Rain Barrels In Action - Active and Passive Rainwater Harvesting

For today's post, we want to show you our rainwater harvesting system in action and talk about the difference between active and passive rainwater harvesting. In our short video, first you'll see an example of active rainwater harvesting. Active rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting rainwater in a rain barrel, cistern, or other catchment, storing it for later use, and slowly releasing it back into the ground each time you use it. 


Next you'll see how we have devised a system to divert the overflow water (once the barrels are full) into a rain garden, which is an example of passive rainwater harvesting. Passive rainwater harvesting is achieved when rainwater is diverted into a retention pond, rain garden, or bio swale, where it seeps back into the ground to recharge groundwater/aquifer supplies.  


Both active and passive rainwater harvesting systems are beneficial to us and the environment. Active rainwater harvesting helps reduce our dependency on municipal water supplies for nonpotable uses such as irrigation; and, the naturally pH-balanced rainwater is healthier for your lawn, plants, and trees, as it does not contain fluoride, chlorine, and other chemicals which are infused into most municipal water supplies. In addition, harvested rainwater does not have the high sulfur content associated with most wells in Florida, so you don't have the unpleasant odor and mineral deposits, which can cause structural damage when well water from sprinklers comes in contact with buildings. Passive rainwater harvesting, in addition to helping recharge our groundwater supplies, also reduces the amount of storm runoff that enters our waterways, carrying pollutants along with it!


We hope you enjoy our video and the information in today's post!

~Sarasota Rain Barrels

Rain Barrel Water Pressure Demonstration.

Hi everyone, we thought this would be a good first post on our blog. We want to share one of the most important components in a gravity-fed rain barrel: THE VALVE. In our 37-second YouTube video, you will clearly see the massive difference in water flow between a 1/4 turn ball valve and a standard silcock valve. Many rain barrels aren't sold with the more efficient ball valve but can easily be converted! We hope this inspires you to begin to explore the possibilities of what you can do with harvested rainwater.

Stay tuned...we'll be back soon with more tips, tricks and info!

~Sarasota Rain Barrels