Good Ideas Rain Barrel

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Good Ideas Rain Barrel
Price: $69.99
Shipping Options: $5 Standard
Shipping Estimates: Ships in 3-5 business days (Tuesday, Jun 24 to Friday, Jun 27) + transit
Condition: New

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Time to check out the product page and check out these comments from when this was offered in May

Purchased last time and we are super happy with it! I will say, though, that the drain hole in the planter part on top clogs easily, so I wouldn’t actually PLANT things in it (unless they were REALLY tolerant of being waterlogged.) I put river rocks in the top of mine and then stuck a potted plant on there. I do sort of wish the aperture of the spigots were bigger- water flow is kinda sluggish. Not really an issue if you basically use it for drip irrigation but it it slow to fill, say, a watering can.

ETA: Also, if you live in a cold climate you’ll need to drain this when the weather turns cold- I usually upend mine and leave them at the side of the house, which is hard if you have, you know, STUFF planted in the stop.

Ah, good to know. I was wondering how it would be used as a planter after watching the video on their website. Seems to me it would fill up with water and turn into a mosquito mosh pit.

I might put potted sundews on the top. That might work out. Thanks for the info!

I saw this the other day at Sam’s Club for a very similar price ~$67: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/rain-barrel-65-gal-sandstone/prod12110159.ip

A few things to note:

  1. Sooner or later, someone will post that this is illegal, while it may be a good idea to check your local laws, A - Only in one or two states MIGHT this be regulated, and B - putting one or two of these on your own property is not likely to bring the fury of the jack booted, black clad, water police to your location. User Log In (Note that the highlighted states simply have laws relating to rain harvesting NOT that it is illegal in that state.)
  2. $67 is a lot to pay for a rain barrel. While this one does have a strainer to keep detritus and bugs out, a planter area, has two spigots and an attractive finish, simple barrels are often available for less.
  3. Unless you put this on a stand of some sort, or have a slopped property, that bottom spigot will be hard to use. Gravity is one of those laws that is tough to get around.

Does this one hold it’s shape or does it bulge out?

While your accurate in the first comment, I disagree with this comment. Can you provide some links to cheaper barrels with similar specs? Most rain barrels I’ve seen with any kind of finish is usually around the $100 mark. Home Depot and the mothership don’t have better options for price. And I’m not saying this is a steal (though it does seem to be a fair deal), but you say it is “a lot to pay” which leads me to believe there are much cheaper options out there.

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. My municipality is selling surplus 65 gallon pickle barrels for $15, another $16 for a spigot kit. Check with your local town or city, check craiglist (but be careful about what USED to be in that barrel). What drives me nuts is seeing the same barrels I can get for $15, selling for over $100 in the local hardware stores with the spigot attached and a small square of window screen riveted over a hole in the barrel lid.

A web search turns up this: 55 Gallon Barrel/Drum - Blue, Plastic Barrels, Plastic Drums, Metal Drums, Plastic Totes, Plastic Storage Containers - ArizonaBarrels.com for 55 gallon blue barrels running $25 (I don’t know about shipping.) $67 probably isn’t bad for this particular unit given that it DOES have two spigots, a strainer, a planter and looks pretty. I just keep comparing commercially produced models to the twelve bucks I paid for each of mine (a couple years ago). Yeah they are just black plastic barrels, but they live in my crawl space, or are hidden behind landscaping, so no one sees them.

I will pay more for added functionality (mine are plumbed together and have a pump so I can use the water anywhere), but I won’t pay much extra for pretty. YMMV

The Oregon link has an EXCELLENT guide for rain water collection. Thank you for the link to the ncsl site!

ps - here’s the direct link to the Oregon guide: http://www.bcd.oregon.gov/pdf/3660.pdf Thank you Glen.

pss - did you know that purple pipe is the recognized means to identify non-potable (non-drinkable) water? Neither did I, and now we both do!

Coming from a Civil Eng grad who worked for Water/Wastewater division of a utilities company, this is how they identify the reclaimed water. It is treated wastewater intended for irrigation use. Popular on college campuses and golf courses (you will know from the distinct fart smell, sulfur, when the sprinklers turn on). Cheaper than the blue lines, which are meant to identify the general water main, but with limited use. And stay away from green… that is the industry standard for wastewater.

It is a good idea…I want to have one!