5
My rain barrel cracked after the first hard freeze and flooded my basement
I bought this 50 gallon rain barrel off Craigslist back in September, thought I had drained it enough before winter. Woke up last Thursday to water seeping through the basement wall because the barrel split right at the spigot fitting. I spent the whole morning with a wet vac and shop towels. Has anyone else had luck with those insulated barrel wraps or am I just better off draining and storing them inside every fall?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
emery_black1mo ago
Wait, you've had the same barrel for 7 years and it's never cracked? Man, I must have gotten the cheap special from Craigslist then because mine was only like 4 months old when it split. That plastic felt pretty thick when I bought it but I guess water freezing just finds the weakest spot. I had no idea people actually store them indoors every year, I thought a heavy duty barrel could handle a little cold. Guess I learned that lesson the hard way.
3
ray1361mo ago
Wait, am I the only one who thinks you should have known better than to leave a big plastic barrel outside all winter? In most places the ground freezes hard and that water expands like crazy, it's basic science. These barrels are basically glorified trash cans, they're not built for freezing temps. I've had the same 55 gallon one for like 7 years now and I just drain it completely around November and tip it upside down in the garage. Takes 5 minutes. The insulation wraps are a bandaid, they might help a little but if the spigot freezes or there's any water trapped in the fittings you're still gonna get cracks. Plus those wraps cost as much as a new barrel sometimes. Sorry about your basement though that really sucks, flooded basements are the worst. But honestly rain barrels are a spring and summer thing, you gotta treat them like garden hoses and bring them in when the cold hits.
0