FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Is there anything wrong with freezing rain water to use next summer. I have a half empty freezer and I already have roughly 20 gallons stored in containers. We just get so darn much rain here and I hate to see it all go to waste. Wish I could bottle it up and send it out to those in need but that would be too expensive.

No problem in freezing it if you want to, but of course, it will cost you in electricity, you may well be better off investing that money in another barrel!

Cheers
Steve

I currently have one but I am worried about the water turning green on me next summer, which is why I considered freezing some. My freezer is in my cold garage. Once frozen does that not help use less electricity due to the frozen blocks helping keep everything else cold in the freezer? It currently empty space that is not being used. There are only my wife and I and we have a large stand up freezer and a Fridge/Freezer in garage and one in house. I know, crazy right? However, we often have large family gatherings and having a second fridge is a must, especially this time of year. While not the cheapest, our electricity in the PNW is actually fairly reasonable. And I am not concerned about my carbon footprint as I purchase blocks of community solar.

One fact to take into consideration: when water turns into ice, it expands. Frozen water will take up more space than liquid water. You could just fill up 5-gallon buckets (with lids) and stack them against a wall.

I wish you could send some of that rain my way: Rainfall here has been abnormal all summer and into the fall. We're under drought conditions now, and wildfires are burning in the southwestern mountains of the state.

MikeB wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 2:36 am
I wish you could send some of that rain my way:
Rainfall.jpg
Rainfall here has been abnormal all summer and into the fall. We're under drought conditions now, and wildfires are burning in the southwestern mountains of the state.

Funny you say that. Not 3 hours ago I told my wife I wish I could bottle up all this rain water and send it back east.

The water only turns green with sunlight and nutrients, and whilst you can't stop the nutrients that the rain picks up on its way to the barrel, if you get a dark barrel with a good lid, that will stop it from turning green and mosquitos! I collect rain off my house and shed roofs and have something like 2000 gall stored in interlinked barrels and bins of different sorts and none of it goes green, although, to be fair, due to the number of plants I have I do have a fair throughput.
Cheers
Steve

steve booth wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:49 am The water only turns green with sunlight and nutrients, and whilst you can't stop the nutrients that the rain picks up on its way to the barrel, if you get a dark barrel with a good lid, that will stop it from turning green and mosquitos! I collect rain off my house and shed roofs and have something like 2000 gall stored in interlinked barrels and bins of different sorts and none of it goes green, although, to be fair, due to the number of plants I have I do have a fair throughput.
Cheers
Steve

Good to know. My rain barrel is black. I just need to get out and install a gutter and downspout from my tool shed. It is currently on my porch filling with water so I will need to empty it so I can move it.

steve booth wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:49 am The water only turns green with sunlight and nutrients, and whilst you can't stop the nutrients that the rain picks up on its way to the barrel, if you get a dark barrel with a good lid, that will stop it from turning green and mosquitos! I collect rain off my house and shed roofs and have something like 2000 gall stored in interlinked barrels and bins of different sorts and none of it goes green, although, to be fair, due to the number of plants I have I do have a fair throughput.
Cheers
Steve

I've got two black Rubbermaid 32-gal garbage cans that I've got my "strategic reserves" stored in. One garbage can has rain water from roughly a year ago in it....still clear. They're stored on the north side of my garage up against the garage wall. I do try to filter my rain water. I've found that white buckets stored beside the black garbage cans *will* allow the water in them to go green...of course a dark tarp would help that...or, just a garbage bag pulled over the top.