Top 6 Best Rain Barrel Reviews (2022 Updated)

best rain barrel reviews

Rain barrels are an indispensable part of lawns for hundreds of years. They are an eco-friendly solution to keep your property hydrated, even during a drought. If you are a farmer, a gardener, or a landscaper, you should look at the following best rain barrels on the market to search for an item with the portability, volume, and value you want for your property.

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Top 6 Best Rain Barrels 2022

Product ImageProduct NameFeaturesPrice
FCMP Outdoor RC4000 Rain CatcherBest OverallSee latest Price
RTS Home Accents 50-Gallon Rain Collection BarrelBest PriceSee latest Price
Good Ideas Imp-L50-BlkAn Impressive Rain Barrel With Dual SpigotSee latest Price
Good Ideas RWURN50-LIGBest Looking Rain BarrelSee latest Price
Suncast 50 Gallon Rain BarrelBest With Hoses & Filter IncludedSee latest Price
Mirainbarrel DIY Recycled Rain BarrelMade from Used Food BarrelSee latest Price

In-depth 6 Top Rated Rain Barrel Reviews

1. FCMP Outdoor RC4000 Rain Catcher – Best Overall

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Collecting rainwater has more benefits than lowering your water bill. Natural soft rainwater contains no chlorine and sodium, which is excellent for plants. To set up a rainwater system, you can connect your house’s gutter system with the downspout and a rugged rain barrel like this 50-gallon rain catcher from FCMP Outdoor.

This FCMP rain barrel features a large opening and a flat back, allowing you to install and place it quickly. In the meantime, you can keep it away from your kids and pets, thanks to its spoke-and-wheel top pattern.

Keeping rainwater free of debris, insects, and large particles is easy with the help of a top aluminum mesh screen. This screen also prevents possible damages inside the tank.

However, there are some complaints about this debris screen. It lies in a recessed cavity with no fastener. Thus, it can be blown away by a strong wind.

What happens when this rain barrel is full? There is an Overflow Management connection at the back of the barrel. The excess water will follow this connection during heavy rainfall to flow down and underneath the barrel to protect your house’s foundation.

Therefore, your house is safe from crawl space, basement moisture control problems, or structural settlement problems in the long run.

Pros Cons
  • Top aluminum mesh screen to keep the water clean
  • Overflow management system
  • Expandable storage
  • The protective filter is not secured

2. RTS Home Accents 50-Gallon Rain Collection Barrel – Best Price

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The RTS Home Accents rain barrel offers a perfect combination of capacity, durability, and affordability.

The flat back of this rain barrel allows you to place it against a wall, and the bowed-out design keeps the tank inaccessible for pets, children, and insects. Besides, it has no large opening, so your curious kids can’t find a way to get into the tank.

While many online resources state that rainwater can contain toxins and bacteria, using water from a rain barrel is safe, according to Sightline Institute – an independent think tank in Seattle.

Therefore, you can collect rainwater from gutters, then let it store in this water tank for later use. Thanks to its capacity of 50 gallons, your plants are always getting enough water for development, even on hot summer days or during a drought.

If you need to expand your landscape or change your gardening needs (for example, open a new vegetable garden), you need to increase your rainwater supply. Since this barrel is linkable to other barrels, you can purchase one or multiple barrels to increase your water collection.

Pros Cons
  • Safe design for kids and pets
  • 50-gallon capacity
  • Affordable price
  • Linkable to other barrels for water supply expansion
  • The mold stand is not included

3. Good Ideas Imp-L50-Blk – An Impressive Rain Barrel With Dual Spigot

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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a rain barrel saves around 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summertime. You can save your monthly water bill, make use of soft rainwater while maintaining a lush lawn with the help of this Rain Barrel from Good Ideas.

This stylish rain barrel is an eco-friendly choice for farmers, DIY addicts, and gardening hobbyists. It is proudly made in the USA. This 50-gallon water tank is made of 100% recycled material and contains no toxins like BPA. Notice that it’s a barrel since it’s decorated with a palm trunk pattern just like a real tree.

