The Rain Saver

The Rain Saver

• Best quality/price ratio on the market: 85$ for a high-quality handmade solution
• Smart recycling of food-grade 200L-barrel: waste diverted from the landfill and sourced locally!
• Wise usage of our water: natural source of water that is safe for gardening (less chlorine than tap water!) and other uses such as cleaning, while decreasing costly water processing, maintenance and delivery
• Easy to install: place on a block under your drainpipe
• Solves mosquito + leaves issues: efficient double screening on top cover and inside overflow tube
• Fills up fast: You can collect an average of 800L of rainwater a month from April to October in Montreal from a 10m2 surface!
• Adaptable to your needs: brass tap installed allows you to fill your watering can or connect it to a hose and irrigation system. Overflow tube can also be connected to other Rain Savers for even more rain saving!
• Safe from kids and other animals: screw-on top keeps them out!
• Winner of the Horticultural Merits at the Botanical Gardens' Great Gardening Weekend 2005 in the Environmental Products category, the Rain Saver fulfills the Canadian Mortage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)'s recommendations for ecosystemic landscaping in your yard.

To order a Rain Saver

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More details on the Rain Saver

The Rain Saver is a fantastic way to provide your plants and gardens with soft rainwater while helping the environment through water conservation.

The Rain Saver is made with a food-grade plastic 200-litre re-used barrel by Alter Eco, a small company in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The Rain Saver is comprised of the following parts:

1. The Barrel: Your Rain Saver is made of heavy-duty food grade plastic. The barrel is re-used in that it was previously used for shipping and storing food products (in this case olives or pickles). Its capacity is approximately 200 litres when full.
2. The Lid: The lid screws on tightly, preventing small children from climbing into the barrel. The lid will only work if it is securely in place. Please ensure that the lid is secure at all times.
3. The water collection opening: a big opening has been cut into the lid to collect the rainwater from your gutter. This opening is covered with 2 screens (one smaller "mosquito" type screen and a larger "rabbit" type screen). These screens prevent leaves and other debris from entering and possibly clogging or decomposing in the bottom your rain barrel. They also prevent insects, like mosquitoes, from laying their eggs inside the barrel. This is an answer to the concerns around the propagation of the West Nile virus via mosquitoes in rain barrels.
4. The overflow elbow: An overflow elbow (1.5 inch diameter) near the top of the barrel prevents the barrel from overflowing. When the barrel is full, the overflow allows you to redirect the excess water away from your house or into a second rain barrel. You should attach a length of hose to the elbow to redirect the overflow to an appropriate place, such as a flowerbed. ). However, your barrel will rarely overflow if you use the water regularly. In Montréal, there are only about three rainfalls per year that might make your barrel overflow (rainfalls of more than 25mm in 24 hours), if you are collecting on a surface of 10m2.
5. The brass tap: Your Rain Saver is fitted with a standard brass tap that will connect to a garden hose. If your rain barrel is elevated enough the tap will allow you to fit a watering can or pail under it.

Your Rain Saver comes with an installation and maintenance guide with all the information you need to make the best use of it. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments. We'll be happy to hear from you!

Here are a few hints on how to better use our water:

• Lawn: water infrequently but do so slowly and thoroughly. Water only once a week and only if rainfall has been insufficient. Water until the humidity has penetrated 2,5 cm into the ground.
• Water in the morning for best results.
• Avoid watering in the afternoon or on windy days when water can be wasted through evaporation.
• Do not cut the lawn too short (7,5cm). Once every 10 days is enough. Cut the grass when it is at least 10 cm high.
• Flower beds and vegetable gardens: do not let the topsoil become dry and cracked. To encourage deep roots, soak 10-15 cm into the soil, then water again when the top 8-10 cm are dry.
• Water more frequently during dry spells.
• Use a soaker hose or a drip irrigation system in order to conserve water.
• In Montreal it is forbidden to water one's lawn with city water between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. or if it is raining. It is also forbidden to allow water from a watering hose to flow onto public property.
• We use water for many things for which treated drinking water is not necessary. For example, gardening (!), cleaning driveways, paths, vehicles, houses, windows, etc.)
• Less than 1% of household tap water is used for human consumption.
• It is a mistake to believe that wasting water does not cost us anything. Tap water has been treated and will be cleaned before being released in the Saint Lawrence River. These treatments are not free. It costs 800 000$ a day to treat and distribute water on the Island of Montreal. These costs show up in our tax bills and the consequences are seen in the quality of tap water we receive.

Saving tap water, even in small quantities, decreases the public cost of cleaning the water. Happy water saving!

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To order

Write us an e-mail or call (514) 737-1011 or (514) 467-9149 to order your Rain Saver... and start making smart use of our water!

We take payment by cash or cheque upon delivery or pick up.

You can also purchase your Rain Saver at choice locations. Please ask us about them!

For more detailed information on the Rain Saver and water-saving advice, please contact us.

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