Where is the best place to put my rain barrel?
Choose a downspout on your house or garage that is closest to the plants you water most. It is a gravity fed system – water has to run down-hill!
Choose a downspout where your rain barrel’s overflow will soak into your lawn or garden, and not your neighbors’.
Why are the original Moby rain barrels black?
We were the first rain barrels on the market made from 100% recycled plastic – anywhere! Recycled plastic comes to us in the form of small plastic pellets. The pellets comes in a seemingly infinite variety of colors. The color depends on what it was in it’s previous life. Knowing we would not be able to sell very many rainbow colored rain barrels, we decided to add a shot of black pigment, along with UV inhibitors, to even out the color and voila! Moby is born. The black also helps cut down on harmful UV that can cause algae to grow in rain barrels.
Why don’t you offer a clear or translucent Moby so I can see how much water I have in my barrel?
We will never make a clear rain barrel simply because letting light into the water is terrible for the stored water. Algae needs UV to grow – the less UV the better. Dark, opaque storage vessels that keep light to a minimum are best. Period.
Here’s an experiment you can try at home. The next time you have an empty milk jug, the clear, plastic variety, clean it out then fill it with water and set on on the back porch. Make sure the lid is on it so you are not breeding mosquitoes. See how many days it takes to turn green. Now imagine 65 gallons of pure rainwater turning green in your rain barrel. Algae city! Your plants will be very unhappy with algaefied water – trust me!
Installation (we have provided a pdf of the installation instructions below)
Your Moby comes with one spigot and one plug, you can choose to assemble the rain barrel with the spigot in the bottom port and plug in the top. If you choose the bottom port for your spigot it will need to be elevated. Your Moby will weigh 520 pounds when full so please make sure you install him on a level foundation or sturdy blocks. The spigot allows you to either fill up a watering can or attach a hose to extend where you need the water. Remember gravity feed, you will not have city pressure coming out of you spigot, but plenty of pressure when the barrel is full to extend a hose 25 feet with no incline.
Follow the instructions that come with you rain barrel. After your Moby is assembled and ready to be installed you may want to place him on concrete or decorative blocks. Measure the height of barrel and blocks, this will help you determine what height to cut your gutter. Remove the bottom gutter elbow and set aside, cut you gutter with a hacksaw and attach the elbow downspout to the gutter, be sure to give yourself approximately 2 to 4 inches between downspout and lid of rain barrel, this allows you to lift the lid and clean out when necessary.
At this point, attach the overflow hose on the side of the barrel that works best for your situation and allows the overflow from your rain barrel to soak into the ground or better yet into a rain garden to buffer your runoff even more.
If you do not have gutters, but areas of your roof shoot out streams of rainwater and you want to control erosion, this is the rain barrel for you, the wide lid allows you to collect that water and prevent some of the erosion as well as avoids “splash back” on you house.
Assembly Options:
You have two ports on your Moby and you can purchase one more standard 3/4” spigot for added functionality, we recommend a kink free spigot. By adding a second spigot you have two options for accessing your water, one for a hose and one for a watering can.
What do I need to know about maintaining my rain barrel?
Regularly check your gutters, downspouts, rain barrel water intake screen, rain barrel mosquito screen and rain barrel spigot for leaks, obstructions or debris.
Keep your rain barrel lid secured, the screen clear of debris and your over flow tube and hose in place at all times.
Depending on where you live and the amount of pollen your area experiences, you may notice in the spring that your ran barrel develops a scent of rotten eggs, no worries, your plants do not mind this organic material. Simply drain your barrel, spray it out then put it back into service. In our experience this only happens about every 2 to 4 years.
How do we winterize our Moby?
For mild climates in the winter you can drain your rain barrel before temperatures drop below freezing. Connect a hose to the lower spigot to direct water into a planting bed making sure it is flowing away from your home.
Keep your rain barrel spigot open so that water does not accumulate in the rain barrel and freeze. They will most likely survive a freeze but are not designed to go through multiple freeze-thaw cycles. In northern areas with extremely cold climates you should drain your Moby and disconnect him from the gutter. You can store Moby in a garage or under a covered area making sure no water can leak into the rain barrel and freeze. If you need to store Moby outside just turn him upside down for the winter.
What about mosquitoes? We don’t like them.
Your rain barrel is equipped with a mosquito-proof screen on the lid to keep mosquitoes and other insects out. Make sure all the supplied components are installed in their proper positions and you will not have to worry about mosquitoes.
