Kit

This system consists of 5 barrels in a classic single-row configuration against the wall of the home. This space allowed for standard 2' spacing, and the flow from this downspout fills five barrels easily. Danny used our rainwater calculator to estimate how much water comes out of each downspouts, and sized his systems accordingly.

With a downspout more than 2.5' from his barrels, Danny used an extended inlet hose—one of our most common modifications.

Each BlueBarrel rain barrel kit comes standard with an elevated spigot for bucket filling, and a ground-level outlet that can fully drain the rain barrel system, and connect to a gravity-fed drip irrigation line.

PXL_20240228_211223222
PXL_20240228_210952813

System 2: Custom Spacing and L-Shaped Configuration

BlueBarrel rain barrel spacing

This system consists of three barrels, collecting from a downspout that gets less water. While the standard diverter hose is used, Danny spaced one barrel apart from the other two, in an L-shaped configuration, to fit an inset notch at this corner of the home.

While standard spacing requires a simple 2' x 2' footprint per barrel, the beauty of our flexible underplumbed design is that users can increase the distance between barrels to work around obstacles on the site, such as AC units, utility boxes, windows, trees/shrubs, and more.

There is no upper limit to the distance between barrels. That said, all barrels in any one interconnected system need to be level with each other.

BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System
BlueBarrel System with custom spacing

System 3: Double Rows and Multiple Downspouts

BlueBarrel Rain Barrel System with multiple rows

The third system consists of six barrels, collecting from two different downspouts. While one downspout will fill any number of barrels with our unique underplumbed design, connecting multiple downspouts will allow for faster fill. This is an easy upgrade with extra downspout diverters available as add-ons to our standard rain barrel kits.

The photo above shows a standard downspout connection. Below you can see Danny used another inlet hose extension to capture water from a second downspout.

To work around an HVAC box, he separated two barrels from the other four, and used BlueBarrel's Multi-Row Connection (another customization available for our DIY RainKits) to maximize the space by doubling up his barrels.

All of these add-ons and customizations are available in our Tools & Accessories menu as standalones, or as part of the checkout process when ordering one of the full rain barrel kit options in our Online Store.

rain barrels around AC unit
Inlet hose extension for rain barrels

READY TO GET STARTED?

Rainwater Quality: Why Plants Love Rainwater Best

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by Jesse (Froehlich) Savou, ARCSA A.P.

Rainwater quality is better for plants than water from any other source. Learn the four reasons why!

Imagine walking through your garden after a fresh rain. Thirsty plants doused in droplets fallen from the sky, their leaves expertly channeling moisture down stalks and into the soil—right to the root zone where it is needed most.

Greens are vibrant, and so are the color-pops of flower petals. The soil is moist and alive. This is a happy garden!

While it might not come as a surprise that there's no water plants love better than rainwater, do you know the four (4) reasons why?

Read on to learn about the water quality benefits of rainwater for garden. Listen to our podcast feature expanding on this topic and more!

Four Rainwater Quality Benefits

YoungPlantsLoveRainwater

Why is rainwater such a preferred water source? There is more than just one reason—in fact there are four!:

1. Rainwater is 100% soft water

Free of the salts, minerals, treatment chemicals, and pharmaceuticals that are found in municipal water, groundwater, and surface water, rainwater is pure hydration. Salts and chemicals build up in your soil over time and these residues are tough on plants. This effect is exaggerated in potted plants where the accumulation is more pronounced.

2. Rainwater is slightly acidic—naturally!

Green gardeners know that most organically grown plants prefer soil pH levels between 5.5 and 6.5. This is on the acidic side of the neutral pH 7, and by nature's design, it is the exact pH range for rainwater. City water, on the other hand, is treated to be alkaline to protect metal pipes from corroding, and can have a pH level upwards of 8.5. Greywater (once-used household water from a laundry machine, shower, or bathroom sink) will start with the same pH as your tap water, but can have a pH as high as 10.5 once it gets to the garden depending on the types of soaps and detergents that are in it. Irrigate with rainwater to flush out your soil and help keep your soil pH in perfect balance ongoingly!

