Customer Reviews

Algreen 81002 Agua 50-Gallon Rain Water Collection and Storage System

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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...

I ordered two of these barrels a few weeks ago (they sold out quickly last year, so I jumped when I saw them listed), and we just installed them a few nights ago.

They arrived very quickly, as most purchases thru Amazon do. Last year, I ordered two of the larger 65 gal. versions (the Algreen 81001), and they were WONDERFUL: beautiful, well made and functioned perfectly. I knew I wanted two more for our two other downspouts for this year. The price for the larger-sized ones had gone up (by $50 a barrel!) so that's why I opted for this smaller 50 gal. version. I will admit that they're nice looking, but the larger ones are sturdier. AND, the larger ones came with everything needed for installation. These smaller ones did not include an overflow hose, and it took my husband 3 trips to the local Lowe's to find a hose large enough in diameter to do the job. He commented to me a few times how he thought the larger ones were so much better made as he was doing the installation.

Lastly, this smaller barrel does not have the brass spigot the larger one has. I can tell you that the spigot operates much better than the hose. Unless you can mount the barrel up high enough, your flow is really, really slow. And we didn't take that chance, because these puppies are HEAVY when they're full. The green hoses on both models are super-cheap--they degrade quickly, and will need to be replaced. Mine was stored indoors from last fall until 2 weeks ago, and the hose had cracked anyway.

With all that said, I love how this thing looks. It's more like sculpture than a rain barrel. But I just couldn't justify spending $120 extra dollars for the 30 extra gallons I would have gotten, had I bought two big ones again. I'm glad I have them, but I was ecstatic with the 65 gallon version. With this one, I'm thinking my bargain hunting may have bitten me a little.

We now own three of these rain barrels, they are attractive and easy to set up, no additional hoses required, great price and no shipping charge! The top does not lift off and the opening for planting on the top is a little small, but we planted some ivy and it looks great. Highly recommend!

Got this last week and set it up. Problem one: the vessel is sealed except for where the water enters, the hose connection and the overflow. The instructions and parts are all inside and you have to try and get them out through this about 4x6" opening. Problem two: the overflow port is not the shape of a gutter tube, but about 2" across (maybe a vacuum cleaner hose would fit over it. It is in the back, so you can't place the vessel against a wall and still fit some hose or tube to redirect the overflow away from your house. Problem 3: outlet hose is cheap and unless you're lucky already kinked. You can try to fix it, but it's easier to just replace with a better piece of hose. It should be longer anyway. It barely reaches the cheap hook used to hold it up. It is 180 degrees around the barrel so comes out the front. Not the most appealing location. Other things: That thing that looks like a planter on the top of the urn is really just a small depression in the top separated from the inlet (about 30" in area and about 4" deep. No drainage. So you could put a few small bog plants in it, or constantly replace annuals that don't need drainage.

So for $100 plus you get a poorly designed rain barrel that looks like terra cotta from a distance, but like what it is, plastic, when you get withing 10 feet of it. The odd thing is, it could have been much better designed and constructed to provide a higher level of satisfaction. I doubt they sell many from places where you can inspect them before buying.

Not my best purchase. Wish I followed my first impression, which was it was what it is, and not the most useful garden accessory.

Granted, this is a nice-looking rain barrel, but I have three issues:

1.There should be a better quality hose. I have another rain barrel, cheaper in price but at least as good in quality, if not even better, that came with a very nice brass spigot.

2. Unless I read the description wrong, there should be a planter provided with it that fits into the opening on top. (This was the main reason why I picked this particular model of rain barrel.) There wasn't one, however.

3. I'll have to drill drainage holes myself into the opening where I want to plant flowers, as in the picture. I don't understand why there aren't any already since it's clearly meant for planting something.

All in all, if I had known of or considered these factors, I would not have bought this particular model. (Can't return it since I don't have the box (or bag?) it came in.

In every review I read for this it said "it fills up faster than you think." With that...I still ordered the 50 gallon size. Yep...you'd be surprised how fast this thing fills up. It rained for one hour - hard - and it was overflowing. Also, once it's full, there is STILL not enough pressure to run a very small sprinkler, only a slow trickle out of the hose. That being said, I do like the barrel. It is extremely light, required almost no set up or installation and was ready to catch water in about five minutes. I recently bought a 20 foot hose to hook up to the small hose that comes with it, when I saw that it was going to rain for a few days in my area. I just left the hose open and let the barrel drain from the hose to an area of the yard I know flows into the street storm drain instead of letting the barrel overflow for days. Seems to be working fine.

I purchased 3/09 and didn't get it installed until recently. It looks very nice, but I have some suggestions to anyone purchasing this. I recommend looking at the larger size. We had a very small rainfall and the barrel was full almost immediately. I don't have a large roof (main floor is about 550 sf) and I have this and another downspout. It is a bit difficult to get the hose they give you connected, but my brother muscled it on. Also, you will want to go to the local hardware store and get a minimizer for the overflow on the back of the barrel. I looked at buying a hose for the current set up and it only came in blue and 25' which I don't want nor like. If you buy a minimizer from 1' to 3/4' or 1/2', you can purchase a clear hose or a white hose in various lengths at the hardware store. It is really a nice product.

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.

Relatively easy to install. Works well. Definitely one of the nicest looking rain barrels available.
But a couple of design flaws could be improved upon.
1) the plastic is rather thin. I first mounted the unit on several brick pavers, however the edges of the barrel extended over them. When it filled with wter, the weight of the water actually caused the bottom to partially collapse over the edge of the pavers. Fortunately, no permanent damage. I emptied it and replaced the pavers with a solid floor that extends beyond the edge of the unit and problem solved.
2) I'm worried the hose attachment at the bottom will get brittle and break or break with torsion from the attached hose. Since it's part of the mold of the barrel, if it ever cracks, the whole thing is basically trashed. So far, it's fine. We'll see how it lasts.
3) The size of the overflow spout is irregular and it took some searching to find a hose that fit it. Only thing that Lowe's had was a reinforced hot tub hose that was rather expensive, but it works well.
4) The plant holder has no drain and collects a small pool of water. This could flood the plants. When I saw mosquito larvae swimming in it, I decided to drill a few holes in the bottom and problem solved.

The color is wonderful. The shape is elegant. The texture is like a hand-thrown pot. I wish I had ordered the larger size (65 gallon) for this location. The barrel should be raised on a platform to use the spigot. And, I like the removable planter on the larger size. Everyone who sees the barrel loves it and is amazed that a design like this is available. Would I order this again? Yes, I would.