How To Winterize Rain Barrels For The Big Freeze

 

As the thermometer plummets in the northern states, it is time to close up gardens and winterize/weatherize garden tools and rain barrels. It is easy to do and a must for extending the life of your rain barrels as freezing water left inside a rain barrel forms a giant “ice cube” and will crack most rain barrels.

HOW TO WINTERIZE A RAIN BARREL

1. Disconnect rain barrel from down spout and drain all the water from both the rain barrel and hoses.
2. If you are able – relocate your rain barrel into storage. If this is not a possibility, flip the barrel upside down to prevent water from freezing on the interior of the barrel.
3. Reconnect gutter downspouts to redirect winter roof water away from your home’s foundation. Do this by screwing on the downspout you removed in the spring, or by adding temporary flexible down spouting (see photo to the right).

Make a difference for yourself and your community - consider a rain barrel for next season. The above rain barrel came from www.cleanairgardening.com.

Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com, The Green Blog - www.gardeningnude.com, or The Garden Blog - http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com

Comments

[Kaarina]

thanks for this info- need to get on that now!