 

3. Stored rainwater contains some organic matter

If collected from your rooftop, rainwater contains traces of organic material. While the water is very clean and should run clear, it has been exposed to anything on your roof. We're not talking about chunks (these get pre-filtered out on their way into properly-designed rain barrels)—we're just talking about contact exposure to leaf litter, pollen, bird droppings and the like (which perhaps not surprisingly are great for your plants). A rain barrel hosts a beneficial biology to keep the water alive—literally. It's like a light application of fertilizer every time you water!

 

4. Rain contains nitrates—an important macro-nutrient

Rainwater contains nitrates, the most bio-available form of nitrogen. Nitrogen is one of the three key macro-nutrients that plants need to thrive, necessary for the development of lush foliage. That said, many forms of nitrogen are not actually absorbable by plants. Nitrates, which are made up of nitrogen and oxygen, are formulated by nature for maximum uptake by your plants. Plants typically absorb most of their nitrates from the soil. And where do those nitrates come from? Rain!

Plants have very unique ways of gathering moisture from the air and delivering it to their root zones. Nature's design!
Plants have very unique ways of gathering moisture from the air and delivering it to their root zones. Nature's design!

On a personal note, before I discovered rainwater, I doubted I would ever be able to keep a house plant alive. I had somewhat better luck outdoors in the garden, but little did I know that the potted plants were really suffering from the salt, chemical, and mineral buildup of tap water. Then I learned about watering with rainwater.  Rainwater straight from my rain barrels into a watering can is what I use for my potted plants and nursery starts. A gravity fed drip line allows me to apply rainwater directly to my in-ground garden with no effort at all. And what a difference it makes. Suddenly I have a green thumb... but (shhh, don't tell.... rather, tell EVERYBODY!) : the secret is the water.

Plant health is just one of the many benefits of harvesting rainwater. Click here for a handful of great reasons to collect the rain that falls on your roof!

Podcast: Advantages of Rainwater for Garden
Related Post: The Many Benefits of Houseplants
Related Post: Capturing Rainwater for Household Use

How to Measure Downspouts for Rain Barrels

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BlueBarrel specializes in DIY rain barrel systems. We're here to help you with customized rain barrel solutions, from rooftop to garden, and everything between!

In the rainwater harvesting world, gutters and downspouts together are known as the “conduit system,” along with the downspout diverter that takes your plentiful roof runoff into rain barrels or tanks.

You may want to use our rainwater calculator to see just how much rainwater your roof will generate. This article focuses on the more specific detail of how to measure your downspouts for a tight-fitting downspout diverter.

Understanding Downspout Diverters for Rain Barrels

A well-designed downspout diverter is the key piece that takes water from your downspout into rain barrels. BlueBarrel's specialty rain barrel system includes a diverter that handles system overflow automatically as an additional benefit.

If you're not familiar with downspout diverters, you may want to read this article first:

Demystifying Downspout Diverters for Rain Barrels

Which is Which: Gutters vs. Downspouts

Schematic showing labels for roof gutters (running horizontally) and downspouts (running vertically)

Now that you're ready to measure, let's define our terms. It's common to mix terms when referring to gutters vs. downspouts. When measuring for your diverter, it's the downspout you need to measure.

Gutters run horizontally across the bottom of each roof segment.

Downspouts run vertically and bring roof water to the ground. Keep reading for how to measure them.

How to Measure Downspouts for a Rainwater Diverter

Downspout sizes in crossection

We carry downspout diverter kits for 2" x 3" and 3" x 4" rectangular downspouts, and round downspouts between 3" and 4" in diameter.

This covers most standard residential and industrial sizes. These sizes are depicted here in cross-section; these are the dimensions you need to measure.

Please note these sizes are nominal, and your measurements may not match these dimensions exactly. From our experience, plastic downspouts are more likely to measure true to size. A metal 2" x 3" downspout may measure closer to 1-3/4" x 2-3/4". This is okay. Our flex-fit diverters will still work in their respective nominally-sized downspouts, despite the quarter-inch variance.

That said, if you are installing new downspouts specifically for your rain barrel project (or if you are replacing the lower half of your downspout to install a leaf eater) plastic material is the easiest to work with, and will give your diverter the tightest seal.

Where to Insert the Downspout Diverter

BB_Wheretoinstall

If you have rectangular downspouts, make sure you measure to know whether you need a 2" x 3" or a 3" x 4" diverter head. These are the most common sizes in residential and industrial settings, respectively.

