I've been intrigued for a while now by the idea of setting up my own rain barrel system to capture and recycle roof water runoff that would otherwise be wasted.

I recognized that it was a win - win situation that would provide naturally distilled rainwater for the garden at the same time that I was conserving a precious resource that is in increasingly short supply in many parts of the country.

A perfect Time to Add a Rain Barrel to Your Landscape
But one thing that discouraged me was the price tag on many of the commercial rain barrels that I saw being offered for sale at the local garden centers and even on the Internet.

That all changed when I saw this ingenious double capacity rain barrel kit that offers twice the capacity at half the cost of the other barrels that I looked at. What's more is that I actually like the quality, design, and fit and finish of this one better in spite of the fact that it is a kit system.

Even a Great Idea Can be Spoiled By a Poor Design
As far as the design is concerned many barrels have an open top that allows the rainwater to simply spill into the barrel. I have a few problems with that design; first the open top sounds like a mosquito paradise to me, secondly any debris is going to wind up in the barrel or clog the screen on the lid, and finally, this design requires you to shorten your downspouts and doesn't provide any type of overflow control.

When the barrel fills with runoff, which it is bound to do, the barrel is going to overflow and send water seeping into your foundation. Another question I had was what happens with that shortened downspout that no longer reaches to the ground during the winter months when your rain barrels are not in use?

Designing and Building a Better Rain Barrel
The Rain Reserve System fixes these flaws by introducing a diverter that manages the flow of water and once the barrels fill, the water is rerouted back to your downspouts. The diverter also ensures that debris is filtered and kept out of your rain barrel. Rather than utilize an open top, this is a completely closed system that also restricts access for animals and nuisance insects like mosquitoes.
While this is technically a kit, its a pretty simple one that is straightforward and can be easily completed in a matter of a few hours, tops. You'll need a power drill and a few hand tools but everything else is included in the kit except for the barrels themselves.

Locating Recycled Barrels to Complete Your Kit
Rather than being a drawback, I like the fact that the plastic barrels are not included with the kit. That gives you the opportunity to save on shipping and the additional oversized item fees that are usually incurred if ordering and having the product shipped. You also get to select the type and size of barrel. I located two 55-gallon barrels locally from a Craigslist ad for $12 each with no problem. There are usually food distributors looking to find takers of their empty barrels that need to be disposed of. Just make sure that your barrel is food grade quality and did not previously contain chemicals or toxic materials. I love this convenient kit and the idea of collecting rainwater runoff for use in the garden. If you're in the market for a rain barrel why look any further when this one offers quality, a great design, more capacity, and savings that you can spend on more plants, of course?