DIY Rain Barrel Diverter and Parts Kit - Water Collection System To Convert Containers into Rain Barrels - Catch Rain Water for Outdoor Chores - RBK-0001

I was skeptical this would pull water effectively even though I thought it was the best design from what I browse. I have a deck in the rear of the house and my contractor told me 55 gallons of water would be too much in one spot. I installed it at the end of my deck on the ground and ran 10 ft 1" PVC to connect to the flex hose provided. I purchased another flex house to connect to the barrel.We had a some rain come through last night and today and this thing managed to pick up 30+ gallons of water. Very impressed.

Easy install and hopefully works great once the rains come. Positive it will work.

I researched water collection systems, read lots of reviews, looked at lots of videos and decided to purchase this kit. First of all, the Kit is very hard to figure out from the out-of-focus images and lack of detail on how the parts work. It does not say for example how you fasten the hoses or if you need access to the interior of the barrel which many will not have. It would be better if the very nice instructions were posted as well. So lets explain how this kit works. (1) the drain diverter is soft rubbery plastic, so it will fit into the smaller sized hole. If you look at the pics you wonder how in the heck is that thing going to fit into the drain when its bigger than the hole you are putting into the dran? Its obviously wider than any of the hole saws pictured for example. It is soft so you can bend it in and it will fit and expand inside the pipe. (2) The fittings in the barrel are rubber grommets that fit into the holes you drill. So you do not need accesss into the inside of the barrel, they fit nice and tight so it seems to work well. (3) the spigot is cheap plastic. But a 3/4" metal spigot should fit the parts that are shipped. I actually used a 3/4 NPT pipe tap and 23mm hole saw (not included) to tap and thread a standard 3/4" pipe thread for my metal spigot (which did seem to fit the included but unused rubber grommet). (4) the diverter to barrel hose part is very short and is supposed to go flat (level) from drain to barrel. This is not suitable for a barrel that is far away like 3 feet from the drainpipe. With a flat line you are using the deflected downforce of the water to move it through the line. Since my install was 5 feet away, I put a slope on the line so it would flow down to the barrel, but in so doing you now have to worry about overflowing the barrel as the fancy overflow prevention diverter will now not work since its not level. So I had to put another drain on the top of the barrel to handle overflow. The included hose is about 1.25 (1 and 1/4) inches on the connecting ends, and I found a 1 1/8 hose at home depot to do a DIY extension to it. (5) It would have been a lot better if this kit used standard plumbing sizes, say 1 inch for the drain hoses and then we could use standard fittings and replacement hoses. (6) I have not seen rain yet, will update once this happens.

I purchased two of these and a connector kit. I used the two kits on two drains. One went into a single large barrel, the other into a single smaller barrel, that was then connected to a second. Total installation time - about two hours for both.All the parts and fittings you need to install these are in the bag. The instructions are clear. For tools you'll need an electric hand drill, a Phillips head drill bit and/or a Phillips head screw driver. I also used a couple small washers for the screws that hold the diverter in the drain. You may need a ladder - I didn't. I also recommend a tube of silicone sealant, like White Lightning Rubber and Roof sealant, comes in a 10 oz cartridge. Anything similar caulking for sealing plumbing type fittings and leaks would work. I only used a small amount.Couple points - I had the correct size drain for this but the fit of the diverter into the draing was very tight. Make sure to file away any rough spots around the hole after you drill out the drain hole. I added a small ring of sealant around the interior ring part that presses againt the drain. Squeeze the rubber part to fit it in smoothly, and give it a couple twists and moosh it in. It fit but bulged out a little - I gave it a couple more twists, and put the screws in with the washer - they added some additional holding pressure around the screws against the rubber. Wipe away any excess sealant - you're done.On the second one I tried trimming away a small amount of the edge of the rubber piece that goes in the drain, as it was tight, too. It didn't make a big difference so I didn't trim it anymore and just repeated the process per the instructions, with a bead of sealant and adding washers with the screws.The tubes going into the barrels fit snug, I had no issues with that. After about 2 1/2 days of light drizzle all my barrels were filled to the brim. I changed out the diverters in the drains with the plugs provided, using the same screws and washers. Done.I also used a connector kit for the two barrel set up. I added a bead of silicone on the outer rim. Worked fine, they were easy to install.Overall, I was very pleased - no leaks on the first one, and some minor leaks on the second one that were so minimal I didn't worry about it.

I really love my new Rain Barrel! We happen to have a spare trash can that the prior homeowners left behind when we purchased the house so I put it to good use. It has a large capacity for storage of rain. The new attachments that came with this purchase attached very easily and the instructions provided were very simple to follow. I built a platform for it because the instructions said it would increase the flow pressure by raising the can. It all fit very nicely and I am extremely happy with my purchase! I highly recommend this kit as you can’t beat the price, quality or value for the money. I look forward to watering my garden with free caught rain.

I now have 3 rain barrels, all of which use this Rain Barrel Diverter kit, and it works very well. I will order a fourth if I get ahold of another rain barrel.