Although other sizes are rare, we do occasionally see 3" x 3" downspout material. If this is what you have. you can order the 2" x 3" diverter. In all of these scenarios, the diverter will insert into the 3" wall of the downspout, as shown above and below.

The 2" x 3" diverter head inserts into the 3" side of the downspout.

The 3" x 4" diverter head also inserts into the 3" side of the downspout.

The round diverter head flexes to seal inside downspouts between 3" and 4" in diameter.

Related Post: Demystifying Downspout Diverters for Rain Barrels
Related Post: DIY Gutters & Downspouts
READY TO START?: Customize your BlueBarrel System® Now!

DIY Gutters and Downspouts: Everything You Need to Know

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At BlueBarrel, we specialize in DIY rainwater catchment systems. Gutters and downspouts are an essential part of the drainage system on any home. They are also necessary for efficient collection of rainwater.

In the rainwater harvesting world, gutters and downspouts together are known as the “conduit system,” along with the downspout diverter that takes the plentiful roof runoff into rain barrels or tanks.

For those who like to tackle their own home projects, this article combines a variety of resources for DIY gutter installation, repair, and maintenance.

But first, a few definitions:

Which is Which: Gutters vs. Downspouts

Schematic showing labels for roof gutters (running horizontally) and downspouts (running vertically)

Gutters vs. downspouts: It's common to mix these terms, but it's important to know which element you're talking about when planning a rain barrel system.

Gutters run horizontally across the bottom of each roof segment to catch water running off the roof.

Downspouts are the vertical elements that bring this water to the ground. They either release it onto the landscape, or into a drain pipe.

Installing Gutters and Downspouts

Whether you're building a new structure, or living in a home that doesn't yet have gutters and downspouts, this is a project you may consider doing yourself. This is a simple way to save money on an important home project, so let’s take a look at the process for DIY installation.

Our friends at Next Modular have provided a how-to guide for standard gutters and downspouts, including materials needed, and site prep:

Tips for Installing DIY Gutters

Cleaning Gutters

A well-designed rain barrel system is a low-maintenance addition to your garden. Keeping your gutters clean is the most important thing you can do to keep your inlet screening from clogging. For a self-cleaning system like The BlueBarrel System®, gutter cleanout is virtually the only maintenance the system will need.

If you're not a fan of getting on the roof, take these tips from the experts at Frazier Roofing. Learn how to clean gutters without a ladder!:

Tips for Cleaning Gutters

Repairing Gutters and Downspouts

If your gutters leak, it will limit the amount of water that gets into your rain barrels or tanks.

Repairing your own guttering may seem like a daunting idea but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Not with these tips from our friends at Bespoke Guttering, anyway:

5 Common Gutter Repairs: How To

How to Divert Roof Water Into Rain Barrels

Now that you're ready with gutters and downspouts (thanks to our expert roofing and guttering collaborators!) our team here at BlueBarrel can help you with your rainwater harvesting project. Browse this very site for all you need to know about DIY rain barrels.

A well-designed downspout diverter is the key piece that takes water from your downspout into rain barrels. BlueBarrel's specialty design includes a diverter that handles system overflow automatically as an additional benefit.

Read all about downspout diverters for rainwater harvesting:

Demystifying Downspout Diverters for Rain Barrels

One Rain Barrel or Many? Single vs. Multi-Rain Barrel Systems

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As a company specializing in multi-barrel rainwater catchment systems, we often get asked: Why can’t I order just one barrel in my rain barrel system? 

The short answer is, you can. But it's a different setup, and not convertible to a multi-barrel system, which is a different design approach. This article covers the pros and cons of single rain barrels vs. connected rain barrel systems, and how to order the right solution for you. 

The BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®

Multi-Barrel Rain Catchment Systems

The BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System® is our trademarked, flagship design—the one we're famous for! It is a modular, multi-barrel rain catchment system made from repurposed 55-gallon barrels. The system is plumbed together from underneath using our custom-packed DIY RainKits®, creating one large-capacity storage unit out of separate barrels.

With this uniquely advantageous design, all barrels in the system fill and empty simultaneously. This means the entire system only needs one downspout connection and one outlet (though you can customize with extras of both).

