Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Mea Culpa

In case you're wondering why it's pretty much quit raining in Austin and why everything's starting to dry up, well, it's my fault.

I got new gutters installed on the back of my house and then got a rainbarrel from the city, so of course, it has now ceased to rain.

I'm truly sorry.

5 comments:

Lee said...

I did the same thing back in the winter or early spring, and it took weeks to get some rain! Fear not, however: Once it comes back, even a modest rainfall will quickly fill the barrel up.

If you haven't already done so: While the barrels are still empty, elevate them. (I bought some metal water heater stands.) Otherwise, you won't get very good water pressure. In fact, even elevated, the pressure is pretty minimal.

Anonymous said...

curse you and your uber urban chic barrel! which I covet.

- Milena

Badger said...

Don't worry, I'll run right out and pay a shitload of money for the super-deluxe car wash. That'll put things right.

Hecticmom Undone said...

We could use some heat out here on the west coast yo - maybe you could buy a winter coat out here or something?

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about the pressure. Just relax and enjoy your water barrel. Combine it with meditation. Enjoy a cigar while waiting for the water can to fill. Why? Water pressure in an open system is related to the height of the water column. The water column is termed a pressure head. It takes 2.31 feet of water column height to produce 1 pound per square inch (psi) of pressure.

If you wanted to replicate the typical household water pressure of 40 to 70 psi, you would want to elevate the water column to at least 90 feet above any point you wanted to water. Even to get a fraction of the water pressure you expect from a hose, it becomes impractical and probably wouldn't meet residential codes.

Ol' Dutch Babcock