Algreen 81002 Agua 50 Gallons Rain Water Collection and Storage System

10 Review to this product

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  CML
  June 16th, 2010 on 1:27 pm

  Rating

  We purchased this urn so that we would not be in violation of our wonderful HOA (home owners assoc) rules. We have 7 other rain barrels that are at the rear of the house that are buried and would not be seen. But the location of this urn would be in full sight and a very close distance to our main entrance of the home.
  
  Thus far, it has turned out to be a great little investment. We use the hose even though it is not the best of quality but it is great. It is larger than you imagine from the photo regardless of the volume in description. We attach a pump to it when we want to actually spray a larger volume of water like to water the grass etc. We have placed the pump on a timer for when we are away and it gets watered regardless.
  
  So I would purchase this urn again if I had to.
  
  We have many people that we don’t know ringing our door bell to find out where we got the urn and how they can get one too.
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  Dean
  June 16th, 2010 on 9:47 pm

  Rating

  I purchased two of the Algreen 81002 Rain Water collection barrels through Amazon.com and, after two sizeable rain events, I am quite impressed with their performance. The barrels are very attractive and one neighbor did offer compliments.
  
  Do not expect to just unpack them and walk away ready for the next rain. There were two items I needed to purchase to make the barrels mesh with the real world: I bought an 18″x18″x2″ stone slab (man-made) as a support platform, and about 4 feet of 1-1/2 inch diameter ‘pool and spa vacuum hose’ from The Home Depot for each barrel, the latter to handle the overflow. I recommend the vacuum type hose because it is flexible and ribbed so it does not kink.
  
  I watched the barrels during a really heavy thunderstorm; they filled within minutes and the overflow discharged on the existing gutter downspout pad, so nothing disagreeable happned there. I have since used the collected water on our potted plants and I should break even on the purchase price by 2050 (humor). Seriously, I bought them because they look great and, yes, I do have about 100 gallons at my disposal.
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  Jennifer Hanna
  June 17th, 2010 on 9:03 am

  Rating

  Works beautifully. It was full in a week of rain. The screen keeps most of the debris out of the water. Looks really nice in the yard. Exactly as described. Shipped very promptly.
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  D. Glover
  June 18th, 2010 on 5:12 am

  Rating

  Really like these rain barrels…..stylish & functional!
  
  A neighbor raised them up onto cinder blocks for me & they work very well.
  
  There were no instructions so I originally placed one directly on the ground – which didn’t work well. Raising it up on the blocks encourages the downward flow so it works great now. I did need to replace the hose clamp (hardward store) to better secure the hose connection. These barrels are attractive & extremely well priced compared to catalogs & retail stores. Good size – good price.
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  E. Sims
  June 18th, 2010 on 9:59 am

  Rating

  We are very satisfied with this product. The only thing I would add is that you must be very careful where you place it because of the over flow. When it rains buckets it fills up fast and you need to direct the over flow where you want it with a plastic hose. We had it sitting next to a basement window and it was a mess so that’s when it occurred to us that we needed to attach a hose to the over flow.
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  caseyfoofoo
  June 19th, 2010 on 2:05 pm

  Rating

  I got this rain barrel several months ago. My 16 year old son assembled it easily. It is light weight when empty. I had no problem moving it myself. It securely holds the water. I wonder how it will hold up over the winter? I live in the north east so I assume I have to empty it so I don’t have freezing water expanding in it. It looks like pottery but is a sturdy plastic. Many neighbors have come by to ask about it. They are surprised when they touch it. I have had no problem with bugs in it, so the top must be keeping them out. I wish I could justify buying a matching pair.
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  F. Gast
  June 19th, 2010 on 8:46 pm

  Rating

  This barrel is working out beautifully in our flower garden. My outdoor garden is benefitting from the rain water we gather as are my house plants.

  Thanks!
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  javajunki
  June 20th, 2010 on 5:36 pm

  Rating

  I have had my eye on these and the larger ones for well over a year but each time they were sold out before I could put in an order. Spur of the moment saw these and ordered 2 immediately. I opted for the “smaller” 50 gallon rain barrel which is still the same size as most on the market albeit MUCH more attractive.

  Delivery was very quick – 2 days. Both arrived wrapped in a plastic bag with the contents stuffed inside. I suspect mine were originally boxed since there was a card-board shipping label taped to the top of each but it’s hard to say – the local deliver seems to be pretty tough on products lately and one arrived with the side pushed in a bit. I’m going to try and fill it up to see if it pops back out as well as test the seams to make sure there are no other problems that don’t readily meet the eye.

  The hose is a very inexpensive quality – you will likely want to replace it and I’ve already ordered better quality remnants available elsewhere on Amazon itself. Also, the valve is located at the very bottom of the container – you should get maximum drainage unlike other models where the discharge spout is higher up the side (or even at the top in some models…which makes no sense to me whatsoever).

  These truly do look like clay or adobe especially at a distance. Are lightweight when empty and the total effect is very pleasing. A terrific alternative to those with HOA restrictions or just searching for a visually pleasing product. The price is very competitive to most others on the market although certainly a lot higher priced than finding your own used soap bucket or such. Locally even those go for $40 and up…if you can manage to find them at all. My one MAJOR irritation – and it has nothing to do with the item itself – is these were clearly from Amazon return department. I ordered new and it just annoys me to get returns instead of new items when I pay full price. I really feel this should be disclosed PRIOR to purchase and/or discounts provided if you are ordering a returned product. However, the product is lovely, shipping was fast (still not sure about that box) and the price was competitive with other options (although irritating to get refurbished rather than new).

  Quick Update – The “dent” from shipping popped right out without effort when filling. These look even better when set-up. Were very easy to steady – we set each one on a large concrete stepping stone which provided just enough stability for them to remain level without getting weighed down into the soil/grass. These are VERY heavy when filled (estimated to weight over 400 lounds just from weight of 50 gals of water) and the drain valve is so low you will want to keep it out of the grass. Overall very pleased! By far the most attractive rain barrel I’ve encoutered to date…
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  jlcrisner
  June 21st, 2010 on 12:17 am

  Rating

  The rain barrel works great. The only negative to the rain barrel is the tube where the hose connects for the water to go to your plants is a little on the small side, although mine has not stopped up yet I believe it could be a problem in the future. This is a little bit of common sense,but if you do not elevate the barrel 1′ or so above what you want to water you will get minimal water flow. All of that said for the money and the fact it was free shipping it is impossible to beat. I have made 2 other rain barrels from standard blue barrels and by the time you spend your own labor and the materials to make it you are way ahead to get this product. My wife loves the way it looks also.
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  Jim MacKay, CFP®
  June 22nd, 2010 on 10:59 am

  Rating

  Excellent idea and a great product. I would recommend this but you should know a few things first. The Sam’s Club where I live has had these for $89. You’ll want to figure out a way to handle to runoff from the overflow hole. It doesn’t take much of a downpour to fill it up and you don’t want the overflow spilling right next to your foundation. That’s why you had an elbow at the bottom of your downspout after all. I used a small pvc elbow which I glued in the overflow hole, then glued a piece of 4′ water hose to that, which I use to redirect the water away from the house. Also, when you set this up, try to raise it off the ground as much as you can since the only water pressure you will have is being generated by gravity. I used wall blocks and built a sturdy base 3 blocks high. Since water won’t run up hill you will only be able to water those items that are lower than the rainbarrel. All in all, I think it’s a great idea, a great product, and certainly worth the price paid at Sam’s.