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This question comes from Kim:
Are there ways to collect rainwater without a barrel hooked up to a downspout? I live in an apartment. I was thinking something along the lines of a covered bucket with a funnel.
One alternative to rain barrels that we've recently come across is the Rainwater Downspout Redistributor. But, we get the feeling you're looking for a solution that doesn't involve a downspout at all?
In that case, if you're simply using the water for gardening and the like, you could use a bucket. However, depending on the amount of rainfall you get, you probably won't collect too much that way. The whole beauty of a downspout is that it collects rain from the huge surface area that is your roof ...
Does anyone have any ideas for collecting rainwater without a roof involved?
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Comments (4)
I did something that might work for you (and if I could find the cord that lets me download photos from my camera I could get you a photo) We made a rain barrel out of a rubermaid garbage can, a spigot, some caulk, and some leftover gutter parts. We attached the spigot to the bottom of the garbage can and cut a hole in the lid for a length of gutter drain stuff. It went straight down into the hole. Then we flared out the gutter bit into a funnel shape and put it into the tube. We put the garbage can up on a few bricks so that we could put a watering can under the spigot, and skewed the funnel into an area of our apartment that water seemed to run off of when it rains. Works great, hopefully next week I can post some photos!
along similar lines (sort of) - i was thinking about hooking up some sort of rainwater collection system because next year probably won't be any less dry around here. i wouldn't need any of the water during the rainy season, though, because we have a small yard and it gets pretty thoroughly soaked. i would really need it during the dry, hot summer when rain is out of the question and we're on water rationing - and it would be good if it could last me several months. how could i keep a giant barrel of water from becoming super scuzzy and/or a mosquito breeding ground? bleach?
Akostalas: You probably don't want to water your garden with water that has had bleach in it... if you keep the water moving it stays fresh and discourages mosquitoes... We have a whiskey barrel fountain that we have a simple water bell in and it makes a nice sound and stays fresh all year. All you need is something to recirculate the water - doesn't have to be fancy.
To keep mosquitos from being a problem, just add mosquito dunks (we now put ours in a mesh sack because as they dissolve they break into pieces and clog the sprinklers; if you don't have sprinklers this is not as much of an issue). If the container is dark, no algae will grow in it, so either paint the container until you can't see light through it, or wrap it in a thick light-blocking material.