This rain barrel features dual spigot locations, allowing you to use the hose and the spigot simultaneously (for example, the hose is for plant watering, and the faucet is for can filling).

On the top of the tank, there is an overflow management system and a screen to protect your house’s foundations and keep bugs, debris, and dirt from reaching the water inside. This screen works with all 2×3 or 3×4 downspouts.

Pros Cons
  • Made with 100% recycled material, BPA-free
  • Made in the USA
  • Dual spigot locations
  • The top planter can become waterlogged if the tank is full
  • Low-quality valve construction

4. Good Ideas RWURN50-LIG – Best Looking Rain Barrel

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You can use this rain barrel to collect rainwater for your garden without scarifying your outdoor appearance. This terra-cotta urn provides an organic look while the UV-resistant propylene material adds class and quality to your rain harvesting.

This RWURN50-LIG rain barrel has similar features to the above Good Ideas Impression Rain Palm Barrel. You can place a small plant or flower on the top planter of the tank to make it more natural.

Some people tried to drill an additional hole in this area to enhance water drainage. But be careful because if you let dirt enter this section, the rainwater inside can be contaminated.

Pros Cons
  • UV-resistant propylene material
  • Easy assembly
  • Large capacity, hold up to 65 gallons of water
  • Hard to open the top of the urn for cleaning
  • The faucet is too low for can filling; need to put the tank on a stand

5. Suncast 50 Gallon Rain Barrel – Best With Hoses & Filter Included

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If you are a first-time gardener finding a way to set up a rainwater storage system, this 50-gallon Suncast rain barrel is a simple but efficient solution for you.

It comes with everything you need for instant use, including a barrel, leader, flow hoses, and debris filter. Just connect the barrel with the hose, and you are ready to go.

This rain barrel is made of resin – a heavy-duty material that can last for years in any harsh outdoor weather conditions. Similar to the remaining items on my top list, this barrel can contain 50 gallons of water. Even under heavy rains, you can connect this barrel to another one to collect as much water as possible.

A small notice for using rainwater in America: If you live in Utah and Colorado, harvesting and using the rainwater out of your property is illegal. Rainwater is a natural resource, and you are free to use it if it falls on your property.

Pros Cons
  • Linkable to another barrel
  • Made of sturdy resin material
  • The tank is slightly flimsy
  • Hard to install

6. Mirainbarrel DIY Recycled Rain Barrel – Made from Used Food Barrel

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As a garden owner following sustainability, you may want to reduce waste by repurposing old items for good purposes. For example, this food-grade barrel was previously an olive container, and it’s safe to reuse to nurture plants and flowers in your backyard garden.

Since this 58-gallon barrel is made of HDPE plastic with no BPA, it’s safe for your vegetables, herbs, and fruits that you will harvest to use in your family.

Similar to other popular rain barrels on the market, this item also has two valves – an overflow valve on the top that isn’t pre-installed and a pre-installed spigot.

The spigot is sealed with waterproof 100% silicone caulk to avoid leaking. The mesh lid is located at the top of the tank, and it can be removed for frequent cleaning.

However, some people complained that the hose size fitting is quite small for water overflowing.

Pros Cons
  • Reused from a used food-grade HDPE olive container, BPA-free
  • Two valves
  • Removable mesh filter
  • Small hose size fitting
  • The spigot is too low for putting a watering can under it

My Top Pick

To pick up a rain barrel for your property among these 6 best rain barrels, you should choose an item that best fits with your water harvesting capacity and budget.

My favorite is the FCMP Outdoor RC4000. This barrel is large enough to store water after a rainfall, giving me peace of mind that I always have water available for my garden, even in a mild drought.

If you like an elegant rain barrel with a stone-like appearance, you can check out this Kyoto rain barrel. But as far as I’m concerned, many customers had bad experiences with this barrel (it often leaks water out), so I don’t include it in my recommendation list.

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