Before the onset of winter and for cleaning, you must empty your rain barrel. There are many methods for doing this, some are recommended, others are rather impractical. One of the beneficial options is certainly emptying using a hose. But how exactly do you go about it? Find out the answer here.
How can I empty a rain barrel with a hose?
To empty a rain barrel with a hose, hang one end of the hose in the barrel and secure it with adhesive tape (€22.00 on Amazon) or insert it through a drilled hole. Direct the water specifically into a drain or connect the barrel to a second rain barrel.
Connect hose
To pump water from the rain barrel into a hose, you must connect it to the container. The advantage of a hose is that you can create an autonomous water flow without having to intervene yourself. You can also transport the water to a specific location, for example into the greenhouse. There are two ways to mount the hose on the rain barrel:
- easy method
- Drilling a hole
Simple method
- hang one end of the hose over the edge into the rain barrel.
- Attach the hose with adhesive tape (€22.00 on Amazon).
- Lay the hose in the garden.
Drilling a hole
- Drill a hole in the bottom of the barrel.
- Put the hose through.
- Seal the hole well.
So that the water runs independently from the rain barrel via the hose connection to your plants, the water pressure must be at least 0.5 bar. To meet this requirement, you may need to place your rain barrel on an elevation.
Where to put the water?
The main purpose of connecting a garden hose is to empty the rain barrel. Dumping all the water into the garden wouldn't be a good idea. They would flood all the beds and flush up the soil. However, a hose is ideal for directing the water specifically into a drain. Alternatively, we recommend connecting the rain barrel to a second model using a hose.
