greetings, We are designing a rainwater collection system for our new house, consisting of several barrels connected in tandem. I am looking for info/advice on larger systems like this (most of the info i've found on the internet is for single rainbarrels). I would like to gravity feed the water to raised bed gardens and install drip systems or soaker hoses, if possible. Anybody doing this? Also, I have read that you should not use white rain barrels, due to algae growth. I assume this is from light entering the barrel...I have a source for white barrels, so am wondering if I can just paint them a dark color to solve the problem?? Any tips appreciated, Shawn
Shawn, I have been pondering with the same thoughts. I have been reading http://www.rainbarrelguide.com/ I think you might be smart to get some returned paint from Home Depot (usually less than $5. a gallon)and put a dark color on your white barrels. Good luck on this project. Let me know how it comes out.
Why is that?? My friend lives in Colorado and it is illegal for her to have a rainwater barrel. CO says the rain is state property.
Rain is state property? What the heck? Sounds like some old water-rights law needs a rewrite. We've been considering them as well - I hadn't thought about the light entering the barrel that way, though the ones we were looking at are already dark green so maybe it's a moot point - but it's good to consider all aspects. I remember seeing a good handyman's guide to building a series of barrels with a tap, try googling for them with something like "gardener's spouse" - I think that's what he called himself.
As long as the barrel is not transparent it is okay. If the barrel is painted white that would be okay. Transparent is where you have troubles with algae Wrennie, Any special order paint that either the customer ends up not liking afterall or the employee messes up when making it, can't be sold for full retail so it goes for really cheap.
If you've got any openings at the top of the barrel, a teaspoon full of kerosene on top of the water does wonders to keep the mosquito population at bay. It floats on top and won't mix with the water.
I always thought that algae just looks worse on white than it does with other colours. Why would white attract more algae? If anything, the colour black should attract more algae because black absorbs more sunlight.
Algae needs two things to grow, nutrients and sunlight same as any other water plant. Transparent is not white, it is clear which allows the sunlight thru.
I am puzzled. Is the algae a bad thing? Now I feel like a dumb bunny because I should know these things, but I do not. We use opaque/white barrels and yes, some algae forms at the bottom of the barrels. We use the water anyway. Is this bad? We have done so for a few years now and haven't any illness from our garden produce. I/m assuming that the sludge at the barrel bottom is algae. Maybe not! About the rain belonging to the state. What next? The air we dare breathe? Wonder how they charge for the part that falls on your yard?
Algae can become a bad thing if it gets out of hand. It feeds on the nutrients in the water and creates a bad smell. If you use the water and not let it sit there then algae doesn't have a chance to grow. The sludge at the bottom of the barrel could be dirt washed off your roof, out of the air and into the barrel by the rain instead of algae.
Thank you for the info. Our's just lays on the bottom and looks distasteful. We use the water rather quickly.
