FCMP Outdoor Raincatcher 4000 Rain Barrel, Flat-Back Rainwater Catcher with Spigots, 50 Gallon, Brown - Portable Water Storage Container Tank for Home, Garden, and Backyard | Portable Water Storage Container Tank with Spigots for Home, Garden, and Backyard

First, we can compare this new barrel to our old one which looked similar but was vastly different in ways that matter when you need a rain barrel. Our old one had a small narrow rectangular screen on top. Whenever a squirrel or raccoon happened to jump on top of the barrel (which was a lot) the screen would move out of place because of how the barrel was designed. Critters also tore up the screen with their claws and since the screen was so small it basically made the entire screen useless. Finally the drain spigot at the very bottom, although made of brass, never seemed to work right. This is why we needed a new barrel and we are so happy with the FCMP barrel -- it is SO much better in design & function. The screen is nearly the entire size of the top allowing more water to collect. It also sets firmly into the frame on top -- it does not move unless you tug and turn it. And instead of the spigot being at the bottom where it was hard for us to deal with (our barrel is on the ground, not elevated) the spigot for the FCMP is attached to the extended hose; super easy to turn on or off. The barrel got its' first big test recently with a massive downpour and it handled it like a champ. So relieved to have found this. Price was higher than we paid for our last barrel but sometimes the extra cost proves its' value in the long run.

Good construction, easy to assemble, easy to add additional barrels. Collects water with ease, the spigot and hose connection fills 2 gallon buckets with ease. The second barrel is from our City of Corpus Christi.

Overall I'm glad I have this 50 gallon barrel. BUT it could take a few improvements. If you wish to drain some water off of it, there IS a tiny area on the very bottom to connect the included hose to that can be turned off and on -- BUT, I wish it was 4-5 inches higher up so I don't have to bend down so low to connect it. (Bad back). Plus the hose they include for that can come off relatively easily too. So other than that, It's good, easy to set up, and looks good. So from me it gets a 4 star.

Got mine right before we had a heavy rainfall Easy to hook up. The main hose connects with a metal screw clamp. The rear flat overflow hose connects with just a plastic pull tie. You could hook any 1.5" hose up to it using a plastic tie or a clamp. It also includes another 1 foot flat hose to connect to a second rain barrel, if you wanted to connect two barrels together. The water from the front hose flows best when the barrel is 50% or more full of water, but if you use it simply to irrigate water from the barrel to some other area through a hose, water will freely flow out of the hose if the hose is lying flat on the ground. If you lift the barrel by placing it on a box or stand or even just some bricks, it'll give you even more pressure. The water pressure is based on the volume of water in the barrel and gravity. They sell a stand for this model, but you can use anything like wood, bricks, a crate or even a wide footstool to raise it higher if you want to. It looks a lot bigger in person than it does in the pictures. It's strong plastic and will definitely last. The top screen is attached to a circular ring of plastic and just sits on top of a plastic crossbar opening at the top of the barrell. I drilled two holes on top and put screws through it, just to hold it more firmly in place, but I don't think it'll come off that easily on it's own. A really strong wind gust might lift it off, but I doubt it'll be an issue. I'm just paranoid so I put a couple screws in it. I recommend this barrel over the others for one big reason - it has the largest top opening of all the ones I've seen. The other barrels have a narrow or small opening at the top, which are meant for closer or direct gutter connections. This one is great for me because I don't have a gutter to connect to it and I can catch free-dripping water coming down from about 15 feet off a corner roof. I have this barrel positioned under a corner roof that doesn't have a gutter connection because of the angle of the corner there. This barrel picks up most of the water dripping down from about 15 feet up and keeps the water off the ground and away from my home's foundation. I also attached a standard hose to the included connector switch and ran it 15' out to a veggie garden where I attached a 50' soaker hose which I have wound around the bottom of the plants. So now, not only do I have a barrel to collect the rainwater coming off my roof to protect my home's foundation, I am also keeping the soil in my veggie garden damp without using my water company water. Easily one of the best products out there for simple-irrigation of rainwater and saving a couple bucks on your water bill.

Sleek design and high quality. Saves a lot of water during the summer flowering season. Only drawback is the water run off design. Should not be run under the barrel as designed. Otherwise, a great buy!

I set the rain barrel up this morning on a beautiful, sunny day, so, I will try & remember to update this review after we have had some rain. Setting up, attaching the hose and overflow pipe of the barrel was very simple. I placed the barrel on an old, upside-down planter to raise it off the ground, this might prove not to be a sturdy enough stand for it, time will tell. I purchased a downspout diverter, also from Amazon, which I installed today - I was undecided on whether to cut a hole in the wire mesh on the lid of the barrel to feed the hose into, but ultimately decided that was the more reliable way of keeping the hose in place, rather than just laying the hose on top of the screen. So, fingers crossed that once we get some rain this barrel will fill up and help reduce my water bill. The overflow hose arrives flat, and there isn't really a way of coaxing it into being round or *open* so it's hard to tell if overflow water will actually be able to drain out of it. I'm not too concerned at this point as the downspout diverter I purchased can be set to bypass the barrel, and in addition my yard slopes down and away from the house anyway, so hopefully water will not pool at the foundation. There were a lot of reviews that mentioned leaks in the rain barrel, again, time will tell as all my outside hoses are still turned off for the winter, so I have no way of testing the water tightness of the barrel. Keeping my fingers crossed! This barrel is fairly esthetically pleasing, not an eyesore in comparison to some. I have placed this in the back of my house, by my vegetable garden and compost tumbler, so how it looks is not too important, but, I do plan to buy more and put them at the front of my house & think these will look just fine.

This rain barrel 💦 is Perfect for my needs. I haven't experienced any leakage. Customer service was awesome when I received the box from FedEx in horrible condition. They made everything right and I simply love it . I DIYed a heavy duty stand to hold the 50 gallons of water 💦. I purchased a brown one and spray painted it black , when I didn't like the look of the brown one against the house. So yes, this one is PERFECT for me and meets my needs 🌿🌺

Easy to set up. Filled up quickly. Only suggestion I have for the company is to make the screen covering more secure. In heavy rains, the overflow couldn't keep up and the water lifts the screen cover off.

I really like the design and the excellent quality. The barrel was easy to set up and I really like having a hose on the barrel. The barrel was delivered in a speedy manner. There were no problems with the order from start to finish. I am looking forward to years of catching rain in this barrel.

This product is great and I am very happy with them!! They look very good and I love the hose.

Does the job. Easy to set up. But the overflow needs work. I plumbed it with a pipe, the flat overflow hose is basically a joke. As well the parts for the kit were in the barrel and a real challenge to get them out.

So cool I had to order a second one

I use it as a mixing station reservoir for my Reef Aquarium as it looks nicer and more affordable than equivalent capacity containers. Delivered fast.