Because the underplumbing is a linking mechanism, the minimum size for taking advantage of the benefits of this design is two barrels. The the maximum size is, well, unlimited.

Our DIY RainKits are versatile and customizable. Users can customize kits for up to four systems at a time, with up to 30 barrels per system in our interactive online store. You can also choose from three downspout diverter sizes, or no diverter. You can start with a couple barrels and order an Add-On Kit later. Customize further from our accessories menu on the way to checkout. We include easy-to-follow, photo-illustrated instructions, and we have step-by-step how-to videos just for our RainKit customers.

Visit our Online Store and select one of the RainKit® options if you want a complete, multi-barrel system!

Single Rain Barrels

For those who simply want a single rain barrel, we carry the DIY Rain Barrel Kit - Single.

Because this is a pre-packaged product and not user-customized, it is available on our Accessories Menu.

This off-the-shelf kit can be used to turn just about any barrel into a rain barrel. It includes a downspout diverter, and  spigot and drain valves that are installed directly into the barrel (rather than as part of BlueBarrel's bottom-draining, underplumbed design). It also includes all necessary installation tools and instructions. 

Pros and Cons

We are partial to our multi-barrel set-up. And not just because it can hold more water. The system is totally modular, flexible, and portable (when empty). Since it’s plumbed underneath, you can drain every inch of capacity—no pesky water festering in the bottom of your barrels at the end of the irrigation season! For a more detailed list of benefits, please view our About The BlueBarrel System® page. 

Here is a quick visual comparison of the features and benefits benefits of single rain barrels vs. BlueBarrel's multi-barrel rain catchment systems.

Single vs Multi rain barrel system features

HOW TO ORDER WHAT YOU NEED

The (Multi-Barrel) BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®

To build a multi-barrel BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment System®, you will need a BlueBarrel DIY RainKit®, and you will need compatible barrels. Luckily you can find all of that right here on this site!

First, decide if you want to order your RainKit® with Barrels all from BlueBarrel, or if you want a RainKit® without Barrels (meaning you'll source compatible barrels elsewhere). 

If you purchase our RainKit with barrels, your RainKit and accessories will ship to your doorstep, and you’ll claim unmodified barrels from one of our participating barrel suppliers across the USA. You get to select your preferred local pickup location as part of the ordering process. When you purchase a RainKit, we discount the barrels automatically from full price.

If you plan to supply your own barrels for our RainKits, you need to make sure they are compatible. Check out the compatibility requirements.

Once you add your RainKit(s) to your order, you will see a list of tools required for installation. RainKits do not include tools because you may have many of them already. We list them clearly on our accessories menu so you can easily add what you need:

  • Bung Wrench
  • Pipe Cutter
  • Drill Bits (7/8” & 1-1/16”)
  • Hole Saws (1-1/2” & 2-1/8”)

You will also need to pick up two items at your local hardware store. We have found its cheaper and easier for you to pick these inexpensive items up locally, rather than for us to ship them. Sourcing these items locally also allows you more control over customizable elements like your foundation and barrel spacing:

  • 3/4” PVC Pipe (2.5’ per barrel)
  • Cinder Blocks 8" x 8" x 16" (2 per barrel)

The Single Barrel Option

To order a Single Barrel Kit, start on our Accessories Menu. Add the quantity you’d like, and add any additional tools or accessories you’d like, and proceed all the way through the checkout to complete your order. 

This kit does not include a barrel. If you want to order a barrel from us as well, you will need to place a separate Barrel Order. This will not cost you any extra, as barrels do not have a shipping or handling fee.

The DIY Rain Barrel Kit - Single includes the tools needed for installation: A set of Hole Saws. There are 2 exceptions, and we carry both tools in our Accessories Menu.

  • If you have metal downspouts, you will need a 2-1/8” Hole Saw for Metal
  • If you purchase one of our barrels, we recommend a Bung Wrench to easily open and re-seal your barrels.

The DIY Rain Barrel Kit - Single comes with a 2” x 3” downspout diverter. Since these are pre-packaged kits, these diverters can not be substituted. If you need a different size, we sell 3”x 4” and Round diverter heads separately in our Accessories Menu.

Decide What's Right for You!

We hope this article helps you understand the difference between our single and multi-barrel rainwater catchment system offerings.

