What do I need to know about maintaining my rain barrel? 

Ivy requires very little maintenance. Keep the lid locked and the screen clear of debris. If stagnant water sitting in Ivy develops a foul smell, you may want to drain and clean the inside with a brush and fresh water. To clean the screen simply pop out the screen ring, carefully lift the dirty screen out and clean. Place screen back onto inlet and snap ring into place. If your screen is damged use the round screen as a template and cut yourself a new one. 

How do I install my rain barrel? 

Your Ivy comes with all the components needed to assemble and start collecting rainwater. Read all instructions prior to assembling. The screen and screen ring will come pre-installed from the factory. The ball valve has two different thread patterns, when installed correctly the lever will point away from the rain barrel. There will be a pre-installed rubber gasket in the threaded port. Hand tighten the ball valve until it will not turn any more, DO NOT USE TOOLS OR OVER TIGHTEN. It is fine if the valve is not in the exact 12 o'clock position when fully seated. Next, attached the overflow cap and overflow hose, be sure to direct the overflow hose away from your home's foundation to divert any excess rainwater. Ivy will fill up with less than 1/10th of inch of rain on a 1000 sq ft roof surface. Now lock the lid using the two releasable zip ties. Ivy will weigh over 420 pounds when full so please make sure you install your rain barrel on a level foundation using sturdy blocks!  The ball valve allows you to attach a hose to extend where you need the water or to fill a watering can. Remember gravity feed pressure, Ivy will not have city pressure coming out of the valve, but will have enough pressure when full to extend a hose 25 feet with no incline. After your rain barrel is assembled and ready for installation, place Ivy on the blocks, using the gutter elbow and leaving room between bottom of elbow and lid of the rain barrel mark approximately 2 inches from top of elbow. Place a piece of cardboard behind the area you will be cutting, use your hacksaw to slowly cut through the downspout. Remove cut pieces and hardware and save for later winterizing. Next, crimp the four corners of the downspount and attach the gutter elbow. Place Ivy back on blocks and you are ready to start collecting and reusing rainwater. 

How do we winterize our Ivy? 

Drain Ivy before temperatures drop below freezing. Keep a hose attached to the open ball valve making sure it is flowing away from your home this will keep water from accumulating in Ivy and freezing. Ivy will most likely survive a freeze but she is not designed to go through multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Cooler climates should remove Ivy from the downspout and store in a covered area, reattach your cut downspout and place elbow at bottom. 

What about mosquitoes? 

Ivy is equipped with a mosquito-proof screen and screen ring that snaps into the inlet to keep screen flat and prevent mosquitoes from entering. Make sure the supplied components are installed in their proper positions and you will not have to worry about mosquitoes.

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 eight plus gallons of water per minute.  Ivy holds 50 gallons of water giving you about eight minutes of watering. This is really helpful when rain is in the forecast and you want to make room for the next rain fall event. It is important to not leave the pump going when Ivy is empty.

What if I do not use all my rainwater? 

 

If you are having trouble using your rainwater, you can attach a hose to Ivy's valve, extend it to your planting bed then attach a soaker hose that will allow for drip irrigation.  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.  Then through trial-and-error, you can determine how much to leave your valve open to give enough pressure to drip into your plants. With this design, Ivy is filling and dripping, filling and dripping and your plants are thriving!

 

Can I buy replacement parts from you? 

 

Most everything that comes with Ivy can be replaced at any home improvement. We are happy to sell replacement screens and screen rings, you can also use the screen that you currently have as a template and cut a new one from extra screening you may already have.

 

What if my overflow port does not accommodate large rains? 

 

Ivy is designed with two 1 1/4 inch diameter overflow ports, she comes equiped with one overflow hose and one cap. To double your overflow capacity attach a second overflow hose to the other port. The overflow hose is sump pump hose and readily available at your home improvement store.