I've actually never bothered filtering the water before using it on veggies. I mean, it's rainwater, right? Unless your roof has some weird chemicals or you're in a heavily polluted area, seems like filtering might be overthinking it a bit. I've been watering my raised beds straight from the barrel for two seasons now—no issues at all.
About mosquitoes though...yeah, that's another story. I tried mosquito dunks too, but honestly found them kinda messy and annoying. Ended up just putting a tight screen mesh over the barrel opening instead. Cost me almost nothing and haven't seen larvae since. Might be worth giving that a shot before spending more on dunks again.
"Ended up just putting a tight screen mesh over the barrel opening instead. Cost me almost nothing and haven't seen larvae since."
That's exactly what I did too—cheap and effective. But now you've got me thinking about the filtering thing...isn't there still a chance of bird droppings or debris from the roof getting into the water? Has anyone noticed any buildup or residue in their barrels after a couple seasons without filtering? Just wondering if that's something I should keep an eye on.
"isn't there still a chance of bird droppings or debris from the roof getting into the water?"
Yeah, that's definitely something you'll want to watch out for. I've been using just a mesh screen setup for about three years now, and while it's great for keeping mosquitoes out, you're right to think about debris buildup. Every spring, I find myself scooping out some leaf gunk and other random bits—nothing too horrible, but enough that I wouldn't skip checking it.
Bird droppings are another story... If you're using the water strictly for gardening or lawn care, honestly, it's probably fine. Plants aren't picky. But if you plan on using it for anything more sensitive (washing cars, pets, etc.), I'd suggest at least adding an inline filter downstream or even a basic first-flush diverter. Cheap upgrades that can save you headaches down the line.
Either way, good call on starting simple. You can always tweak things later as you get a better feel for what your setup needs.
I've been running a DIY rain barrel setup for a couple years now, and honestly, bird droppings haven't been a big deal for me. But leaves and twigs...yeah, those are annoying. I ended up rigging a cheap gutter guard from the hardware store—cost maybe 15 bucks total. Not perfect, but it cut way down on the debris. I'd say start simple and upgrade if you notice issues later.
Did you notice any issues with mosquitoes breeding in your setup? I've been thinking about doing something similar but worried about standing water attracting pests. Wondering if a screen or something over the barrel opening would help, or is that just overkill... Curious how you've handled this.
