Smelly rainwater

[Peter7307]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

So I guess draining the tank just before a storm would be a good idea.
What about ultraviolet? Would dropping a UV lamp every now and then get rid of whatever is causing the smell?

Only if whatever is causing the smell is alive like an algae or something similar.
If it is coming from residues left by chemicals or whatever was held in the tank before you got it then probably not.

Worth a try though.
Might be an easy fix.

Pete.

[Piwoslaw]

So Mom's barrels were bought new at Whole Foods or some other eco-ish store, so nothing in them before. Shingles on her roof replaced 2-3 years ago, no signs of algea on them, at least half of the day in the sun (direct or partly shaded). On the other hand, it is hot&humid NC. I'll call her and ask for more info.
I got my barrel from a recycling center, it had some Avon cosmetics in it before, but has been washed at least 2-3 times.

[OokiiMamoru]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

So Mom's barrels were bought new at Whole Foods or some other eco-ish store, so nothing in them before. Shingles on her roof replaced 2-3 years ago, no signs of algea on them, at least half of the day in the sun (direct or partly shaded). On the other hand, it is hot&humid NC. I'll call her and ask for more info.
I got my barrel from a recycling center, it had some Avon cosmetics in it before, but has been washed at least 2-3 times.

5

Are the barrels open or closed? My Grandmother's barrels tops were cut all the way off.

I'm anywhere from 75 to 200 miles south, southeast of your mother. So I know all about the hot and humid summers of the southeast. :-) I'm located in Cherokee County to give you a better geographic idea of my location.

[hondo434]

Have been reading peoples rain barrel experiences. They say to get dark barrels to help limit growth of algae. Light helps it grow.
All I did was to go to lowes and get a 32 gallon trash can and set on flat area next to gardening area. I bought a plastic gutter section about 7 inches long with builtin downspout and snap in endcaps and screwed it into my regular gutter in tandom. I took a piece of flashing and shaped it to go from width of two feet channeling into the 7 inch downspout bending both ends in a "v"and covering the regular gutter and dropping down downspout. I ran a plastic downspout to the top of overturned cover. I drilled many small holes in lid to act as a filter. If I have odor problems I have easy access and easy disassembly for winter. Good luck!

[UfoTofU]

Originally Posted by hondo434

All I did was to go to lowes and get a 32 gallon trash can and set on flat area next to gardening area.

My father did that

[hondo434]

I am also contemplating setting a small 1/6 hp utility pump in barrel with standard hose hookup to transport water more efficiently.

[Albino Raven]

I don't know if you've ever put up shingles on a roof but I can say this. Roof's are really, really dirty.

The collected rain water stinks from dead things in the gutters of the house. Water runs over dead bugs, animals, bird poop and leaves, volia stinky water with bits of organic matter decaying. It's not the water that's stinky, it's the biological detritus rotting (Mainly reason you don't drink or wash with the stuff).

Don't bother putting bleach in it either btw, the smell won't go away and you'll just end up poisoning your lawn. Ever accidentally split bleach on grass, it lasts maybe five minutes before turning brown. Best way to deal with it is to use the rain water collected on the first nice day after a rain. It empties the barrel, waters the lawn and even fertilizes it a little bit with the stuff that washes off the roof.

oh yeah, in the fall you will want to scrape the sludge out from the bottom of it and throw it in the veggie garden after harvesting. It's nitrogen rich and of course free. It stinks though.

//live in the country, rain barrels are standard in older homes and yup they stink.

[jonathan150cc]

Pop the top off. Stir the water up a bit and squeeze in 4-5 whole lemons. Healthy for the plants and smells nice and clean.