Algreen 81001 Cascata 65-Gallon Rain Water Collection and Storage System

10 Review to this product

• 

  Natter
  June 22nd, 2010 on 1:55 pm

  Rating

  We ordered 3 of these from another site, and are very pleased. As others have said, they are huge, but a few days of good rain can fill the 65 gallons pretty easily. This product has the lovely aesthetics of ceramic, and the compliments started immediately with the UPS driver who unloaded them from his truck. He took away the parts list and ordered two of his own.

  As has been mentioned, the hose appears to be durable, but crimps, and while an overflow spout is incorporated into the design, a hose to redirect the water would be a good purchase.

  An additional plus (for me) is that they are made in Canada. The manufacturing conglomerate, Algranti, was considering a move overseas “due to rising oil prices, poor currency exchange, and the sagging US economy” (from: http://www.prlog.org/10078285-new-environmentally-friendly-rain-barrel-boost-canadian-manufacturer-fortunes.html), but the demand for these barrels has resulted in the company boosting production. Good news for those of us who are concerned about North American manufacturing losses.
• 

  K. Guzman
  June 23rd, 2010 on 5:34 pm

  Rating

  Despite the original 65g being lost by UPS, I loved them as soon as I got them.
  
  The only thing is they should tell the size of the additional hose needed to hook up the overflow drainage spout. The 65 and the 50 gallons models have different sized drainage spouts. The 50 gallon model also does not open as the larger model nor does it have a spigot.
  
  The larger one is definitely the better model and well worth the extra money. Prettiest rain barrels I have found so far and truly believe that every home gardener should have one.
• 

  Moose
  June 25th, 2010 on 6:27 am

  Rating

  The Cascata Rain Water Collection and Storage System is an excellent product that has many of the features I was looking for in a rain water system for waterig my flower and vegtable garden. I have this conneted to a small 12×12 ft shed that will fill this barrel at the rate of a little less that 1 inch of rain fall.
  
  The features this product has that I could not find in other rain barrel designs are:
  
  1. Color: color and texture are very close to teracota pot color and texture. I really looks like a large clay urn.
  
  2. Shape: The location for this barrel is at the corner of a shed between a vegetable garden and a flower garden. I didn’t want a big blue plastic barrel here because it would trask up my back yard. This product actually added to the astectics of my back yard.
  
  3. Mesquito control: The Cascata barrel has a plastic perforated plate that fits under the removable top. It would be very diffucult for a mesquito to fly into the space between the removable top and the screen to even lay eggs that might fall through the screen and into the water. Other rain barrel designs have an open screen on the top that might allow for mesquito breeding even though the screen is in place.
  
  4. Removable Top Planter: The removable top can be used as a planter. This feature again adds to the astectics and allows this product to blend into the shed garden area.
  
  5. Hose and valve: There is a nice brass valve about 14 inches from the bottom for filling watering cans. There is a hose connected to the bottom with a valve on the end of the hose. This can be conected to a drip or soaker system or fill watering cans when the water level goes below the brass valve level.
  
  6. Overflow port: Overflow port is located oposite the brass valve and is hidden from view when showing the brass valve side.
  
  I plan to purchase another Cascata Rain Collection and Storage System and plan to place it on my patio for watering plants closer to my house.
• 

  Lee Rhys
  June 26th, 2010 on 12:55 am

  Rating

  I received my rain barrel in just 3 days. It is HUGE. Unlike the ugly recycled plastic rain barrels for sale elsewhere, this is a beautiful piece that adds to the aesthetics of my garden. It looks like a terra cotta planter. I planted strawberries in the top, so they can hang down the sides but not take over the garden. I bought a 1/2″ boiler drain spigot, sprayed it with WD40, and inserted it into the overflow tube. Very tight fit. Then I attached a length of garden hose to the spigot and ran it away from the house. This solved most of the overflow problem. However, the overflow tube is not big enough to drain fast enough during a really hard, long rain. Water will escape by flowing between the top of the barrel and the crown planter. Prepare the foundation accordingly and do not place the barrel in a place where your basement may be easily flooded.
• 

