RTS Home Accents Premium 55-Gallon Rain Barrel with Removable Lid, Flat Back Rain Water Collection Barrel, Woodgrain with Black Stripes

Great Size for Rainwater Collection, Molding Quality A Little Uneven
Living in the desert southwest, water is precious, and being able to collect what little rainwater we get and store it for use with my backyard plants is essential. I’ve been using collapsible barrels for the last couple of seasons but they can’t take the environmental punishment of our intense summers and I needed something more permanent/durable. The 55-gallon size and height dimensions were perfect for my needs and paired up well with the downspout diverter I had already been using. The flat back made it easy to mount it flush up against the side of my house and I really like the quality of the look/finish of the ‘barrel’ exterior. It has a removable long rectangular mesh screen for the top that keeps out debris and critters and the mesh is fine enough to block mosquitoes from getting in and setting up a breeding factory. The screen rests in a recessed slot and it’s easy to pop it out for a quick wash if it gets blocked up for easy maintenance.I was less impressed with the spigot included, however. It’s sturdy brass but uses an internal compression gasket to close off instead of a ball cock, so I ended up replacing it with a brass bulkhead spigot that provides a better setup and allows for a greater volume of water flow out as well by comparison. Some care was required to do this as the bottom plug’s threads are plastic and fragile and the plumber’s tape (included with the rain barrel spigot hardware) is essential to ensure a good seal. I also encountered fit issues with the barrel lid, it fits tightly at the rear but the front didn’t, creating a noticeable gap/bulge that could only be fixed by using a pair of self-tapping screws to secure it. There are also some quality issues with the cutout at the top for the connection fitting, which allows for daisy chaining to another barrel. It was uneven and needed to be trimmed out with a knife to be the correct size. I do like the design of the overflow integrating with the lid to create a spout as it meant I could place a splash/runoff diverter that used to be at the downspout at the base of the barrel to catch it effectively.The quality issues above are the only things holding this back from being a 5-star product. All in all, it’s a large capacity and durable rain barrel solution and fits what I need for that side of my house.

Poor drilling for the overflow hole.
Not sure who drilled the hole for the overflow but it was done poorly. Not centered and poorly drilled. I’m gonna have to find a different washer so it will seat well. Wish they would have not drilled it at all. I could have done a much better job with a hole saw. I have another one of these that works really well. Well made. We use the to catch water for watering plants, that is when we get rain (Calif). I like the fact that they look like wooden barrels also. I have stands for both. The screen works really well for keeping mosquitos out. (Keep the overflow covered or they will get in and lay eggs. Four starts only because of the poorly drilled overflow hole.