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My neighbor showed me a rain barrel hack that actually cut my water bill by 18 bucks a month
I live in Phoenix and my summer water bill was hitting 120 bucks just to keep my little veggie patch alive. I tried one of those cheap plastic rain barrels from the hardware store but it filled up in one storm and sat there. My neighbor Tom, guy must be 70, told me to daisy chain two barrels together with a simple hose fitting at the bottom. Second barrel sits on cinder blocks so gravity feeds the first one. Now I get through a whole dry week without touching the spigot. Anyone else rig up a multi barrel system or is there a better DIY setup for dry climates?
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wright.kevin22d ago
Gotta love the enthusiasm but saving 18 bucks a month on a 120 dollar bill sounds like a pretty small win to me. Especially if you're buying extra barrels and ball valves and all that. Your mileage may vary but I've seen people sink 200 bucks into rain barrel setups just to save maybe 50 a year on water. Tom's idea is clever for sure but in Phoenix where it barely rains half the year those barrels are gonna sit empty way more than they're useful. Just seems like a lot of hassle for a few dollars off a bill that's already pretty low for a veggie patch.
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luna_kim4023d ago
My Tom's setup is almost exactly what I did last year in Tucson. Third barrel on cinder blocks makes a huge difference because you get more head pressure for a soaker hose. I used a brass ball valve instead of plastic because the sun murders plastic fittings in about two seasons. Also buried my hose lines under a few inches of mulch so the water doesn't evaporate before it hits the roots. If you ever get a fourth barrel those cheap IBC totes from Craigslist are way cheaper than buying another rain barrel at the store.
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