Is the water from the downspout that is stored in this barrel safe for plants? I know some say to wash your hands and not for use on plants
149484
Water from downspouts is safe. I work at a gutter company, and have these at my house. If they are aluminum or galivinzed gutters u will be ok. I would still wash your hand though, because of the dirt lol
149485
Yes, it is safe for plants. the rain barrel is great except that water does notflow out when it is 2/3 empty. I guess it needs to be pumped out. Not sure if all rain barrels have the same problem as this is my first one. I hope this helps.
149486
Last year I used it on all my plants and my sister in Tenn. also has this type of water saver and has piped (hosed) the water to her shrubs.with great results.
149487
We accumulate water from run off of our roof so it doesn't go through the downspout. We use that and the rain water that also accumulate in the barrel for our hydrangea plant and have no problem.
149488
The water in your rain barrel is great for your plants that is the purpose for the rain barrels. The faucet on the rain barrel is positioned about 6 inches up or higher from the base of the barrel to collect any debris that may be on the roof and gutters so the water runs free out of the unit. Rains barrels are meant as a water reserve to use for watering plants, washing cars, garden tools, etc. Water is a natural resource which we need to conserve.
820975
No, it's not water, but a mixture of volatile liquids - meaning that they vaporize at a low temperature. I don't know what the liquid mixture is, but when my first one I had broke, I wiped it up and there wasn't any problem with damage from the liquid and I didn't smell any fumes. It seems quite safe to me. Just understand that this produce is NOT for small children. If you'd like to know more about hand boilers, there's a Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_boiler.
988227
I live in New York I use my rain barrel to water my green house. My husband gets them out and ready in March and puts them away on the end of September. If you keep them with water I think the cold will make it expand and crack.
160388
Just make sure the barrel is "mostly" empty. Otherwise water could freese and expand and crack your barrel. I reroute the water to a corrugated plasitic pipe underground that daylights away from the foundation.
1496989
Water builds up according to use. Outside weather environment should not effect it
2159645
So sorry, I can not help you on this. I would call a local nursery and ask them or contact the manufacturer. The water from my urns using this product is for watering plants - don't know how safe it would be for fish and don't think I would use it until you find out if it is safe for them. Wish I could be more helpful.
1477082
Out the top as in overflow! You have to drain part of the saved water out if the barrel is completely full which could be a pain if there's a downpour.
171812
Remove the spigot, it should unscrew. Replace it with a higher quality spigot that has a wider orifice or clean the old one out. I found the original spigot not up to the quality of the barrel itself. Mold or debris can easily clog it. It is designed to have the perforated top sit under a rain downspout. Rain easily enters the barrel while large twigs/leaves do not. The only thing I have seen is when there is a downpour the water will overwhelm the grated top and some will be lost over the side of the barrel.
1863092
If the rain barrel fills before you use the water and is going to overflow then lay the hose down on the ground in the direction you could use the water or put the hose in buckets to carry to water other areas/plants. Probably you would be using the water as it fills and it doesn't get a chance to overflow. I keep water in the top for birds to drink & bathe.
794866
I live in the upper portion of lower Michigan and right now my barrel is under at least 4 feet of snow! I won't be able to measure it until possibly the latter part of April when the snow melts. If you can wait until then I will also be able to tell you how it looks after surviving its first winter buried in snow since last November. It is a good sized barrel and easily held 8 or 9 begonia plants.
547666
Unknown; I purchased two of these units and have stored them in my basement (water was treated with a 5 year stabilizer chlorine/liquid for each unit). The sun with its heat on those barrels may encourage algae growth within the barrels; stabilizers may arrest these issues.
694535
As far as I know it would be fine. The recommendation to not drink from any garden hose is because of the risk of bacteria growing inside the hose.
2210748
I was wondering the same thing, but after some searching I would say it's NOT food safe. In the description it says that this drum has an "interior epoxy phenolic coating" and it doesn't not mention if this is a food grade barrel. So I would advise NOT to use this product to store water or food. Try ebay for 55 gallon food grade barrels. Here's some sellers that I found who sell them seller: browerville - $89.00 & free shipping user: sunkist1956 - $59.00 & free shipping
944625
Technically its possible from what I saw in my installation. As far as would it be bad for plants my guess is that it will be whatever was removed from the water will be in higher concentration
1500234
The product says it's safe for plants and fish. I use it in my pond which has both plants and fish and I treat my pond twice a year just to be on the safe side. I haven't lost any plants or fish due to the use of this product. Hope this answers your question.
2222872
Spigot on the bottom is good only for using a hose to water plants at ground level. Contrary to what others may think, there is some pressure from a bottom spigot due to the weight of the water pressing down but after a while, as more water leaves the barrel, the pressure decreases.Also, if there is enough room in the opening on top of the barrel you can insert a small electric pond pump with some tubing attached. If you have an electrical source you can pump water out all day with some decent pressure.
1708667
Theoreticaly yes. As long as its pure rainwater and hasn't been contaminated it should be fine. That would depend on method of collection though. When in doubt distilled water is a cheap and safe solution. Tap water is a big no as is anything with high mineral content. I would avoid downspout collected water.