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1. Health Education. Family/Community Involvement. Physical Education. Health Promotion for Staff. Health Services. Nutrition Services. Healthy School Environment. Counseling, Psychological and Social Services. 2. What’s a rain barrel? .
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Health Education Family/Community Involvement Physical Education Health Promotion for Staff Health Services Nutrition Services Healthy School Environment Counseling, Psychological and Social Services 2
What’s a rain barrel? A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from the roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains and streams. A rain barrel setup usually consists of a 55-gallon drum, a vinyl hose, PVC couplings and a screen grate. It can be installed under most residential gutter downspouts. 3
What are the advantages of a rain barrel? A rain barrel is an easy way for you to have a consistent supply of FREE clean, fresh water for outdoor use. 4
What are the advantages of a rain barrel? • The watering of lawns and gardens make up nearly 40 percent of total household water use during the summer. • A rain barrel collects water and stores it for when you need it most -- during periods of drought -- to water plants, wash your car or top a swimming pool. • It provides an ample supply of free "soft water" to homeowners, containing no chlorine, lime or calcium. This water is ideal for gardens, flower pots, and car and window washing. 5
What are the advantages of a rain barrel? • A rain barrel will save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months. • Saving water not only helps protect the environment, it saves you money and energy (decreased demand for treated tap water). • Diverting water from storm drains also decreases the impact of runoff to streams. 6
Where can I buy a ready-made rain barrel? Ready-made rain barrels can be purchased from a number of sources, including hardware and garden supply stores and lumber yards. Some local governments offer rain barrels for a reduced price as part of their environmental education or water conservation programs. 7
How can I make a rain barrel? Rain barrel materials • 1 – 55-gallon polyethylene plastic barrel (Plastic barrels or drums may be available for free or low cost from commercial car washes, bottling companies or other food businesses that use liquids.) • 1 – 10-foot length of 2-inch PVC pipe • 1 – 2-inch PVC elbow • 1 – 2-inch female threaded by 2-inch PVC elbow • 1 – 2-inch male threaded by 2-inch pipe adapter • 1 - tube silicone sealer/cement • 1 - ½-inch female threaded silcock (aka outdoor faucet or hose bib) • 1 - ½-inch threaded bushing • 1 - ½-inch female threaded socket • 1 - roll Teflon tape • 1 – 1-foot by 2-foot piece of old or new screen fabric • 1 – 1-gallon plastic bucket, tub or flowerpot • 4 - cinder blocks • Optional - paint to match your house color 8
How do I make a rain barrel? Tools • Screw Driver • Hack Saw • Tape Measure • Level • Jig Saw • Power Drill with ¾-inch Spade Bit • Scissors • Pipe Wrench and Pump Pliers 9
How do I make a rain barrel? • Step 1 - Inflow • Cut a hole in the top of barrel to allow rainwater to enter the barrel and to access the inside of the barrel. • - The hole should be just large enough to snugly fit the 1-gallon plastic bucket, tub or flower pot. • The bucket will be used to support a screen to keep mosquitoes and debris out. • - Cut a ¾-inch hole in the bucket or flower pot. 10
How do I make a rain barrel? • Step 2 - Spigot • Drill a ¾-inch hole close to bottom of the 55-gallon barrel. • - Don't drill the hole too far down inside the barrel where you can't reach it • Put Teflon tape on the ½-inch bushing and thread it into the silcock or hose bib. • Carefully thread the other end of bushing into the ¾-inch hole in bottom of barrel. • It should fit snugly in the hole and cut threads in the plastic as you screw it in. • - Now unscrew it from the barrel, apply Teflon tape to the threads of the bushing • and apply silicone to the outside of the flange on the silcock. • - Screw it back into the hole and into a ½-inch socket on the inside of the barrel. 11
How do I make a rain barrel? • Step 3 – Downspout Modification • Prepare the area under the downspout where you want to install the rain barrel. • Remove the old downspout and splash block and level the area where the barrel will sit. • Place the concrete blocks so they are sloped slightly downward away from the house. Set the barrel on the blocks. • Using a hack saw, cut the downspout so it is just long enough to fit into the bucket on top of the rain barrel. 12
How do I make a rain barrel? • Step 4 - Overflow • You should provide an overflow for water in case the barrel fills to the top. • - Using a jig saw, cut a hole in the side of the barrel large enough to fit • the 2-inch male threaded by 2-inch pipe adapter. • - Place this fitting inside the barrel and thread it into the 2-inch female threaded by 2-inch PVC elbow on the outside of the barrel. • - Seal with silicone. • - Cut a length of 2-inch PVC pipe long enough to reach the ground. • - Attach a 2-inch PVC elbow to the bottom of this pipe and cut another length • of 2-inch pipe to connect to a splash block. 13
And, voila! You have a handy source of free, clean and fresh water! 14