RTS Home Accents 50-Gallon Rain Barrel with Brass Spigot, Flat Back Rain Wate...

PROS: Super easy to setup; solid made, not flimsy, the screen on top keeps stuff out of the water, the spigot is solid and easy to use. I’ve used others that have plastic spigots and they get stuck or break easily CONS: haven’t found any yet but will edit in the future if needed

I love my rain barrel. I have lots of water to water my plants now.

This barrel is a good value if you don't have the space to hide used water "totes." The barrel bows out at the back about 3 inches when full so don't install this directly against a wall. Before screwing in the brass spigot, lay the barrel on its back and triple check you have the spigot straight before committing to installing it as it is easy to strip the threads. Expect to use a pipe wrench to completely install it. To daisy chain additional barrels, you'll have to trim a portion of the extruding tabs and place tubing with a 1" inside diameter between the barrels. There is no way to connect a hose to the overflow hole on the front of the barrel so consider installing the barrel on a water heater drain pan. Here is everything I learned about rain water harvesting: Before you move forward with a rain harvesting project, understand that while you may save water, you're unlikely to save money. Even in drought-stricken California, my Tier 2 water rate (out of 4 tiers) has me paying $0.002 per gallon. That's 20 cents for 100 gallons of water. Check your water rates and any available barrel rebates if saving money is your main objective. Plants prefer rain water over chemically-treated tap water, and the idea is to fill and empty your rain barrels throughout the winter in between storms, rather than fill them once to empty in the summer. This way, you can potentially save hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water throughout the year. There are three main challenges involved with harvesting rain water: collection, storage and distribution. To really impact your water usage, you must have quite an extensive system. One inch of rain falling on a 1,000sqft roof can produce 623 gallons of water, and most lawns require at least one inch of water per week. Run your own numbers and don't be surprised if that 400-pound, 50 gallon rain barrel suddenly looks like a drop in the bucket. Collection There are a few ways to modify your downspout to collect rain water. You can trim it to empty directly into a barrel (and daisy-chain additional barrels), use a diverter, relocate your downspout or plug it and install a "rain chain." Consider what will happen when your barrel fills up since you don't want large amounts of water to soak into the ground within 10 feet of your home's foundation. Ideally, excess water should get absorbed into the ground via a permeable "rain garden" to replenish the local water table as opposed to going into the sewer system. If your barrel doesn't have an overflow spout for this purpose, consider installing one or mounting your barrel on a water heater drain pan. Some people have had success installing a diverter such as Oatey's at barrel-height so water is fed back into the downspout once the barrel is full. However, the manufacturer's instructions recommend installing the diverter 12"-24" above barrel height. Storage Any water-tight container will work as a rain barrel. You have to define what limitations you have with physical space, cost, HOA rules, aesthetics, safety, etc. Value-wise, it's hard to beat used 275 gallon "totes" if you have the space to store them. Otherwise, this barrel from RTS works well. Be sure to place your barrels on a firm, level and elevated platform made of bricks or cinder blocks with cement caps.. If a barrel is placed directly on the ground, you will have difficulty connecting a hose or placing a bucket under the spigot. Distribution Distributing the stored rain water can be a challenge. The main issue is water pressure. Do not expect to hook up a water wand or sprayer directly to your barrel. Residential water pressure is usually between 40-80 psi, while a 50 gallon barrel on cinder blocks might produce 2-3 psi. One way to improve this is to mount the barrel as high up as possible to make use of gravity. Every additional 2.3 feet of elevation produces another pound of pressure. One way to efficiently distribute the water is to use a low-pressure drip irrigation system. You can also use a bucket or watering can for a small garden or just slowly drain the barrel onto the lawn via a garden hose. If more pressure is needed, consider using a water pump such as a Wayne PC1 or PC2, though keep in mind that most pumps are meant to move water unobstructed as opposed to pressurizing water for a sprinker or sprayer. If your plan is to store water for emergencies, add approximately 5 teaspoons of bleach per 50 gallons and either boil the water or use a backpacker-type water filter before consuming. Edit: In order to drain (and fill) the barrels as one, I made a simple manifold using PVC. With this setup, barrels can still be drained individually and separated for annual cleaning.

I am so excited for this rain barrel. It is easy to assemble and use. I love that it fits up against my house as the back is flat. Super happy and plan to order another one soon.

Easy to assembly and move. Regular hose fits spigot and barrel does go flat against the house wall. I recommend setting on bricks if not using the stand.

We absolutely love this water barrel! It collects so much rain water and it is very easy to drain into gallon jugs! We use the rain water for all of our plants outside and the plants love it, they grow like crazy!

I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE PURCHASE. NOW HAVE GOOD, FRESH RAINWATER STORED FOR MY WILD THINGS IN THE COURTYARDS. I BOUGHT TWO SO I HAVE 100 GALLONS OF FRESH RAINWATER TO GET THROUGH THE DRY, HOT MONTHS FORN MY COURTYARD "REWILDING" EFFORT.

The barrel itself isn’t to bad, but the flange around the spigot leaks. I hand tightened the spigot, so that should not have exerted undue stress to the flange. Too bulky to return, so I’ll have to empty the barrel to patch the leak with epoxy. Poor adhesive used at the factory, others complained of the same problem.

Great rain barrel. Sturdy and so far no leaks. I installed it on some patio stones in order to raise it off the ground. I use the rain water to fill my watering cans.

Really pleased with our rain barrel.

I like the look of this rain barrel. I did buy the stand too after I set this up. Otherwise it’s hard to get flow from the spigot. The screen is a good idea, just wish the opening were bigger so I could stick the watering can or pump (for emptying) inside.

I was concerned when I purchased my first rain barrel because of the handful of complaints here in the reviews but I went ahead with the purchase anyhow. After it arrived I set it up and put it under a downspout that I modified. This was the most difficult part of the shole exercise. The barrel held water after the first rain and then after subsequent rains, it filled and excess water came out of the overflow. There were no leaks because I followed the instructions during set-up. In the end, I purchased two more and have been watering my garden for the past several months using the stored rainwater. I have come to the conclusion that the complaints were from people who cross threaded the spigot or did something else wrong because the barrels I got were all well constructed and easy to assemble.

Great for my water collection