The brand new rain barrel is still unused in the garage. Take your time setting it up, as installation requires careful planning. Above all, the choice of location determines how much use your rain barrel ultimately brings and continues to play an important role in terms of longevity. And that's not all, once you've decided on a spot in the garden, you need to take further precautions to make the rain barrel usable. On this page you will find out all the important details.
How do you set up a rain barrel correctly?
To set up a rain barrel correctly, the location should not be too sunny, near a gutter, on a platform and protected from the wind. Then build a base, place the barrel on it, assemble utensils and connect the gutter.
Location
- not too sunny (risk of evaporation)
- near a gutter
- on a pedestal
- in a place protected from the wind (avoiding toppling)
Tip
If possible, do not place any climbing aids such as stacks of wood or similar in the immediate vicinity of your rain barrel. Otherwise, allow access to cats, who love using the container as a water source. However, if you are careless you can fall into the water and drown.
Prepare the rain barrel
- Build a base
- Set up a rain barrel
- Assemble utensils
- Connect rain to gutter
Build a base
So that your rain barrel is of great use, you should build a small platform. This serves the following purpose:
- Stability
- Water pressure
- Protection of the Earth in the event of overflow
The fact that a rain barrel stands securely on level ground is self-explanatory. It is much less common for people to know that there must be water pressure for an irrigation system so that the water in the hose does not flow back again. This is only possible if the rain barrel is placed slightly higher. If there is no hose on your rain barrel that diverts the water into another barrel when there is a lot of precipitation or leads to a street drain, there is a risk that your rain barrel overflows. As you can see from the instructions at the link above, build your base for the rain barrel on a gravel bed. Since the subsoil becomes more permeable, there is no risk of flooding your garden.
