These rain barrels can be used to collect and store rainwater, gray water, and recovered household water. These products have enjoyed a previous life as food and liquid containers and are ready to begin their second life. These FDA food grade handling products have been selected for early retirement and look forward to new adventures! So instead of buying new barrels and drums, purchase these to keep recyclable materials out of the land fill.
These rain barrels have a drain valve at the bottom with garden hose threads, a removable screen lid, and an 1-1/2" internal overflow. The screened lid keeps out mosquitoes, organic debris, small animals, rodents, birds, and large particles.
The lid is flat and firmly attached to the rain barrel with a lever-lock ring. The openings in the lid are covered with mosquito prevention screen and provides for more than enough rainwater to flow through the opening from downspouts. The screen is reinforced with metal wire mesh for extra support. The screen keeps out mosquitoes and large organic debris. The lever-lock ring makes the rain barrel child and animal resistant. The lid can be removed for easy cleaning.
Blue is the only color available, but spray paint for plastic is available at hardware stores. You can paint them any color you desire. The lid can be removed to clean the inside of the barrel. The dark blue color also provides the means to curb algae growth. An elevated spigot (not included) can be added to fill up your watering pail to water indoor plants. The rain barrel is also design to accept fittings (not included) to connect several of these barrels together to increase the storage capacity.
The 55 gallon rain barrel is ideal for most of the year, but it is recommended to drain the barrel once temperatures dip to freezing levels to prevent potential cracking. This rain barrel is made with food grade plastic resin. This does not allow for or mean you can drink the rainwater straight from the bin without filtering. However, food grade plastic resin is recommended for rain barrels, even if water is intended for irrigation purposes, as food grade plastic reduces the amount of chemicals being absorbed into the rainwater.
