Our Rainwater Catchment System

Our Homestead’s Rainwater Catchment System

Our homestead’s gardening rain water catchment system took time to figure out. Just like the rest of our property, we planned all the gardens with what we had available. For instance, the fruit trees and vegetable gardens strategically placed due to the amount of sun it receives in the summer months. Unlike our berry patches, which are placed elsewhere, so it gets shade in the brutal summer sun and afternoon heat. We had to do the same planning with our rainwater system, but it took about two years to figure out what worked and what we liked,

Start with rain barrels.

First, we started with rain barrels on the ends of all our gutter downspouts. Our house didn’t come with them so we purchased 50-gallon food-grade blue barrels from Craigslist years back.

I’ll admit, we didn’t know what we were doing at first and ended up cutting off the tops of the barrels. As rain fell it filled up the barrels. They became a disgusting breeding ground for mosquitos instantly. I covered the tops with some leftover window screening and used a hot glue gun to secure the screen to the top. You can see from the picture.

This set up works perfectly. My downspouts sit above the screening, which filters all the junk the gutters flush out from the rains. It helps keep the inside of the barrel clean and keeps mosquitos and their larvae out.

Every few years in the winter, I rip off the old screens, clean out the barrels, and then replace the screens with new clean ones. I do this because the screens do get junky and clogged over time. Other methods of cleaning are to drain barrels before winter and spray out with a garden hose without ripping off the screens.

Not necessary but more for cosmetic effect, I spray painted all the barrels white to match our white house and blend in the background. But be careful, the barrels will need to be sanded and primed first and then spray painted that is made for plastics. It will help reduce the flaking and peeling paint. And of course, don’t put the paint on the inside of the barrel.

Rain barrel placements.

The barrels have been placed under every downspout around our house, six altogether. I started with a soaker hose attached to them, but they would clog up after the first season. There also never seemed to be enough pressure for the water to run to the end of the hose, making the experience a colossal waste of time and money. The barrels need to be placed high up for better pressure as it is gravity fed but could not do this for ours.

Our barrels are only used for nearby gardens. For instance, one barrel is only for our strawberry bed while another is for our raised beds. I like this system. It helps so I don’t have to lug water pitchers from one barrel to a garden across the yard. And again it would be a large waste of time.

The addition of IBC totes

When it came time to water our main gardens, we had more of a problem. Our nearly 2000 square foot garden, set back away from the house, took a lot of water. Not near a rainwater catchment system in place, I had to lug water pitchers.

So we purchased two 275-gallon IBC food grade totes found on Craigslist. A nice gentleman noticed a demand for them and sold them regularly. We placed the totes in back next to the main garden. Unfortunately they are not placed under a gutter so you may be asking, “how do you fill them?” We pump it in.

How we move rain water around.

Using a submersible sump pump, we pump filled rain barrels of water to the IBC totes right before a heavy rainfall. The pump is attached to a long hose that reaches all the way to the front of the house to the totes.

Heavy rains overfill our rain barrels in a matter of minutes. We selected two-three barrels designated to be our transfer barrels. The screening is not glued down on these transfer barrels completely. So simply, we throw the pump in the rain barrel with the other end of the hose filling up the tote. If doing this during the rainfall make sure the plug is tightly covered from getting wet. You don’t want to be electricuted.

Tips on working with the pumps and IBC totes.

Follow these tips for a successful fill-up. First, make sure your pump plug remains dry. Like I stated above, you don’t want to be electrocuted, safety first.

Second, don’t run too far away when running the pump. A sump pump will burn out if there is no water. You will need to unplug it as soon as the barrel is emptied.

And there you have it. My method has been working for our homestead for a few years now. We have yet to have city water watering our garden. Do you have a rainwater catchment system? Tell us what you think about ours.