Whoever collects rainwater is always liquid in two respects. The valuable water falls from the sky free of charge and fills the rain barrel. Thus, neither hobby gardeners are left out financially nor are plants dry when it comes to watering when the sky keeps its floodgates closed. This guide explains how to properly collect rainwater in the garden and on the balcony.

Valuable rainwater should not be missed

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Where and how?
  3. Collect with downspout
  4. Gathering on the balcony
  5. frequently asked Questions

    6. the essentials in brief

    • The best way to easily collect rainwater is a combination of downpipe, rain collector and water butt.
    • Balcony gardeners collect rainwater with tarpaulins, funnels, (5.00 €) downpipe flaps or open rain barrels.
    • Collecting rainwater is not forbidden in Germany, but encouraged and environmentally friendly. Collection techniques on a larger scale are subject to a permit requirement.

    Collect rainwater - where and how?

    Rain makes gardeners' hearts beat faster. After all, rainwater waters thirsty plants and dry lawns for free. In hot summers, the long-awaited rain is rare or comes as short-term heavy rain that seeps away uselessly in no time at all. Anyone who turns on the tap for lush greenery has to pay for it with a hefty water bill. Clever hobby gardeners are easy on the wallet and catch the rain when it falls from the sky. The following table provides an overview of practical solutions for where and how you can collect rainwater:

    garden Balcony without a roof balcony with roof
    downpipe Plans downpipe flap
    rain collector rain barrel funnel

    Have any of the above options caught your interest? Then read on. The following sections are peppered with practical tips and tricks on how to create a sufficient supply of rainwater as a beginner.

    tips

    Collecting rainwater is not prohibited. On the contrary, experts from the Federal Environment Agency expressly recommend using rainwater for plants in the garden and on the balcony. However, large water tanks or cisterns are often subject to local building code requirements. In many municipalities, a separate permit is required if excess rainwater is to flow from collection tanks into the sewage system. An informal request to the regulatory or building authority eliminates all ambiguities before you tackle the rainwater collection project.

    Collecting rainwater with a downpipe - how it works

    Rain barrels can be easily connected to a downpipe

    Garden owners with their own homes collect rainwater in the traditional way. For this purpose, an open water butt is positioned on the wall of the house. Rain falls on the roof surface, runs into the gutter and into a downpipe connected to it, which feeds the water butt. This is the simplest and cheapest way to collect rainwater without much effort. The downside of this simple solution is regular flooding, because the rain barrel regularly overflows when it pours from buckets.

    Problem solver is a rain collector, also known as a rain thief. The ingenious overflow protection is installed between the downpipe and the water butt and directs the valuable water into the collection container. If continuous or heavy rain overwhelms the capacity of the tank, the overflow stop takes effect. Excess rainwater now finds its way into the sewage system via the downpipe. Subsequent installation is possible without any problems. As a further advantage, the rain thief allows a cover for the collection container because the rain is fed in from the side. This circumstance optimizes safety in the family garden, because curious children cannot fall in. Furthermore, the water remains free of impurities and mosquito larvae.

    A practical filter is installed in the luxury version so that bird droppings and other impurities do not get into the collected water. The figure below illustrates the beneficial functioning of a rain collector with overflow protection on the downpipe.

    Collecting rainwater on the balcony - tips & tricks

    Balcony gardeners do not have to do without the advantages of rainwater in plant care. Catching rain is easily possible on the balcony. The level of difficulty depends on the general conditions. Different solutions are required on the covered balcony than on a balcony without a roof. Is there access to a downspout or does it have to work without a downspout? The three most common ways to collect rainwater on the balcony are explained in more detail below:

    Collect rainwater without a roof

    Anyone who wants to collect rainwater on a balcony without a roof and without a downpipe is on their own. So far, specialist retailers and trades have not been able to offer a convincing solution. Resourceful balcony gardeners are not deterred by this. With a tarpaulin and manual skills, you can easily make a rainwater collector.

    1. open the tarpaulin
    2. Caution: Measure the height so that the stretched tarpaulin with stone weight is above the water butt
    3. Eyelets connect to anchor points (railings, parasol stands, handles, wall hooks)
    4. poke a hole in the middle of the tarpaulin
    5. put stone inside
    6. Place the collection vessel under the perforated stone trough

    Now the rain doesn't just fall on the balcony floor, but is caught by the tarpaulin and guided over the trough into the rain barrel. If it's not raining, let the tarpaulin dry and stow it away out of sight in a box. Of course, you can simply place an open rain barrel on the balcony to catch the rain. Of course, with a stretched tarpaulin, the yield of rainwater increases many times over.

