That time my rain barrel overflowed and flooded my neighbor's yard

I set up a 55 gallon rain barrel off my garage last spring to save on watering. After a solid week of storms in June, I came home to find it had overflowed and sent a muddy stream right into my neighbor's flower bed. I had to dig a new drainage ditch and add a second barrel to handle the extra water. Has anyone else dealt with a rain barrel system that just couldn't keep up during heavy rain?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_reed5528d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain! I thought I was being so smart with one barrel and ended up creating a miniature lake in my backyard. Guess I'm not the rain collection genius I thought I was, huh?

miller.rowan28d ago

Yeah but is a little pooled water really the end of the world? I mean unless your backyard is basically a swamp for a week straight it dries up. I had a barrel overflow a few times and it just soaked into the grass. No big deal. If you're worried about a soggy lawn maybe just move the barrel onto some gravel or pavers. People act like a few gallons of water on the ground is some kind of disaster.

wade87128d ago

Figure out how your overflow hose actually connects to the barrel. Most of them have those little brass spigots with a tiny opening that can't handle more than a trickle. I swapped mine out for a 2 inch PVC pipe fitting that goes right through the top rim. That one change let the excess water dump straight into my drainage trench without backing up. Also check your downspout diverter. If the screen mesh is too fine, leaves and debris will clog it fast and force all the water right over the top of your barrel.