We are a small company and strive for great customer service because we value each and every one of our customers. We are happy to accept returns or exchanges of unused merchandise for full refund minus cost of shipping. Products that are returned that qualify for free or fixed shipping will be subject to a restocking fee equal to the actual shipping and handling paid by Rain Brothers when the original order was made. Please contact us at 937-949-1100 or info@rainbrothers.com with any questions or to process a return/exchange.

For every 1,000 square feet of roof (pretend your roof is flat – roof pitch does not come into play), you will get 600 gallons of rainwater for every inch of precipitation! Here at our shop in Ohio, we get 37 inches of rain per year which would give us over 22,000 gallons of water per year per 1,000 sq ft! Wow!

That’s a difficult question to answer, but here’s our very general rule-of-thumb: For small scale irrigation, for our area (which gets an average of 3 inches of precipitation every month), you would measure out the total square footage of your garden bed and multiply by 0.3, and that would get you a good estimate of how much water you should collect. If you’re in an area with wet and dry seasons, then, by George, get as big of a tank as you can afford!

If you’re looking to use a rain collection cistern for your household water supply, then our general rule of thumb (again, for our area which gets regular rainfall) is to install a 5000-7000 gallon tank for a family of four or more, and up to 5000 gallon tank for fewer than 4 people in the house. It is tempting to oversize your collection tank, but there is such a thing as too big, and we don’t recommend going any bigger than 10,000 gallons of storage unless you are in an area with wet and dry seasons.

Historically, cisterns are underground structures that hold large capacities of rainwater. Cisterns have been in use for millennia, and, up until about 100 years ago, were installed almost universally in homes throughout the United States. In fact, in older parts of Columbus (i.e., German Village, Victorian Village, the near eastside and near westside) brick cisterns are buried underground on virtually every property. We specialize in cistern restoration and can help you locate your cistern, if you have one. Rain Brothers also installs new polyethylene and concrete underground cistern tanks for a more concealed rainwater harvesting system.

Underground rainwater collection is beneficial for a number of reasons -- especially for all of us in the colder regions of the U.S. The primary benefit is that rainwater can be used year-round (if one has uses for the water year-round) with an underground cistern since water is stored below the frost line. Additionally, though, underground storage removes the rainwater from sunlight, thereby slowing (and eventually eliminating) the growth of algae and some most bacteria. Finally, there is the benefit of being able to utilize ground space and conceal rainwater harvesting when the system is below ground.

This depends on several factors. First, if you are wanting to use rainwater for household applications (i.e., flushing toilets, laundry, etc.), then we certainly recommend underground storage to prevent having to winterize the system. However, if the designed application is strictly for irrigation (especially if it is for non-pressurized irrigation), we almost always recommend above-ground systems since they are: 1) more cost-effective; 2) generally easier to maintain; and 3) generally do not require a pump or power source for their use.

Yep, it sure is! Here’s an article we wrote explaining the ins and outs: https:// www.rainbrothers.com/post/2017/04/06/is-rainwater-harvesting-illegal

The most common application for harvested rainwater is irrigation. Rainwater not only saves money by reducing/eliminating the demand for city/well water for irrigation, but it is also much better for plants than treated, chlorinated tap water or neutralized well water. Stories abound of landscapers and nurseries who have made the switch to rainwater for their irrigation and who found that they not only started saving money, but that they also used one-half to one-third the amount of water they once used to irrigate since plants reacted much better to rainwater than to treated tap water.

Aside from irrigation, though, rainwater -- if filtered and treated by a trained and licensed professional and inspected by local public health officials -- can be made potable and used for drinking and in-home applications. In fact, once debris filtration with potable-grade containment has been established, and once the rainwater has been pumped through a series of sediment and ultraviolet filtrations, the by-product is a water that can be more safe and pure than well and city water.

All our rain barrels and rainwater tanks come equipped with a hose-ready valve/spigot that is equipped to receive a standard garden hose. However, while attaching a garden hose to the rain barrel/tank is tempting, it is not always practical. The thing to remember is that all rainwater catchment systems (unless they come with pumps) are gravity-fed, so the water pressure is lower than standard faucet pressure. To use a garden hose with an above-ground rain system, then, requires the water level to always be higher than the point at which you hold the hose (for most people, the hose is held at waist level when watering).

BUT, there are more effective and easier ways to use rainwater. Specifically, consider hooking up a drip hose or a drip irrigation set-up from your catchment container. Drip hoses can be placed right next to your plants and can be left attached to the rain barrel/tank spigot. When the weather starts to dry out and your plants need water, you can simply open the spigot and allow the drip line to water for you. Because drip hoses have small perforations and only allow a very small amount of water to go through the line at a time, they water much more efficiently than garden hoses or watering cans. And, because the water supply is consistent, water penetrates directly to the roots for an effective plant watering. In fact, drip line watering is so effective that those giant pumpkin growers (you know, the ones who grow 800 lbs. pumpkins) use them exclusively to water.

PLEASE pay attention to the pressure requirements when purchasing drip lines, though. Some drip hoses, as well as most soaker hoses, require around 30 PSI operating pressure. Rain barrel/tank users will want drip lines that operate at 10 PSI or less (such as our drip irrigation set-ups that were designed for gravity-fed systems).

The trick is elevation -- the higher you elevate your rainwater tanks/barrels, the more pressure you will get. AND, if you elevate your barrel as high as our water towers, you’ll get excellent pressure! However, if elevation is not an option, water pumps can be used to increase water pressure. Contact us for help in choosing the right pump for your application.