Place your barrel on a pervious (landscaped) surface, so that overflow water soaks into the ground instead of pooling on paved surfaces.
Keep your rain barrel lid secured with the hardware provided.
Use the water you have collected!
Your plants will love you for it!
Make sure and use the water collected in your rain barrel!
Water your flowers, trees, shrubs, and lawn.
Wash your pets, rinse hands and feet, tools, or muddy boots.
Keep your rain barrel lid on tight at all times to prevent children and animals from entering or falling in.
DO NOT DRINK WATER from your rain barrel. EVER!
Remember, 10 out of 10 plants prefer rainwater to tap water.
Often asked…
Can I hook a pump up to my rain barrel?
Yes. Home Improvement stores sell transfer pumps that require an electrical outlet, they work great and can move 8 plus gallons of water per minute. Your Moby hold 65 gallons of water giving you about 8 minutes of watering. This is great for when we are getting good rain falls and you want to make room for the next rain fall. Not recommended to leave the pump going when the rain barrel is empty.
What if I do not use all my rainwater?
We have a marvelous solutions to a maintenance free set up… If you are having trouble using your rainwater, you can attach a hose to Moby’s spigot, extend it to your planting bed then attach a soaker hose that will allow a drip irrigation that your plants will truly appreciate. We recommend you manually open up the holes on the soaker hose with a knife or scissors after you decide where you want the water to drip out and, with trial and error decide how much to leave your spigot open to give enough pressure to drip into you plants. With this design, your rain barrel is filling and dripping, filling and dripping and your plants are thriving!
How much rain will it take to fill my Moby?
It takes approximately 1/10th if an inch of rainwater running off a 1000 square ft roof surface to fill up one Moby! One inch of rain can yield 625 gallons of rain water.
How long will my rainwater last?
This is a challenging question that we can only judge by our personal use of our rain barrels.
We have two Mobys linked together that we use to water our fruit tree, 6 large potted plants and some garden flowers. During dry spells, it takes us approximately 2 weeks of generous watering to use all 130 gallons.
Do I have to purchase a linking kit to daisy chain two rain barrels?
No. Moby is designed with two overflow ports so you can choose which side is best to divert the excess rain water from your home’s foundation as well as choosing which side to daisy chain two or more rain barrels. One port will have a cap and the other will be used to connect your 6’ long overflow hose. If you choose to connect two Mobys we recommend you get the distance between the rain barrels and shorten your overflow hose so it extends to the neighboring Moby port. It should be a tight fit, but a hose clamp is best to use to secure the hose so it does not disconnect.
Can I buy replacement parts from you?
Most everything that comes with your Moby can be replaced at any home improvement store except the overflow cap. We are happy to sell replacement screens, but recommend you use the screen that you have as a template and cut a new one from extra screening you may have already. Call the shop if you’d like to purchase additional precut screens – they are 3 for $8. The overflow hose is sump pump hose, you can purchase longer lengths from the sump pump section in any hardware store.
Install Instructions
Warranty
The Moby rain barrel is warranted for three years from date of retail purchase against defects in material and workmanship, and is solely for the benefit of the original consumer purchaser. (Retain your dated sales receipt as proof of purchase). COVERED: Replacement of defective parts and freight (Standard Ground) to cover product return and delivery. NOT COVERED: Damages caused by negligence, abuse, failure to perform normal maintenance, failure to properly winterize or failure to adhere to product instructions for use. Any other expense involving this product. This Warranty shall not apply to any defect, malfunction or failure to conform with the Warranty provisions if caused by damage (not resulting from defect or malfunction) due to unreasonable use or accidental occurrence involving the Purchaser. This includes CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCIDENTAL DAMAGES OR INCIDENTAL EXPENSES, INCLUDING DAMAGE TO PROPERTY and INJURY TO PERSONS. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, which may vary from state to state. QUALIFICATION FOR WARRANTY PERFORMANCE: Return product with proof of purchase and narrative description of the defect together with your name and address, (FedEx ground freight C.O.D.) to: Rain Water Solutions, 2315 Atlantic Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27604. This product will be repaired or replaced at RainWater Solution’s option and will be returned to you, postage prepaid, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 30 days after receipt by RainWater Solutions, Inc..
REQUEST FOR WARRANTY ACTION: Please direct all requests for action on this Warranty or any other product inquiries to Rain Water Solutions, P.O. Box 10589, Raleigh, NC 27605. By phone at 919.835.1699 or via the web at www.RainWaterSolutions.com