If you now want to understand how many barrels will work best for you, we have user-friendly online tools for calculating how much rain you can catch, and how much water you might need. We also have a skilled customer service team  available during business hours to help you navigate the options on our website. Check these out, and when you’re ready, you can place your order and start collecting that precious rain!

 

Article contributed by BlueBarrel's Kelly Nichols.

More About the BlueBarrel System®
View these options in our Online Store

Clean Gutters Without a Ladder

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Collecting Rain? Use a Leaf Eater!

Here at BlueBarrel, we specialize in DIY rainwater harvesting solutions. A well-designed rain barrel system is a low-maintenance addition to your garden. Keeping your gutters clean is the most important thing you can do to keep your inlet screening from clogging.

Before seasonal rains begin is the best time to flush out your gutters. Use a leaf eater for a more robust pre-filter.

Enjoy this short video (filmed on gutter cleanout day!) to see just what a leaf eater can do, and then read below for more tips on how to clean those gutters without a ladder:

And now, about cleaning those gutters...

Most of us dread getting on the roof to clean gutters. Steep roof pitches can be especially scary for those of us who don't like heights.

But gutters are an essential part of the drainage system on any home. And further, clean gutters are necessary for efficient collection of rainwater. In the rainwater harvesting world, gutters and downspouts together are known as the “conduit system,” along with the downspout diverter that takes the rain into your rain barrels, rain tanks, or cisterns.

This article contains tips for how to clean your gutters without climbing up a ladder! The following information has been supplied from our friends at Frazier Roofing:

 

The last thing most of us want to think about when it comes to maintaining our homes is the gutter system. Yet, we force ourselves to give those gutters some attention for fear of water damage caused by considerable clogs. But you don't need to spend money to hire someone to clean the gutters, and these days, you don't even need to get up on a ladder.

If you’d rather keep your feet planted firmly on the ground, here are some tricks that will leave you with clean gutters and less money leaking from your checking account.

 

Gutter Vacuums

Gutter Vacuum

A gutter vacuum is one inexpensive way to clean gutters.

You can either purchase an attachment that connects to a shop-vac or leaf blower with a reverse function, or you can go completely DIY by making one out of tubing and duct venting.

Gutter vacuums will allow you to run along the length of your home sucking up any leaves and debris that are light enough to be caught up.

 

Gutter Tongs

Gutter TongsIf your leaves are wet, or if you have caked debris lining the base, a gutter vacuum may not be strong enough to do the trick.

Try using gutter cleaning tongs (there are several types on the market).

This tool will allow you to grab heavier debris like wet leaves by pulling a string to operate the tongs.

It may be slow going, but if a ladder isn’t your thing, this could be a safer bet.

And hey, you may just be the first on your block to try it!

 

Gutter Flush

Clean Gutters with Hose

A messier option, but one that does not take a whole lot of precision, is a gutter flusher. It's a high powered hose on an extension pole that sends leaves on their way through the sheer force of water.

Warning: you may get a bit wet in this endeavor. But if you don’t mind that, and if you don't live in a drought-prone area, then this may be a good choice for you.

 

Gutter Cover SystemGutter Cover Systems

Another option, with a small upfront investment, may save you the headache of cleaning your gutters at all ever again.

A gutter cover system like Gutter Helmet or Gutter Glove, covers the gutter while still allowing rainwater to pass through.

 

The Good Ole-Fashioned Ladder

Woman Cleaning GutterIf none of these options are appealing to you and you feel you must go up on that ladder, take the proper precautions before venturing up to the roofline.

Make sure your ladder is set on solid footing and have someone with you to help keep it secure. Take your time and proceed slowly.

Always keep three points of contact on the ladder. This means you may have to move more slowly just using one hand to clear your gutters, but safety should be your first priority here.

Garden gloves are also a must. Gutters can be a mucky mess, and sharp debris such as pine needles can wreak havoc on bare hands.

Ready for the next step in DIY gutter maintenance? Check out our blog on gutter repair tips!

Related Post: 5 DIY Gutter Repair Tips Anyone Can Do
Related Post: Demystifying Downspout Diverters for Rain Barrels

DIY Hydroponics in a Barrel

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DIY Hydroponics...in a Barrel!

