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Earthminded RainStation Rain Barrel

The Rain Barrel collects rain water from the roof and its drainage system. The water it collects is not potable, and should not be used for drinking or cooking without filtration & disinfection.

Besides the ability of providing a source of emergency reserve water, the rain barrel provides a great source of water to use to water your lawn and garden.  Any way to reduce your dependency on the utilities is a great thing. The rain barrel is one such way to reduce that dependency and save money on your water bill as well.

We have purchased and installed a Earth Minded Rain Station 45 Galir?t=modernsurviv 20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00F54053I
rain barrel.

If you would like to increase the water pressure available for garden and soaker hoses, an elevated base will help. With this particular design of water barrel, the connector hose must be level with the top of the full water-level. Because of this, adding an elevated stand should be done before installation into the downspout. A good guide to building an attractive base can be found here.

Installation Steps

  1. Unpack the rain barrel and all of its fittings. Install the rubber threaded grommets into the two drain holes, and the larger hose connector grommet into the large hole near the top.
  2. Lubricate the threaded drain plug and spigot with soapy water and thread into the two drain spouts. These two drain-types are interchangeable and  can be reversed if  desired.
  3. Place the barrel on a solid flat and level surface close to the downspout that will feed it. Verify that the surface is level in both directions with a bubble level across the top rim.
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  4. Use the level and a straightedge to mark the downspout at the same height as the rim of the barrel.IMG_0226
  5. Measure 3 -1/2″ down from the first mark and add a second mark on the downspout. This mark should be at the same height as the connector hose hole on the barrel. This height is crucial for the barrel to fill properly, and to not overfill.
  6. Use the provided hole saw to drill a hole in the downspout at the lower mark you created.
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  7. Insert the provided rubber fill adapter into the downspout so that the cup shaped part it pointed up, and secure with two of the provided self-tapping screws.
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  8. Lubricate the hose ends with soupy water and insert it into both the downspout adapter and the fill hole on the rain barrel. If necessary, the hose can be shortened by cutting at the flat areas with a sharp knife.
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  9. Install the lid and lock with the remaining self-tapper screw. The lid should be kept locked to prevent children from playing in the rain barrel.
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Review

I found the rain barrel to be well made and very easy to install. I particularly liked the method it utilizes to prevent the rain barrel from over filling. I did notice though that it does not capture all flow even when the barrel is not yet full.  If you live in a climate that only gets a small amount of rain, one of the other designs that will catch all of the drain flow may be better for you.

We had a storm a couple of days after the installation and after only a few hours I went outside to check and the rain barrel was already completely filled.

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