    Covered balcony with downpipe

    With a downpipe flap, rainwater can be directed into the bin and stopped

    If a downpipe runs in close proximity to the balcony, balcony gardeners do not miss this opportunity. A built-in downpipe flap sets the direction so that valuable rainwater doesn't rush by unused. Similar to the rain collector from the garden, the rainwater flap is installed in the downpipe and connected to the rain barrel. Retrofitting is possible without dismantling the downpipe. Once the water butt has filled up, the downpipe flap is switched over manually so that more rain runs into the sewage system.

    It is important to note that you must consult the homeowner or property manager before installation. Tenants are not permitted to intervene in the drainage systems in the house without consultation and permission.

    Covered balcony without downpipe

    Imagination and manual skills are required if you want to collect rainwater on a balcony with a roof and without a downpipe. The secret of its success is a funnel to increase the collection area on the collection device. Furthermore, this collecting funnel must be placed outside the balcony roof. This basic concept offers scope for a variety of designs. The following ideas may inspire do-it-yourselfers:

    • funnel: Construction of tubes, clothesline and rainproof fabric or cut open 5 liter plastic canister
    • renewal: Telescopic handle with ribbed hose
    • anchor point: wall hook, weighty parasol stand, window handle

    Gardena's telescopic fruit picker handle is ideal for aligning and extending the collecting funnel. At its end there is already a small collecting funnel, which in this case does not pick fruit from the treetop, but serves as a support for the large collecting funnel. Ideally, use a flexible finned hose that directs the rainwater from the funnel to the collection tank. As a rain barrel, we recommend a wide-mouth barrel from Noorsk, which is available in numerous sizes and shapes from Amazon.

    digression

    Rainwater - good for soil and plants

    Watering with rainwater is not only easy on the wallet. Other beneficiaries are garden soil, flowers, perennials and vegetable plants. Rainwater scores with minimal water hardness and does not contain any undesirable additives such as fluorine or chlorine. As a result, neither limescale nor other questionable substances can accumulate in the garden soil. In this way, the pH value remains in balance without costly improvement measures. When hobby gardeners water with soft rainwater, exotic plants such as camellias and azaleas blossom. Most flower beauties in beds, on balconies and windowsills can't stand hard tap water. Collected rain also improves the vitality and flavor of vegetable plants if the precious water is regularly used as irrigation water.

    frequently asked Questions

    As a room gardener, how can I collect rainwater in the rented apartment?

    Collecting rainwater in buckets is a good option for indoor gardeners

    Watering your plants with soft rainwater is undoubtedly a challenge as an indoor gardener. There is no access to a downpipe from the rental apartment and there is no balcony to catch raindrops with a tarpaulin or funnel. The only option left is to set up a collection container outside when it rains. With an average shower, around 5 liters of rainwater fall from the sky every hour. Experience has shown that this amount covers the watering needs of indoor plants in a rented apartment.

    Which collection containers are suitable for collecting rainwater on the balcony?

    Space is limited on the balcony. The classic 1000 liter water butt for the garden is too big and too heavy for this purpose. Furthermore, due to the exposed location, the aesthetic aspect should not be neglected. Half a wine barrel or the rustic wooden tub from the flea market create a rustic ambience. The rain barrel comes in the style of a Greek amphora, complete with lid and water tap. A weatherproof wall tank with a capacity of 300 liters is useful as a rain barrel to save space.

    We collect rainwater directly from the downpipe. However, the rain barrel is far from sufficient for watering flowers, shrubs and lawns. What to do?

    The capacity can be easily increased by placing several water butts (€53.99) next to each other and connecting them to each other. First, the rainwater runs through the gutter and downpipe into the first barrel. From there, the adjacent water butts are automatically filled via the connecting hoses. For series connection, the containers must be at the same height. Well suited for the connection are special ribbed hoses, complete with screw connectors and seals.

    tips

    You no longer want to stand idly by and watch as valuable rain simply seeps away on your property? With a drainage in the ground, you catch most of the rainwater, direct it via drainage pipes into a collection line and from there into a pond, a biotope or a septic tank. The uncomplicated technology has not only proven itself for protection against waterlogging in clay soil. This way, rainwater can be collected on a very large scale.

Category:

Garden design