  L. Jernigan
  June 26th, 2010 on 8:39 am

  Rating

  The Algreen Cascata Rain Barrel is the most attractive, nicest one I’ve found for our needs. It blends with our brick terrace and brick foundation. The top is made so that you can place a plant there. It looks especially nice with a plant that will cascade downward, which makes the faux terra cotta urn look like a planter. I have it where most of my container gardening area is located, because I spent the past summers dragging out the hose to water ever other day. Now, I sit on my garden bench beside this cleverly disguised rain barrel, place my watering containers under the spigot or use the attached urn hose to fill my containers. Sometimes I load water containers (such as plastic gallon milk jugs) into a wagon and take them around the yard to water. Free water! No water bill! I could not get this one on Amazon, since it’s listed as “unavailable”, however I did get it at Ace Hardware. Mine was around $160. I LOVE it.
• 

  Donna S. Brown
  June 27th, 2010 on 4:19 am

  Rating

  I ordered three of these guys, and thanks to Amazon Prime, they came in 2 days for NO CHARGE! Assembly was super easy, just needed a flat-headed screwdriver to tighten one screw. I have them in place, they look great with our contemporary house, and they are half full already. I came back today to order two more, but Amazon won’t let me! (Maybe they figured out the shipping outweighed their profit?)
• 

  green guy
  June 28th, 2010 on 4:27 am

  Rating

  Upon arrival the light-weight cardboard shipping box was torn on the top, bottom and one side and barely contained the “barrel”, but the barrel was undamaged.
  
  This urn-shaped “barrel” is well built and attractive, compared to the more common barrel designs. It is an “open” (as opposed to “closed” or sealed) design with input at the top and a 1-inch overflow outlet on the side near the top. There is no way the overflow outlet could handle the volume input from a typical downspout, so the barrel would overflow without further adaptations. I use the overflow connection for INput from a downspout diverter. Overflow is prevented by carefully positioning the downspout diverter. [I could not find a commercial diverter (of suitable design and at a price that I was willing to pay) so I ended up building a diverter of hybrid design and have no problems with efficient collection without overflow from spare parts.] The closed/sealed design would have more options for connection to the downspout, without the problem of overflowing. I prefer that the output connector under the middle of the bottom and the provided hose be larger diameter and less susceptible to kinking, but it works fine with a connected soaker hose. I use the side-mounted spigot for filling a pail. In spite of my criticisms, I recommend this product for its appearance, cost (when on sale) and function. I expect it to be long lasting.
• 

  Michelle R
  June 29th, 2010 on 9:03 am

  Rating

  I’ve worked hard to make my yard beautiful and very nature friendly and I have people stop their cars or comment on walks about some feature or another, but — as funny as it may sound — the number one thing they mention is the water barrels. It actually adds beauty to the yard and enhances the sense of it being a sanctuary. It looks like pottery until you get right up next to it.

  I also feel really good knowing that because they’re so large — I have 2 — I can water my garden and clean and refill the bird baths using solely the barrels, providing there’s a good rain. It’s not as fast as using a hose, but if your yard is a place you enjoy it provides the opportunity to really notice your plants and the wildlife.
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  C. shriver
  June 29th, 2010 on 1:02 pm

  Rating

  started out rough when UPS scuffed up my first one, the shrink wrap was completely torn off and had huge black scuffs all over it. Thankfully Amazon was amazing and sent me a replacement at no charge, no questions, it came in good shape and I am very pleased, I will advise to consider the dimensions when ordering, it’s HUGE! went together nicely, neighbors are curious, husband doubtful, then I heard someone at a local hardware store asking about them and got to say See, I told you so! If Amazon shows out of stock keep checking back.
• 

  Jack of All Trades
  June 29th, 2010 on 1:24 pm

  Rating

  Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3UG58DXFD1F5A Very quickly I wanted to point out the goods & the bads:
  
  excuse the mess still under construction.

  Goods:
  
  lightweight when empty.
  
  very realistic looking plastic terracotta.
  
  overflow valve for attaching another rain barrel (higher capacity).
  
  spigot in front for dispensing water.
  
  screen trap to prevent leaves ext. from entering your barrel.
  
  hose on the side for dispensing water.
  
  room on top for hanging plant or pot.

  Bads:
  
  scratched up during shipment poorly wrapped (shrink wrap).
  
  glue seams on bottom and spigot (see video).
  
  water pressure relies on gravity so it needs to be full of water.
  
  the lid does not drain so you will need to drill a hole in the middle.
  
  if you have one downspout like I do you get higher rain volume so you need to attach a hose to the overflow valve and redirect the overflow (if you watch the video that is why I have a downspout right behind the rain barrel)or you can buy two and increase your storage capacity. Anyway hope this helps with your decision.

  Overall I am very satisfied