Rainwater irrigation system (Atlanta, Woodstock: neighborhood, buy, construction)

[netdragon]

Because of the drought we had last year, has anyone gotten a rainwater irrigation system or something similar? I was thinking of doing it and wanted opinions.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Because of the drought we had last year, has anyone gotten a rainwater irrigation system or something similar? I was thinking of doing it and wanted opinions.

We have enjoyed having two 60 gallon rain barrels for the last three years. Great for the veggies, plants and new trees but I can't imagine irrigation on a large scale...sounds like a much larger capacity and pumping system...more than we were interested in. Good luck.

[atlantagreg30127]

Yep. The rain barrel stuff is about the only option.

If folks are talking about "gray water" systems that collect rain water and/or water from your sinks and bathtub drainage, then you're out of luck. Most Counties here forbid them (part of our politicians priorities - duh).

[IntownHomes247]

I also use a rainbarrel. The problem with any kind of "rainwater irrigation system" is the lack of pressure. In order to force the water to the end of any significant length of hose you'd probably a large cistern that was raised up pretty high. The engineering would be significant, including the engineering necessary to collect the rainwater to fill such a cistern. However, if you keep rainbarrels at each gutter downspout, you should harvest enough rainwater to hand water a lot of plantings (but not enough for a lawn). I kept to large planted islands alive (if not exactly thriving) through last summer's drought with a rainbarrel that collects HVAC condensate as well as rainwater. On hot summer days, the HVAC condensate dripped gallons and gallons of water. So even when there was no rain, we had lots of water for spot-watering individual plants.

[gt6974a]

you could drill a well, that's what I will do when I buy a home. It used to be common practice, but even with the 'elements' in the water, you can irrigate, wash cars, etc.

[Jan123]

In order to get pressure from a rainbarrel or cistern, you will need a pump. There is a company that sells electric rain barrel pumps online for $150. The company is called "Rain Barrels in Georgia" and their web address is www.rainbarrelsingeorgia.com. I bought one and it works great. It sure beats carrying water containers. Also, you can attach a soaker hose to the barrel and run it through your landscape. However, the barrel will empty very quickly if you are watering a large area, so you might be better off getting a larger container (a 275 gallon rain barrel) or at least 2 barrels.

Rain Barrels in Georgia installs this sort of rainwater irrigation system. I bought the barrel and pump and ran the soaker hoses myself to save some money. However, be prepared for alot of work. While it seems simple to do, it was physically exhausting!!!

Jan
Woodstock, GA

[plessthanpointohfive]

Jan, thanks for the info on the pump. We have one 75gal rain barrel and we're getting another one soon. We're planning on getting some sort of pump, either electric or crank, to pump out bathwater to the barrels.

We don't have enough land for any irrigation other than a soaker hose.

[gumboula]

A local contractor who does work in my neighborhood was just telling me about a set-up he had put together. Josh Motes, HMS Construction (678-522-1998). Sounds similar to the Rain Barrels in Georgia system, plus a bit more. People rave about his work in the Kirkwood/East Atlanta/East Lake area.

[atlantagreg30127]

P.S...

I was just up at Costco this past weekend and they had collapsible rainwater tanks that fit under your drain spout on your gutters (if you shorten the drain tube). The water comes out of your drain pipe directly into the top of the tank which is covered with a filter and there's a spicket at the bottom with a hose to drain the water as needed. $50.00 I think. They were selling a lot of them.

[plessthanpointohfive]

The rain barrel we have looks like a giant trash can where the cover is a dome with a sort of lip with holes in the lip. So, you put it out and when it rains the rain hits the dome and slides down into the holes. Sound slow? Well, with last week's rain, I think it was Thursday, it filled the barrel up 3/4 the way. You can modify it to hook up to your gutters, too. We're going to do that eventually, probably when we get new gutters sometime this year.