Rain barrels may seem like a silly investment in Western Washington, well known for its unrelenting rain.
But showers slow down to the point of extremes around here in summer.
Tucson, Ariz., gets more rain on average in July, 1.93 inches, than Everett, which averages 1.32 inches in the same month, according to The Weather Channel online.
Add in the green appeal of conservation and you have a slam dunk.
That’s at least what Cheri Fiedler of Mount Vernon is hoping consumers will be thinking at the Everett Home &Garden Show, opening Friday.
Her NW Dreamscapes booth will feature no ordinary rain barrels, however.
Fiedler’s barrels, manufactured in Washington, have flat backs so they can be positioned right next to a house without taking up too much space.
“It only sticks out from your house wall 21 inches,” said Fiedler, a gardener who started selling rain barrels part-time eight years ago.
They make up for their slim profile with extra height, 54 inches, as well as width, 42 inches at the base, holding 90 gallons in all.
Collecting rainwater in the virtual drought of summer empowers gardeners who want to save money, Fiedler said. Rain barrels are also a good backup when local governments impose water restrictions.
“You’ve collected this yourself. You feel good when you’re not turning on the city’s water,” she said. “We’re learning to conserve before we’re told to conserve.”
Each of Fiedler’s barrels contains a top screen to keep out leaves and debris, two overflow outlets and two faucets, one near the bottom and one about a third of the way up the barrel.
Fiedler recommends putting the barrel on a base of cinder blocks stacked two high. That way it’s easy to fit a watering can underneath the bottom faucet.
Though the gravity-fed faucets flow quickly, especially when the barrel is full, using two at a time can speed up the process.
“You don’t have the pressure that you do from a house faucet,” Fiedler said. “I’m always in a hurry when I’m watering.”
To get set up at home, customers may need to buy downspout diverters to channel water into their rain barrels as well as a little extra piping to divert water from one of the barrel’s overflow outlets.
Fiedler, who will take orders for barrels at the show, charges $179 per barrel. Because they are so large, she rarely ships them. Customers typically pick them up in Mount Vernon.
Most people, even those with rain barrels, are just scratching the surface of collecting rainwater, Fiedler said, adding that it takes only an inch of rainfall to collect 600 gallons of water off a 1,000-square-foot roof.
Unfortunately, it would take at least a half a dozen barrels to capture that much. Fiedler has two set up at her Mount Vernon home.
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
NW Dreamscapes
Mount Vernon 360-424-0356 www.RainBarrelsConserve.com
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