Rain Barrels make collecting rainwater one of the easiest things you can do to reduce water consumption.  While you shouldn’t collect rainwater for drinking purposes, rainwater is acceptable for use in your landscaping and gardening endeavors.

There are many different types of rain barrels available.  You can even resort to using old garbage cans or buckets.  But these are not ideal.  Most commercially available rain barrels have several features that make them much more desirable and easy to use than that old garbage can you have standing around.  And we all know, if it’s easier to use you are more likely to use it.  Since water conservation is the name of the game these days…

Today we will be reviewing the Algreen 81001 Cascata Rain Barrels Water Collection and Storage System in the 65 Gallons size.  The 81001 is twenty pounds, 25 inches wide and 43 inches tall. It is made from molded plastic that won’t crack, chip, or fade.  It is double walled for extra strength and durability.  It comes with a corrosion proof screen guard and removable crown planter, meaning you can put a plant on top so it doesn’t just look like an empty pot.  And it has brass spigot and hook to hang your garden hose.

Personally, I would not consider a rain barrel that didn’t have a spigot and hose attachment at the bottom.  This makes getting to your collected rainwater so much easier.  Instead of having to slop around in your rain barrel (and this gets quite messy once you’re near the bottom of the barrel, not to mention the waste from all the spillage) you can simply flip the spigot and collect water into a watering can, or use a hose to water your plants directly from the barrel.

This unit is really attractive.  In fact, it is one of the most attractive rain barrels out there.  It looks like a large terra cotta planter and you can put in a beautiful flowering plant.  It is also very easy to assemble.

I did not mention the hose that comes with it above when I was describing the product.  That is because is should be replaced.

And my one negative is that, while it has an overflow spout, this does not come with a hose. Even if there was a hose available the spigot is not large enough to handle a heavy downpour and the resultant overflow. This is easily remedied however, by using a rain barrel diverter.

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Overall, this is a really beautiful and well made product.  I highly recommend the Algreen 81001 rain barrel as one of the better rain barrels on the market today.