water from rain barrel smells
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19 years ago
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Peter_in_Az
19 years agoUser
19 years agoRelated Discussions
Rain barrels to water fruit?
Comments (16)So I did a search and found an interesting study on collected rain water quality. Here's the link (hope it works here): http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Effect-of-Roof-Material-on-Water-Quality-for-Rainwater-Harvesting-Systems.pdf In short, metal roofs seem the best in terms of low contamination, but none are really that bad as far as irrigation water is concerned. There are some studies which point to asphalt shingles as being good in terms of PAH (organic hydrocarbon) contamination. But there are conflicting conclusions on that. http://www.thecenterforrainwaterharvesting.org/2_roof_gutters3.htm What I would like to see studied is contamination levels on more modern roofing materials, such as the factory baked on painted metal roofs (standard fair for metal barns and roofs today). And some studies in an area with neutral rain water (the Texas study had fairly acidic rain). I have heard that the factory painted metal roof material was tested as the cleanest of the current roof materials, but I have not seen the tests that bear that out. In general though, it seems that using collected water to water a garden or orchard is likely safe, as long as you are not in an area of high pollution, and you don't have an unusual roof (like lead coated copper). If you have zinc surfaces that the water travels over (roof, gutters, etc) then high zinc levels might be a concern over the long run. Or if your roof/gutters have solder joints (lead) then that may be a concern. The more acidic your rain water is, the more concern about picking up heavy metals. Anyway, that's my take. You can find quite a bit of stuff to read on this topic with a quick internet search, so do your own research. Disclaimer, I am not a doctor nor a chemist and do not play either of them on TV....See MoreRain barrel watering plants...
Comments (41)Hi y'all. Hubby and I have made 5 rain barrels. Ours are soda syrup barrels. We used the bung to attach the spigot. In the center of the the bung we found ours had 3/4" threads. Although it was sealed over, we were able to drill out the seal without damaging the threads. We then attached a 3/4" threaded 2" nipple, a threaded elbow, another nipple and then a pvc 1/4 turn ball valve, and another 3/4" threaded nipple to attach a hose to. Everything was wrapped with teflon tape and silcone caulk was used on the bung and the overflow hose then we turned it upside down and cut a hole for the downspout. About 2 or 3" from the top we drilled a hole just big enough for another 3/4" threaded nipple. This was used for a overflow hose. It also could be used to add another barrel. another option we are considering is stacking the barrels. Using the bung hole we would put a pvc pipe from the top barrel to the the bottom barrel, thus using only one spigot and giving more pressure. I use the rain water quite frequently to water my many flower beds. I attach another hose to the spigot and run it to where I need it. A full barrel will put out a 4' spray from a sprinkler until about the barrel is half full. Like I said earlier the threads on the bung are 3/4" you could attach a garden hose and a shutoff valve on the end of the hose....See MoreAutomatic Watering From Rain Barrels
Comments (1)Wow you sound pretty far along already. I know there are humidity monitors which will send an electric signal because I have seen them . . . but where ??? I would try a landscaping business maybe on the web that specialized in drip irrigation. Our drip system has an automatic freeze or rain sensor so our system won't go on in those cases. It can't be that hard to have a soil moisture device inserted for feedback....See MoreRain barrels - keeping water from stagnating
Comments (13)Hmm... why does it matter whether water is "stagnant" or not for watering plants? Do they care? Isn't the soil already full of bacteria and fungus and organisms? Why would it matter if there's more in the water? Aren't they simply going to be broken down in the soil? Actually, our observation is that standing water quickly forms a rather interesting and healthy little ecosystem, full of daphnia and other small organisms. This happens particularly quickly where the trough gets some sunshine. (You may not want to drink this water, but that does not make it "unhealthy" water in any natural sense!) A water trough provides a great source of live food for pond fish. And, providing that there are an appropriate number of fish in the container and that the amount of organic material does not overwhelm the system's ability to use it up (i.e. the fish are not overfed, for example), a balanced system is maintained with filtration or aeration. Sounds like a lot of worrying over nothing really. Lori...See MorePeter_in_Az
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