“DIY Hydroponics in a Barrel”  is a follow-up to “DIY Aquaponics in a Barrel”. Both “barrelponics” articles are part of our ongoing series covering DIY barrel-conversion projects.

DIY rainwater catchment systems are our specialty. But once you’ve built a BlueBarrel System®️ (or two, or three!), there are still plenty of other ways to upcycle 55-gallon blue plastic drums. (See our other posts for DIY compost tumblers, floating docks, and even a boat!)

Whether you have limited yard space, are interested in water-conscious growing, or are simply looking for a fun alternative to traditional soil-based gardening, hydroponics—in a blue barrel, of course–may be the project for you!  

hydroponios benefits

image source: Fix Blog

What is Hydroponics?

Hydroponics is a method of cultivating plants without soil. 

A quick refresher on the basics of gardening and agriculture: in addition to sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, plants rely on soil (air/water/minerals/organic matter) to support root structure and nutrients for growth. 

 

hydroponics

/ˌhīdrəˈpäniks/

The process of growing plants in nutrient solutions—water + mineral nutrients—without the use of soil.

 From Greek:  hydro- ‘of water’ + ponos ‘labor’ + -ics

 

Hydroponics eliminates the need for soil by providing nutrients (mineral and organic) through a growing solution (water + nutrients). Sometimes an inert medium like sand or gravel is utilized to support root structure. Alternatively, a plant may be suspended in a solution without the need for soil-like stabilization.

Hydroponics: variations on a theme

There are various methods under the larger umbrella of hydroponics. Many require a pump, drip lines, and/or an aerator, plus an electricity source to keep these devices going. If you’re looking for a more involved DIY hydroponics project, check out this cool aeroponics in a barrel tutorial (as pictured below).

Instructions for this "aeroponics" lettuce barrel can be found here 

The Kratky method or "plant in a barrel"

These basic barrelponic methods are suited to beginners and expert growers alike. One of the simplest is the Kratky method, named for Bernard Kratky, a researcher at the University of Hawaii. This passive hydroponics approach requires no water circulation (no pumps or electricity), offering a one-and-done approach to feeding and watering the plants. 

Here is a basic rundown of the Kratky method:

  1. Fill a barrel with water (rainwater, if you have it, plants prefer it!).
  2. Add liquid nutrients (such as fish fertilizer).
  3. Place a bare root plant (e.g. a lettuce plug with the soil removed) into the barrel, suspended above the water and with roots touching the water. You can use the existing bungholes (see tomato pic below) or cut a larger reservoir into the top of the barrel for inserting plants. 
tomtoes growing in hydroponics barrel

tomatoes growing in 55-gallon a barrel using the Kratky Method

Check out the “Gardening with Leon” video below for more specific Kratky barrel techniques and nutrient solution recipes. With many resources and videos on DIY hydroponics, we hope this blog inspires you to check them out and start growing from blue barrels!

best plants for hydroponics

image source: Fix Blog

Find Recycled Barrels Near You
DIY Aquaponics in a Barrel
More DIY Ideas: How to Make a Composter

Free Rain Barrel Maintenance Webinar

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Do you know how to properly maintain your rain barrels to make the most of them?

BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou, teamed up with the LA Stormwater Program to present a webinar covering everything you need to know about rain barrel maintenance.

Join us from the comfort of your home and press play to learn something new, and have some fun!

About this Webinar: Rain Barrel Maintenance

Whether you’ve only recently installed a rain barrel, are just thinking about it, or are a rainwater harvesting expert, join us to learn how to properly maintain your rain barrels so you can continue to save water, money and the environment!

This webinar is presented by rain capture system design expert Jesse Savou. Jesse graduated from Stanford and earned her master’s in Ecological Design at the Conway School. After building her first rain catchment system as an AmeriCorps project, Jesse launched BlueBarrel in 2012. Jesse earned her professional accreditation from ARCSA, and has kept current as an ASSE 21110/21120-certified Rainwater Catchment System Designer & Installer. With her immense knowledge of rainwater harvesting, she will take you through everything you need to know about proper rain barrel maintenance and answer any questions you may have!

 

Webinar Outline:

10:30 am - Introduction

10:40 am - Presentation by Jesse Savou, BlueBarrel

11:25 am - Live Q&A Session

11:45 pm - End

BlueBarrel in the News

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Rainwater Harvesting: it's catching on!

