Dog walks, wander around a mall, snoop through some hardware stores, just chilling out, and looking at stuff. It’s not very productive but it makes me feel as though I am doing something. I would like to get a rain barrel for the house so that I can use rain water to water plants around the side of the house instead of from the tap. I’m just concerned about having to tap into the downspout, and creating a stagnant pool of water for a mosquito breeding ground right next to my house. But if droughts persist, collecting rain when we have it to boost the time when we don’t seems like a smart idea. This is less important to me than the safety stuff I have been gathering over the last several months. Still waiting on delivery of my three safety straws, and the solar generator battery pack.
I see a few products that I could use for this, but I’m wondering if I can find less expensive options. Like a 50 gallon drum, rubber/plastic or metal. Would they be cheaper than the rain barrel specific items I see at local hardware places. I’d have to cut my own holes, and place my own spigots & hose combo. I’ll have to look into it and make a determination one way or the other.
Looks as though Home Depot has the least expensive option by about $90.00 here in southern Ontario, so that’s good to know. I’ll need some bagged stone, and perhaps a stand, and another small hose to go with it, once I’m ready to make my move. All of the options are for 50 gallons, or 190 litres, so just about equal across the board. Some have two spigots. Most just have the one at the bottom. So I can save time & effort not trying to fit my own in place after the fact. Also good.
I figure the saved rain water can be used to keep my fruit trees well watered once we get into the nasty dry season from June to September. Things can get pretty parched around these parts. The green grass quickly turns straw coloured and gets mighty crispy. And yet the weeds manage to get big, and tall, and strong, and spread all over the show under the same conditions. Go figure.
It has not yet snowed today, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t! Ha. Have a wonderful Sunday. Take care out there.
Wouldn’t you know it, went to pick up my kids from their Guides cookie sales extravaganza and I found an even cheaper 200 L rain barrel, with spigot, and overflow hose, that I could pick up a generic 25 foot garden hose and still come in under the price of the other one I was looking at that was well over two hundred bucks before taxes, and an additional garden hose. I think I did alright! I will need to level the ground with some stones from the farm, but those are free to me. Will need to hacksaw the downspout to the correct height, but that’s not a major issue. All good. Extra water stores now taken care of.
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