overnight rain barrel test

We’d pushed ahead on getting the rain barrels into place with the forecast of rain. Last night was the first test of the system, and it seems to have been a smashing success. With about 1 inch of rain overnight, the first barrel filled up completely and the other is about a quarter full.

The 2 rain barrels are hooked up in tandem. When the first barrel is full, a connection to the 2nd barrel gets breached and then that barrel starts to catch the water. When both are full, an overflow tube comes into play and the water is released out of the front of the 1st barrel.

Each of the barrels also has small hose connection on the front with an on/off valve. This hose can be connected to a regular sized garden hose to deliver the water to the plants that need it.