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Vent: That $80 rain barrel I installed in April cracked in July

Picked up a plastic rain barrel from a hardware store in town for 80 bucks. Hooked it up to my downspout, thought I was being smart saving water for my tomatoes. Two months later I found a crack along the bottom seam, leaked all over my porch foundation. Anyone else have luck with the metal ones or should I just go back to a hose?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_allen851d ago

My neighbor had one of those metal rain barrels for about five years before the bottom rusted out on him. He patched it with some roofing sealant and it held for another season but started leaking again. Funny thing is, I actually had better luck with a cheap plastic trash can I drilled a hole in. Set it up on a couple cinder blocks so the spigot cleared the ground and it lasted three summers before the sun got to it.

alex_johnson19d ago

Did you see that Consumer Reports article about the UV damage on those plastic barrels?

diana2018d ago

Saw that article floating around on Facebook, actually. @alex_johnson, those UV tests they ran were pretty eye opening. I remember reading a separate study a few months back that said a lot of those cheaper poly barrels start getting brittle after just two or three years in direct sun. The Consumer Reports piece basically confirmed that same thing with their own controlled tests. Makes me rethink storing anything long term out in the open without some sort of cover or tarp. Good thing I kept my old metal drums for the garage.