My $60 rain barrel burst in a surprise freeze last week

I picked up this thick plastic rain barrel from a hardware place in Portland back in May, figured it was tough enough to handle anything. Then we got a random cold snap and it split right down the side, dumped about 50 gallons of water all over my side yard near the foundation. Had to borrow a shop vac from my neighbor to suck up the mess and now I'm shopping for a metal one instead. Anyone else had cheap plastic outdoor gear fail on them out of nowhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

grayjohnson14d ago

Used to think plastic was the way to go for most stuff since it's cheaper and lighter. But after watching my cheap hose split and my buddy's plastic shed get wrecked by wind, I totally get why you'd switch to metal now.

gonzalez.rowan14d ago

Started off thinking plastic was fine for water stuff since it's lighter and cheaper. Then my cheap hose connector cracked in the cold last winter, so I get where you're coming from. Metal seems like the smarter bet for anything that has to handle weather extremes.