Rain add-on
Rain, caught and sent somewhere useful
A roof sheds a lot of water in a winter. We plan where it goes at the same time as the roof.
The add-on is a gutter run, a first-flush diverter, a screened barrel or two and an overflow path. It goes on your estimate as its own lines, so you can take it or leave it.
Barrel water is for beds and lawn, not for drinking
A screened inlet keeps mosquitoes out
The overflow runs to a bed or away from the foundation
We check your city's rules before we install
What goes in
Four parts, one plan
Gutters and downspouts
Sized to the roof area that drains into them, with the downspout set where the barrel will sit.
First-flush diverter
The first of each rain carries the most dust and debris. The diverter sends it to the ground, not the barrel.
Barrel or two
On a stand, with a screened inlet and a tap at the bottom.
Overflow path
When the barrel is full the water goes to a bed or away from the house, never to the foundation.
Strips and barrels
What zinc and copper strips mean for barrel water
Strips work because rain carries a trace of metal down over the shingles. That water is fine for ornamental beds and lawn. We don't recommend it for vegetables or drinking, and we tell you at the visit which downspouts should feed a barrel and which should not.
Strips sit under the ridge cap
Downspouts that carry strip runoff can go to a rain garden instead
Roofing materials shed small amounts into runoff too
Rain
About collecting rain
Is rain barrel water safe to use?
Use it on ornamental beds and lawn. Roofing materials, and zinc or copper strips, shed small amounts into the runoff, so we don't recommend it for vegetables or drinking. Ask us which downspouts can feed a barrel.
Do I need approval to collect rain?
Rules on barrel size and overflow vary by city and subdivision. We check the overflow path and ask your city before we install, and we write down what we found.
Is moss a problem?
Black streaks are mostly algae and mostly cosmetic. Moss is different: it holds water against the shingles and lifts their edges. We brush it off gently, never with a pressure washer, and zinc or copper strips at the ridge slow it coming back.
Thinking about a rain add-on?
Tell us where the downspouts are. We come and look, and the plan goes on the estimate.