My rain barrel setup paid for itself in two months this summer

I installed a basic 50-gallon rain barrel off my garage downspout in May and by July I had saved $18 on my water bill from not running the hose on my tomato plants, which got me thinking about how many other small changes I could make that would add up, anyone else tracking the actual savings from their rain barrels?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_martinez1mo ago

Wait, are you counting the actual water savings or just what you would've paid the city? Because $18 over two months sounds low unless your hose usage is really minimal. My 55-gallon barrel pays for itself in about 6 weeks just on my pepper and cucumber patch during July and August. But I'm in the desert southwest where water rates are brutal, almost $4 per 100 gallons once you hit the tier 2 pricing. What's your actual water rate per gallon where you're at? That makes a huge difference in whether these things pencil out.

norathomas1mo ago

...okay but $18 in two months really isn't that much, Henry (@henry_martinez) might have a point about your water rates being low. I mean, I get that every little bit adds up, but I wouldn't call that "paid for itself" when a basic barrel kit costs what, $80? So you're looking at like 9 months to break even if you only save $18 per two months. And that's assuming your tomato plants don't get some weird blight next year or you forget to clean the barrel screen and it gets all gross and sludgy. Maybe I'm just jaded but lots of these "savings" posts feel like they skip over how much time and hassle you put into maintaining the thing.

valh321mo ago

I accidentally left my rain barrel uncovered last spring and turned it into a mosquito farm. By the time I realized it, I had about 47,000 larvae in there and the water smelled like a swamp that had been sitting in a gym locker. Between buying mosquito dunks and scrubbing the screen, I think I spent more time and money than I saved on water that whole season. But when it works right, it sure is nice watching them tomatoes drink for free during a dry spell.

-1