Questions and Answers for RESCUE 50 Gal. Solid Brown Flat Back Whiskey Rain Barrel with Integrated Planter and Diverter System

A:  I have had mine now for two seasons. I too like the look and functionality, but do not have it against a flat wall. Mine does bulge, after a very heavy rain, if it bulges hugely I will let out some water. In the past week, with the extremely heavy rains daily, I disconnected the diverter as I did not need additional water., Overall, given how much of the water I use for watering plants, the bulge has not been a large issue as of yet. I do at times, top off several milk jugs of water from the barrel to set aside for watering which releases the excess water, but this is my preference and it is more functional for me to use the gallon jugs to water the plants around the yard. My barrel is in direct sunlight for almost the entire day and has stood up thus far. Bulge is present, but I do not allow it to be excessive for extended periods of time given my usage. Has maintained a bulge, as stated before, any huge bulging I limit, which occurs after a substantial rain fall as it collects the water from my entire 1 1/2 car garage roof. I enjoy the ascetics of the barrel and it has served my needs thus far. I do store the barrel fully drained in a shed through the New England winter.

A:  Yes, my barrel is doing the same thing. Didn't notice it until your email. I will probably just keep mine unless there's a recall. Thanks

A:  I have had mine now for about two years and it has seen a winters worth of snow and ice (living in CT). I do not have any issues with the plastic bulging. If it is already bulging then I would exchange it for another one. Mine is constantly full and continues to maintain its shape.

A:  Ours cracked open last winter. I should have drained it. It’s ruined.

A:  Since I installed it, I have no issue at all. However, the place where I put it is very shadow, only 2 hrs of direct sunlight. Temperature and heat are a major factor to all vinyl product.

A:  I have not had that problem and I have two.

A:  If you go on line to home depot open up the spec section and they have all the dementions on the planter.

A:  Sorry. Tried to reply to this once before, but not sure if it was posted. The half- barrels bottom and top dimensions are exactly the same. 17” across the back, the straight edge that would go against the house. 22” at the widest point that it curves And 20” from front to back. P. S. The back of the barrel does bow out a bit when full, but is not a problem.

A:  Barrel is 48" round. Sets perfectly in the center of 4 cinder blocks set two by two. Love it!

A:  Hi Cat, Per our vendor, this 50 Gal. Brown Flat Back Whiskey Rain Barrel with Integrated Planter has an estimated arrival for online stocking of mid June which is subject to change. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the future. Thank you for shopping Home Depot!

A:  It's not normal. Mine did the same thing.

A:  My barrel does bulge when it is extremely full as I have it set on a stand and there is no back support. Additionally, it is in direct sunlight for a large portion of the day, which warms the plastic I believe contributing to the bulge. To reduce this, I have gallon milk jugs that I fill from the barrel, which makes it easier to water my plants. As I need to water herbs and plants daily, bulging is not a long term issue for me, although it has been left at this for some periods of time.

A:  Mine is a little over a year old, it bulged with first major rain. It has maintained the bulge, has not gotten worse, and still works well.

A:  In my experience with the same Rain Barrel, no, that is not normal. I have mine mounted against a pallet and that may hinder the bulging that you are experiencing.

A:  Yes, I have had mine for about two years and this also happened. It simply needs to be set further away from the house. I has never created an issue other than visual.

A:  No plants are provided sorry

A:  Plants are not included.

A:  Nah. You will need to buy some plants and potting soil. I suggest herbs. They do great in rainbarrels. Happy planting!

A:  No its just the barrel and downspout accessories and hose.

A:  No..You have to provide your own flowers...If you live where it freezes..you must take them in and empty for winter!

A:  It does not come with plants. you purchase them separately.

A:  No.

A:  You are buying a rain barrel, not a plant. The planter is a nice feature to make it decorative, but you have to supply the plants!

A:  Rain falling from above the rain barrel collects at the top. I personally only grow vegetables and herbs, so never used the top for growing flowers.

A:  Only when it rains or you water them yourself. They have no access to the water collected in the barrel.

A:  You have to water them like any normal planter.

A:  looks like you have to water them with your recycled rain and hose.

A:  Soil is added to the top and then the flowers, Water must be added to the plant via a watering can or other device. There is a small drain hole that drains out the back of the bowl so the plants are not over-watered and the roots begin to rot from sitting in too much water. The plants do not self water from the barrel. The bowl is not perforated..

A:  If this is like another top planter water butt that I own, you have to water the plants yourself, top down. There is a small hole in the planter base, but I leave that plugged. Let me know what you decided to do, please!

A:  You have to water them, the planter on top does not connect to the water in the barrel.

A:  It looks like you have to water it with the hose provided with the barrel. It also comes with adapter for the guttering, but it is white? Hmm. You can water the plant with the rain water once it fills. Just use the hose attached. Sorry, plant was not included.

A:  You have to water those yourself.

A:  You have to hand water the flowers on top. They are not automatically watered by the barrel water.

A:  This rain barrel is 20 inches deep, 30 inches high and 25 inches wide.

A:  I would suggest it. You will at least want to empty it and close the flow from the gutter down spout to the barrel (this information is included in the instructions). You don't necessarily have to put it away but it will be light and could blow over easily without water in it.

A:  All I did was empty the water from the barrel so it would not freeze. Once the weather stays above freezing I well start to collect the water again.

A:  It never gets cold enough where I live to freeze. I would suggest contacting manufacturer.

A:  We drained it and disconnected from the downspout to prevent ice build up but left them outside.

A:  No just drain it and leave the spigot open

A:  No, it is not necessary. I just drain it in the Fall, leave the valve open and tilt the barrel forward using a flat cinder block on the bottom backside of the barrel so as not to accumulate water in it. I live in upstate NY; Syracuse, and have had no issues in the two years that I've owned it.

A:  I don't know if there is a stand matching exactly those barrels. I have used about a dozen of grey bricks. 3-4 rows does the trick.

A:  After researching reviews for other manufacturers' stands, it seems many of the stands available are plastic tend to buckle under the weight of the water when full. I suggest getting some concrete pavers to lift it off the ground.

A:  We used a couple of large paver bricks to lift it above ground a bit more but it doesn't come with a stand nor (to my knowledge) is there a stand designed for it.

A:  Yes, it will need to be winterized though. Pretty much drain as much water out as you can.

A:  Yes, Just leave the spigot open at the bottom of the barrel so no water collects in it. Leaving it with water inside over the winter could crack the barrel because water expands when frozen.