BlueBarrel was recently featured in this news segment! Bay Area residents, and indeed our customers all over the USA, are catching on to the benefits of rainwater harvesting in any climate.

Watch the short (3min) video below to learn more about rainwater harvesting from BlueBarrel's founder, Jesse Savou, as she demonstrates the many benefits of a BlueBarrel System®.

Bay Area residents use harvested rainwater amid dry spell

The Bay Area is experiencing a historic dry spell during what is typically the rainiest part of the year. More homeowners are turning to rainwater catchment systems to turn a few days of rainfall into a year-round safety net. KTVU's Emma Goss reports.

SONOMA, Calif. - The Bay Area is experiencing a historic dry spell during what is typically the rainiest months of the year. More homeowners are turning to rainwater catchment systems to turn last December's rainfall into a year-round safety net.

In Santa Rosa, Jesse Savou owns and operates BlueBarrel Rainwater Catchment Systems, one of the leading rainwater catchment system retailers nationwide. She started the business in 2012, and saw business double in 2020 and continue to steadily grow over the past year.

"It's been our busiest January," Savou said, noting that homeowners in the Bay Area as well as other regions of the country are adopting rain harvesting systems in their homes.

The Bay Area hasn't seen measurable rainfall since the first week of January. The brief but heavy December rains easily filled Savou's 20 rain barrels in her backyard.

"What people don't realize is, even a little bit of rain is going to fill a system," Savou said.

BlueBarrel systems connect to the downspouts of a home. Savou also connects some of her barrels directly to an irrigation system, and can fill up her watering can too. The water is safe to give to pets, garden with, or use to wash a car. The more water Savou uses this winter, the more capacity she will have to refill her system the next time it rains.

"Every single inch of rain that falls on a 1,000 square foot roof is going to give you over 600 gallons of high-quality rainwater, to put that in perspective that will fill 11 of these 55-gallon barrels."

"Every single inch of rain that falls on a 1,000 square foot roof is going to give you over 600 gallons of high-quality rainwater, to put that in perspective that will fill 11 of these 55-gallon barrels.

The Sonoma Ecology Center has created a garden park, demonstrating to the public how rainwater harvesting works.

Steven Lee, a senior scientist and research program manager at the Sonoma Ecology Center utilizes a 70,000 gallon rainwater catchment system to keep his five acre Glen Ellen farm hydrated during the dry months. Still, he's concerned about Sonoma's low water levels.

"In this year that we're in now, we are having a pretty bad year that came on top of a pretty bad year," Lee said, noting that the dry January and February has put Sonoma in "dire straights," though there's a chance to recover if rain comes later this spring or in the fall.

For much of the Bay Area, water levels are near levels they were last year, low enough to bring counties and water districts to enforce or recommend water restrictions.

In January, San Mateo County's Flows to Bay outreach program distributed dozens of discount rain barrels in San Carlos. San Mateo County offers a range of rain barrel rebates as high as $200 depending on the size of the system.

"Rather than having that water run down the drain and become a source of pollution where it can pick all kinds of contaminants and pollutants in the roadways and the storm drain infrastructure itself, you can make that water a resource rather than a waste and put it to good use at the same time." said Reid Bogert, the Senior Stormwater Program Specialist for San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program,

The cities of Santa Rosa and Santa Clara offer rain barrel rebates too. Savou recommends interested homeowners check with their city, county, and local water district to find out if rebates are offered, noting that harvesting rain water can help bring down water bills, too.

"It's really what nature intended for water," Savou said. "For it to be getting back into the ground, rather than it flowing away through all this pavement we've been putting all over the place."

man with rainbarrels
Jesse_madelocal_barrels

Ready to get started?

Beginners can get started with just a few barrels and add on gradually. You can surprise yourself with just how much water is available when prepared to collect it, even in drought years. You will get over 600 gallons of high-quality irrigation water with every single inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square-foot roof surface. It's easy to size and site your System, and our easy-to-follow instructions and videos make this a great project for DIY-ers looking to conserve water in the landscape. Plus, your plants will thank you!

Related Article: The Act of Harvesting Rainwater
Related Article: Virtual Garden Tour with Jesse