My rain barrel cracked after one winter here in Buffalo

I set up a 55 gallon rain barrel last spring to water my garden and save on the water bill. First hard freeze in December and the plastic split right down the side, dumped 40 gallons of ice water onto my basement window well. Anyone else have luck with those collapsible fabric barrels instead?

2 comments

2 Comments

butler.finley18d ago

A buddy of mine tried those fabric bladders up in Vermont and @hunt.quinn is right, they just pancake when they're half empty and you lose all that water anyway. He switched to an old food-grade pickle barrel, drains it in October now, and hasn't had a crack since.

hunt.quinn19d ago

collapsible fabric barrels" aren't really a thing you can buy, those are just heavy duty water storage bladders that need to be filled completely or they fold up and dump everything. If you want something that actually survives winter, get a plastic barrel rated for freezing temps or just drain it before December hits. Buffalo winters are no joke, you gotta treat those barrels like your pipes and winterize them every year.