DevilMonkey said:Yes but are they re-purposed pickle jars?

nope, but it is made out of 25% recycled material. you would think the recycled pickle jars would be less since they are just remanufactured w/ a few parts. /shrugs/

JoeRocket said:Nice but it doesn't rain enough here. I'd have to fill it with the hose to get any use out of it. Damn this drought. Sorry Bostonians, I know you guys are getting flooded.
One rainfall will fill up that barrel, I made my own and was surprised at how fast it filled

@ $1.52 per (HCF) equivalent to 748 gallons of water, and assuming you will collect 748 gallons a year, this will pay for itself in about 63 years, about 70 years with shipping.

PhilMcCrack said:@ $1.52 per (HCF) equivalent to 748 gallons of water, and assuming you will collect 748 gallons a year, this will pay for itself in about 63 years, about 70 years with shipping.

Also add the benefit of paying less in sewage charges. For me, sewage charges are based on water consumption and run roughly 2/3rd of water charges. Regardless, if you math is correct, its not cost effective. I do collect it in ordinary garbage containers. It will be worth while to make one though.

Not that it matters much but you don't own the water that falls on your property, unless of course it damages someone else's property (government logic at work)! But there have been many instances of city/counties forcing homeowners to remove water collection devices on their property because essentially your removing that water from the general collection system. Enforcement probably depends on how green freak your neighbors and local government are though, but you should be aware of the local laws regarding rain collection use.

zeddgara said:Not that it matters much but you don't own the water that falls on your property, unless of course it damages someone else's property (government logic at work)! But there have been many instances of city/counties forcing homeowners to remove water collection devices on their property because essentially your removing that water from the general collection system. Enforcement probably depends on how green freak your neighbors and local government are though, but you should be aware of the local laws regarding rain collection use.

Absolutely stupid. When you water with your barrel, it goes into their precious collection system, WTF do they think you are doing with your collected water, transporting it to another state or something?

BTW, here they don't care what you do for the most part, it's good and bad depending on what you want to do, we don't even have emissions testing.

zeddgara said:Not that it matters much but you don't own the water that falls on your property, unless of course it damages someone else's property (government logic at work)! But there have been many instances of city/counties forcing homeowners to remove water collection devices on their property because essentially your removing that water from the general collection system. Enforcement probably depends on how green freak your neighbors and local government are though, but you should be aware of the local laws regarding rain collection use.

It's actually more of an issue if you discharge rainwater into the sewer system which most municipalities forbid. An inspector wouldn't buy the fact you're using it for your garden. One barrel wouldn't matter of course, but if you plan to string together a dozen of these, watch out.

vegetation said:zeddgara said:Not that it matters much but you don't own the water that falls on your property, unless of course it damages someone else's property (government logic at work)! But there have been many instances of city/counties forcing homeowners to remove water collection devices on their property because essentially your removing that water from the general collection system. Enforcement probably depends on how green freak your neighbors and local government are though, but you should be aware of the local laws regarding rain collection use.

It's actually more of an issue if you discharge rainwater into the sewer system which most municipalities forbid. An inspector wouldn't buy the fact you're using it for your garden. One barrel wouldn't matter of course, but if you plan to string together a dozen of these, watch out.

LOL! what a crock. Where do you think rainwater goes after it drains off your property and down the storm drains? MOST municipalities rely on rainwater collected in their storm drain system to flush their sewer systems. Bottom line these silly local laws are ENTIRELY an issue of money. If you collect your own free rainwater you are not using city supplied and metered water which is usually billed twice (going in as a water bill and going out as sewer bill) to most households.

VirtuaL said:vegetation said:It's actually more of an issue if you discharge rainwater into the sewer system which most municipalities forbid. An inspector wouldn't buy the fact you're using it for your garden. One barrel wouldn't matter of course, but if you plan to string together a dozen of these, watch out.
Are sewer systems not set up to accept rainwater or something??

Sewer systems? No. That's where the water you use in your house goes... down the drain, out to the sewer system. Significant amounts of rainwater, if diverted to the sewer system, would overwhelm it, and you'd probably end up with raw (if slightly diluted!) sewage overflowing to the ground, streams, etc. Or backing up in to your house.

The holes in the curb, on the other hand, are storm drains, which are not a part of the sewer system. Storm drain water is typically unprocessed, and flows into lakes, rivers, and the ocean (so you can see why it's important not to mix the two).