Finally got my rain barrel setup right on the third try

My downspout diverter kept leaking at the connection no matter how tight I made it. I switched to a flexible downspout adapter from the hardware store for 12 bucks and it sealed perfectly on the first try. Anyone else have a simple fix that made their water collection actually work?.

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor1742d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you're on your third try already? That twelve dollar flexible adapter working after all that frustration is honestly surprising to me. I've been through four different downspout diverters myself and none of them sealed worth a darn. The rubber gaskets always seemed to warp after a few weeks of sun exposure. I ended up giving up on the whole gutter setup and just put a corrugated pipe straight from the downspout into a covered trash can with a spigot.

lily_gibson132d ago

The third try was mostly just stubbornness on my part. That little adapter actually worked better than the expensive ones I tried first, probably because there's less to go wrong. My neighbor @taylor174 has a similar setup to yours with the trash can and corrugated pipe, his has been going for two seasons now with no issues. I might switch to that method next year honestly, especially since my gutter always gets clogged with pine needles around November.