The brand new rain barrel is still unused in the garage. Take your time setting it up, because installing it requires careful planning. Above all, the choice of location determines how much use your water butt will ultimately bring and continues to play an important role in terms of longevity. And that's not all, once you have decided on a spot in the garden, you must take further precautions to make the rain barrel usable. On this page you will find all the important details.
It is advisable to set up the rain barrel on a house wall
location
- not too sunny (danger of evaporation)
- near a rain gutter
- on a pedestal
- in a place sheltered from the wind (to avoid falling over)
tips
If possible, do not place any climbing aids such as stacks of wood or similar in the immediate vicinity of your water butt. Otherwise, allow access for cats, who are very happy to use the vessel as a water source. However, if you are not careful, you can fall into the water and drown.
Prepare rain barrel
- build plinth
- set up a rain barrel
- assemble utensils
- Connect rain to gutter
build plinth
In order for your rain barrel to be of great use, you should build a small pedestal. This serves the following purpose:
- stability
- water pressure
- Protection of the earth in case of overflow
It goes without saying that a water butt stands securely on level ground. It is much less common for people to know that water pressure must be available for an irrigation system so that the water in the hose does not flow back. This is only possible if the rain barrel is placed a little higher.
If there is no hose on your water butt that diverts the water to another butt when there is a lot of rain or leads to a street drain, there is a risk that your water butt will overflow. As you can see from the instructions in the link above, build your water butt base on a bed of gravel. As the subsoil becomes more permeable, there is no risk of flooding your garden.