Rain Barrel Safety: Mosquitoes, Covers, Used Barrels and Platforms
If you’re going to use a rain barrel to collect rainwater, you’ll need to consider the safety issues. Here are the most important ones, in my opinion.
Keep Mosquitoes Out of Your Rain Barrel
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in still water. Still water, like in a rain barrel, can easily become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which in addition to being very annoying can carry disease. So, what can you do to keep mosquitoes from taking over your rain barrel?
- Keep them out. Commercial rain barrels typically have a screen to keep mosquitoes out. If your barrel doesn’t have screening you can buy screen and fasten it to the barrel opening.
- Kill the mosquito larvae. Non-toxic mosquito control dunks and bait kill the larvae before they mature into biting adults. The larvicides contain Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium that is toxic to mosquito and certain fly larvae, but not toxic to people and animals.
- Introduce fish. Fish eat mosquito larvae, so they may be able to control the mosquito population. However, a rain barrel is not the ideal environment for fish because the rush of incoming water causes temperature fluctuations and “waves,” which can kill fish. If you decide to try putting fish in your barrel make sure you always have water in the barrel.
The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies to rain barrels. The best remedy for the mosquito problem is use screening to prevent the insects from getting in your barrel.
Rain Barrel Safety is Extremely Important
Anyone–children, pets, and adults–can drown very quickly in a very small amount of water. Without precautions, a rain barrel can become a hazard: A child peers into the barrel and loses her balance. A cat sits on the edge and falls in. That’s why it’s so important that your rain barrel does not have a big opening.
- DO NOT use a container with a wide opening such as a standard plastic trashcan as a water barrel. Even with a cover, the lids that come with trashcans are neither strong enough nor secure enough to prevent someone from getting in.
- DO choose or make a rain barrel with a small opening. If there’s a lid, make sure it is completely secure.
Recycling Used Barrels into Rain Barrels
If you decide to retrofit or recycle a used barrel as a rain barrel:
- NEVER USE barrels that contained chemicals, oil, or unknown substances. There’s no way to remove all of the toxic residue, which means the toxins can contaminate the water in the barrel. As you use water your garden you expose yourself and your family, your neighbors, and animals to poisons that can make them very sick.
- USE food grade barrels only. Even if the barrels still have the odor of pickles or olives, they won’t poison your water. Just rinse them out with water, and they’re good to go. Many restaurants get bulk items in food grade plastic barrels and are willing to let them go for little or no money.
Make a Stable Platform for your Rain Barrel
If your rain barrel has a spigot and you want to draw water out more easily, you can raise your barrel up off the ground. You just have to make sure you have a stable platform so the barrel doesn’t tip over. The platform, which you can make from cinderblocks, should be at least as wide as the barrel and sit on stable ground
