I had 2 rain barrels for about 3 years. They were both 37 gal capacity. One of them was cracked when I got it out this spring. So Tues I bought a replacement. This one is much heavier plastic and hols 57 gal. Last night we got 1/10 th of an inch of rain. The barrel is just over 1/2 full.
Good for you Capt! I'm in the process of setting up my first rain barrel. Just have a few final touches and it should be up and waiting for rain before the weekend (which is when we have a whomping 30% chance of seeing rain).
I am a firm believer that rain water is better for plants than municipal water (my credo is based on the fact that I am very, very frugal--well, cheap). Good for you Captain, and I hope you enjoy your larger capacity rain barrel.
Fifty seven gallons capacity makes my five gallon one seem a tad on the small side. I only use it to water the plants in the greenhouse though as, living here in Scotland, we can guarantee plenty of rain all year round.
My well water here is very hard and has a lot of iron in it. So we have a water softener. But for plants, that is too much salt. So the rain barrels work good for the plants. I am going to disconnect the old one I have left and use it up, then I will replace that one too.
We have had 2 showers since I set up the 57 gal barrel. It is within 3 inches of being full. I am going to buy another one on Wed. to replace the 37 gal. that I have on the other down spout. The new one looks a lot better and is made with thicker plastic.
