Top Reasons to Reuse Rainwater

During the rainy season, one of the best things that you can do for your home and for your family is to collect rainwater. It may not have occurred to you in the past but collecting rainwater has a multitude of benefits for the house and for all of you. It’s a smart and forward thinking way to make sure that you are prepared and able to deal with the dryer times in the year. 

The good part is that it’s so much easier than you think to store, install and afford a rain barrel. If you invest in packaged pump systems for the water and sewage in your home, you may benefit from a rain barrel outside which will make your plants and soil happy, while spending less money on water. So, with this in mind, here are the reasons you should consider storing your rainwater.

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• It’s super easy to store. The good news is that with gravity, a rain barrel can collect roof runoff without any bells or whistles. You don’t need loads of pipes or hoses, all you need is to connect a downspout to the container. You could even use a rain chain to move the water from the roof gutter to your barrel. As long as you have a good filtration system, such as a screen for filtering out the breeze, a dark coloured barrel to keep out the light, and a regular clean, your rainwater barrel will be able to store rainwater for as long as you need it to.
• Water is there when you need it. During the dry seasons the last thing that you need is to worry about your garden or your vegetable patch becoming so dry that it dies. When a drought comes along you will be very glad you have access to free irrigation water, especially if there is a hosepipe ban put on in your state. As long as the water is kept in the darkness so that no algae could grow, you’ll be able to harvest the water for irrigation usage. You could even use it to help you to flush your toilets.
• It’s not as expensive as you think it is. Holding rain water is actually a lot easier than you think. A 50 gallon plastic barrel doesn’t run very expensively at a hardware store, and there are even some local governments who are all for sustainability and therefore will subsidize barrels for you. You can then get one for free or snag it for a minimal fee.
• It’s so good for the outside world. Plants and soil often prefer rain water over tap water from your house because it’s softer and cleaner. City water does carry trace amounts of salt and minerals that can really build up and destroy soil. This is especially the case in areas that have infrequent rains.
• It’s good for the environment. Rainwater storage is vital if you want to intercept stormwater runoff. Stored rainwater can irrigate the garden and percolate through the soil. This allows nature to clean the water rather than run as dirty water into the local water systems. You could choose to have one barrel or you could choose to have two or more; it’s completely up to you.