There are a few other things you will need to consider before buying this machine…
(A) I was not certain of this even after seeing it at Lowes. While it comes with a short 15’ hose, this is the supply hose (the hose which supplies water from the spigot to the motor in your machine), but there is no hose from the motor to the discharge head. You need to supply that hose. Maybe one of those small light weight hoses that you see advertised on TV which weigh about 2 lbs. would be perfect for this machine. A real hose would make the machine to heavy and would make it almost impossible to get the hose back in the containment canister when it becomes stiff from age or temperature. In either case, you will need to add at least $30 to your cost for this machine.
(B) Make absolutely sure that you remove hoses and drain the unit BEFORE any threat of a freeze. Hopefully, you should store it in your garage or basement, as the first freeze will render the machine a leaking pile of useless junk.
What they are saying is it delivers more volume than is delivered with a conventional hose. Since a conventional hose and the conventional nozzle offers the flowing water a certain amount of resistance it also reduces the volume. This machine reduces some of the resistance, thereby increasing flow or volume.
Finally, you could hook up a “Y” connector between your spigot and machine to pick up water from your rain barrel. The flowing water from the spigot will suck in water from the rain barrel via the Y connector and into the machine.
…no it will not work off a rain barrel unless there is a 1HP pump at the outlet and it holds the same amount of water as those water towers you see dotting the landscape.
Just got mine. Very disappointed. Smelly oily residue inside the container. Several missing parts. And very heavy. Should’ve done better research before buying.