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The Best Rainwater Collection Systems for Home Gardens
Are you ready to start harvesting rainwater for your home garden? Below are some of the best residential rainwater collection systems. We concentrated on kits with simple designs and easy setup.
Please check the following articles for more information about harvesting rainwater:
- How to Harvest Rainwater.
- Plan Your Rainwater Storage With Our Rainwater Harvesting Calculator.
- Why Rainwater is the Best Water for Plants.
Table Of Contents
- Some Important Tips About Rain Barrels and Tanks
- Video: Rain Barrel How-To
- The Rain Bucket 53-Gallon Collapsible Rain Tank
- Matalde 100-Gallon Collapsible Rain Barrel
- Clearmate 100-Gallon Collapsible Rain Barrel, Heavy-Duty
- FCMP 50-Gallon Rain Barrel RC4000-BRN
- FCMP 45-Gallon Decorative Rainwater Barrel
- Emsco Group 50-Gallon Whiskey-Style Rain Barrel
- Accessories For Rainwater Collection Systems
Some Important Tips About Rain Barrels and Tanks
- Rain barrels shouldn’t allow sunlight to reach the stored water. If there’s sunlight, you’ll get algae. Fires can’t burn without oxygen, and algae can’t grow without sunlight.
- Algae prevention is another reason to have good covers when storing rainwater in barrels.
- If your barrels don’t block sunlight, treat them monthly with chlorine bleach. Mix one ounce of bleach into every 500 gallons of water. For 55-gallon drums, use 0.1 ounces (0.6 teaspoons) of bleach.
- Chlorine doesn’t last long in water. For more information about chlorine in water, see our article about tap water.
- Plastic barrels should be UV-resistant and BPA-free.
- BPA can leach from the barrels into the rainwater, and plants can absorb it. The next stop for the BPA is when you eat the plants.
- UV resistance protects the barrels from sun damage. This is a real thing, and I’ve seen many examples of it during my career as an electrical engineer.
- If you plan to make potable water, get barrels rated for drinking water.
Video: Rain Barrel How-To
The Rain Bucket 53-Gallon Collapsible Rain Tank
Rainwater collection systems with collapsible tanks are easy to store when winter comes. This tank includes a top screen, two faucets, and an overflow.
This tank also comes with a convenient stand-up water bag for transporting water from the tank.
Do you need more than one tank? You can easily connect them together at the overflow fitting.
$45.99
Matalde 100-Gallon Collapsible Rain Barrel
Another practical and economical solution for rainwater storage. The top cover has a screen mesh to let the rainwater in but keep the nasties out.
Includes a faucet, hose fitting, and overflow. You can also connect as many barrels as you need.
$47.99
Clearmate 100-Gallon Collapsible Rain Barrel, Heavy-Duty
My Rhino Products make this barrel, and like a rhino, it’s tough and stable. The metal support legs make it sturdier than barrels with plastic legs.
The fabric is 500D with a 0.55 mm PVC coating that’s UV-inhibited. Compare this to other tanks that have 300D fabric and a 0.35 mm coating that isn’t UV-inhibited. If this tank is too big, they also have a 53-gallon version.
Fittings include a faucet, hose connector, and overflow/additional barrel connector. The cover has a heavy-duty mesh screen. You can expect years of use from this tank.
$59.90
FCMP 50-Gallon Rain Barrel RC4000-BRN
This rain barrel has fittings at the top for connecting additional barrels. That way, you can make your rainwater collection system as large as you want. It includes a short hose with a thumb valve, but you can attach a longer hose.
An aluminum mesh screen keeps out any unwanted debris from this BPA-free barrel.
$119.99
FCMP 45-Gallon Decorative Rainwater Barrel
You don’t need a dull-looking old rain barrel when you get this stylish light-granite rain catcher. It includes a mesh screen and a short hose with a thumb valve. That’s good enough for filling watering cans, but you can also attach a longer hose to reach the garden.
Since this barrel has a decorative appearance, it doesn’t connect to other barrels.
$116.99
Emsco Group 50-Gallon Whiskey-Style Rain Barrel
Get a more classic style with this rain barrel that looks like a whiskey barrel. The top of the barrel has an integral planter so you can make it look even more decorative.
This kit includes a diverter to guide the rainwater from the downspout to the barrel. The diverter also prevents overflow. You can connect a hose to this barrel, but it doesn’t have a fitting to connect to other barrels.
$210.82Accessories For Rainwater Collection Systems
Rain Barrel Connector Kit
Price not availableLast update on 2025-07-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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