Sunday, July 26, 2009

Drops of Water In A Water Jar - Part 2 - How About Drops of Water In A Water Barrel?

A couple of of months ago, I purchased a rain water collection barrel made by Fiskars. However, because I lacked a special kind of drill bit needed for drilling a one inch hole in the side of the barrel, and I never seemed to find the time to get to the store to by it, it was only today that I finally got it set up.

While Long Island has thus far had more than its fair share of rain this summer, there have been a few years here and there where we have had lack of rainfall. So, the rain barrel will certainly come in handy for situations like that. However, my primary intention is to use it as my first source for water when I water my vegetable garden, which by the way, is coming along nicely. I hope to be able to start harvesting the lettuce, carrots and broccoli in August.

In order for the rain barrel to be useful though, I need it to start raining so that enough water accumulates inside to rise above the level of the spout. If the weather forecast is anything to go by, the storm we are supposed to get tonight should help make this a reality.

The only downside is that I had to place the barrel so that it stands several feet away from the house rather than standing alongside the wall. The barrel is connected to a gutter at the northeast corner in the back of the house, which, from an aesthetic standpoint, is not exactly ideal. Nevertheless, if all goes well, it should help to reduce somewhat our household's water use.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Tommy,

Here is a website you might want to check out on how to connect a second rain barrel to the one you've set up already.

Also,other instructions I found valuable to help me understand how I can get better efficiency out of my rain barrel "rainwater harvesting." You sound like you've been pretty busy so I know how you feel about wanting it to rain up past your shut-off! Here's the site: http://home.comcast.net/~leavesdance/rainbarrels/construction.html Check it out.

Keep those rain gutters squeaky clean!! At 70, I am the inventor of a new, American Made, gutter cleaning tool that makes gutter cleaning a breeze. Because after 60 years of using every other method out there, I still had to get on a ladder and it was a nasty dirty job.

Come visit me at www.GutterClutterBuster.com and see for yourself how we can save you time, money, and "energy" with our new gutter cleaner tool. Best wishes to you, your wife, and kiddies.

God Bless You and God Bless America. Stay Well, Stay Safe, and Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.

Tommykey said...

God Bless You and God Bless America.

It's clear Jean hasn't read the rest of my blog! :-)

Unknown said...

Tommy,

Yes, dear heart, I did read it....so, what are you trying to say to me?

Please don't take away my blessings by my asking for blessings over you, your wife, and your kiddies.

It's okay, Tommy, He loves you anyway and someday, in the not to distant future, you'll understand why!
Shall I leave well enough alone, now?
JeanK

Tommykey said...

Ha! And I thought you were just a drive by commenter!

Sorry, but I honestly thought you read this post only and did not realize that this was a primarily atheist themed blog.

I understand the spirit in which the remarks were made, and I don't begrudge you for it. To me, telling someone "God bless you" is no different than saying "Good luck." Neither phrase is going to set in motion a chain of cosmic events to favor the recipient of the words. They're just words meant to convey the sentiments of the person who utters them.

And, cleaning the gutters will have to wait until I get back from my scuba diving trip to Belize next week.

Unknown said...

Enjoy your dive and be safe. And, pictures are worth a thousand words. Take care of the garden, the gutters can wait!
Again, be safe, stay well, and Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.