Rain Barrel vs Rain Harvesting System
A rain barrel catches water and holds it. A rain harvesting system is built so you can use that water on the yard.
Sun House System LLC designs and installs rain harvesting systems for Denver-area and Front Range homes through our Rain Harvest Solutions division. When the design calls for it, stored rainwater can run sprinklers. On Advanced and Elite packages, watering can run from an app or on a schedule you set. Basic includes a pump and hose spigot, with no app and no zone control.
What a rain barrel does
A barrel sits at the downspout and stores water. You fill it when it rains. You draw from a spigot or a watering can.
That setup fits many homes under Colorado's two-barrel, 110-gallon outdoor rule. A barrel alone does not pump to irrigation zones. It does not run on a timer.
What a rain harvesting system does
A rain harvesting system still collects and stores roof water. It also finishes the job for how you water the yard.
We plan gutters, downspouts, overflow, and tank or cistern placement for the house and for Colorado freeze seasons. Where the site needs it, we add debris diversion and screens so less leaf litter and grit end up in storage.
When the design calls for it, stored rainwater can run sprinklers and irrigation on the property, not only a handheld hose.
Outdoor use on the same property under the two-barrel, 110-gallon rule is the common city-water package. Larger storage follows the well-based permit path when that applies. Full detail is on our CO Rain Law page
Same roof. Water you can put to work on the yard.
Automated watering on Advanced and Elite
On Advanced and Elite packages, the system can run fully automated. You control watering from an app. Or you set a schedule for the days and times you choose, and the system runs that schedule.
Automation is for outdoor irrigation from stored rainwater. It is not indoor plumbing. It is not drinking water.
Elite also includes zone control. Zone control is Elite only.
Basic includes a pump and hose spigot, with no app and no zone control, at $1,799.