Rain gutters serve the purpose to direct water away from your home to a place where you want it. Rain barrels help you save the water and look great! You can also get them to direct it into a rain barrel where you can reuse the water for you need it most.   Pros Better for your plants. Rainwater is naturally softened water, free of chlorine, fluoride, lime, calcium and other chemicals. While your city’s water might add these items to make the water safer to drink. Chemicals are not great for your plants.  So if you have a garden then it will be best to use a rain barrel.   Saves You Money. Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer. So with a rain barrel you can save that much and it’s ultimately better for your home, because you’re not wasting your clean water.  You can also use it to wash your car!   Better For Times Of Drought. When droughts hit us in the hottest of summer it’s best to use what we’ve saved during the spring rains can come in handy when we need it the most, so if you have to plants to water or possibly a garden to take care of then it is most useful.   Better For Your Home . If you store the rain water and properly dispose of it, it will save you from when rain water becomes too much to handle.   Helps Water Treatment. While there is an argument to be made that rain barrels help reduce the amount to rain water that goes into our sewer system.   Cons More Work – It can  be more work since you have to move the rain water manually.   Cost – Rain Barrels are not a cheap investment.  The barrels alone cost over a $100. Also your downspouts will have to adjust them to lead into the rain barrels.  Another cost is in your time, so make sure you have it.   Rain Barrel Issues – diverting excess water, mosquitoes, or where to place your rain barrels.  Just make sure that you have your downspouts directing the water into the barrels.  As for the mosquitoes there are a few things that can help. Gold-fish (great if you live in a warm all year climate and don’t forget to feed them), vegetable oil, or mosquito dunks.   Not A Replacement for Drinking Water. Rainwater is not recommended to drink but there is a filter system you can use if you really want to.   For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards, Inc. experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram  

Tags: Charlottesville Virginia, Downspout, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, Lynchburg Virginia, Materials and Supplies, Rain, Rain gutter, reuse