Question 1

Do rain barrels make sense in El Dorado County's dry summers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but treat them as storage for winter and spring rain rather than a summer supply. Northern California gets most of its rain between November and April, so barrels fill during the wet months and then draw down as the dry season starts. That timing works well for spring and early-summer irrigation of beds, containers, and new plantings, and it also pulls runoff away from your foundation during the storms that actually cause damage. If you want summer-long capacity, that generally means a larger cistern or several linked barrels rather than a single unit.

Question 2

How much water can a rain barrel actually collect?

Accepted Answer

About 600 gallons per inch of rain for every 1,000 square feet of roof draining to that downspout—that's a physical calculation, so you can size a setup directly from it. A single 55-gallon barrel therefore fills from a small fraction of an inch on a typical roof section and will overflow in any real storm. That's why overflow routing matters more than barrel volume: we tie the overflow back into your existing drainage so the excess goes where the system already sends it instead of against the foundation.

Question 3

Will a rain barrel breed mosquitoes?

Accepted Answer

Not if it's screened and sealed correctly. Every inlet, overflow, and access opening needs fine mesh, and the lid has to seal—mosquitoes need only a small gap and a few days of still water. We install barrels with screened inlets and mosquito mesh and route the overflow through a screened outlet rather than an open pipe. Using the spigot regularly helps too, since water that turns over doesn't sit long enough to become a breeding site. If you do find larvae, mosquito dunks rated for water gardens are the standard fix.

Question 4

How do you connect a rain barrel to my existing downspout?

Accepted Answer

We cut the downspout at barrel height and install a diverter, which sends water into the barrel while it has capacity and passes the rest down the original downspout once the barrel is full. That keeps your existing drainage intact—nothing gets abandoned or left discharging at the foundation. The barrel sits on a level, load-bearing base, because water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon and a full barrel is heavy enough to tip or settle into soft soil. We set the spigot at a height that clears a watering can or a hose fitting.

Question 5

Is it legal to collect rainwater in California?

Accepted Answer

Yes. California's Rainwater Capture Act allows property owners to collect rainwater from rooftops for use on site without a water right, and residential barrel and cistern setups are covered. Captured rainwater is non-potable, so it's meant for landscape irrigation rather than drinking, cooking, or filling pools. Local rules can still apply to larger cisterns, to backflow protection where a system ties into household plumbing, and to setbacks—so check with the building department for Shingle Springs before installing anything beyond simple barrels.

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