Customer Reviews

Fiskars 5997 Tuscany II 57-Gallon Rain Barrel, Terracotta Color

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It does take effort and tools to install, but that's not the real issue -- the top tends to warp on hot days, pop off the barrel and is difficult to put snugly back -- important if you don't want a breeding ground for bugs! It's not enough to weigh down the top -- you have to carefully line it up for a snug fit. When it warps and torques a tiny bit from the heat that's nearly impossible.

I was worried when the box arrived from Amazon - it was two boxes taped together and it looked a bit misshapen and worse for wear. Inside, everything was in fine shape however. The downspout diverter is wonderful but the two sizes you get are both made for rectangular downspouts. If your gutters have square downspouts (and a lot of vinyl ones are square) you will have to replace it for the diverter to work. Set up was easy once we read the instructions (yes, you have to do that or it will not work) and we are ordering a second today to connect to it.

My wife bought two of these last summer and I've never seen any other rain barrel that has been designed this well. Rather than rain water pouring in through a mesh screen on the top (which can clog with leaves, allow sunlight in, and also bugs) this barrel's lid is totally covered and airtight. Rain water enters through a hose on the side connected to the downspout until the barrel is filled. Any overflow goes back through the downspout. Check out the pictures showing a close up of the downspout attachment. It's a great design. The whole barrel is very attractive, much more so that many others. Nice product. We have the two barrels connected together cross feeding a single spigot.

When I bought this I was a little skeptical, however after installing it I have to say it's a great product. I attached a soaker hose to the spigot and my plants get watered when I'm at work! Plus no increase in my water bill!!! There is some work to do, cutting into your rain gutter, but that was to be expected. Overall great product!

Excellent System! Not as easy to install as I had hoped...but once we got it figured out all was smooth sailing. Excellent price and free shipping! Can't beat that with a stick.

I agree with the other writers about the quality of the product, though I don't have it attached to a downspout. I have a waterfall off the roof which fills the barrel in 20 minutes.

My problem. How do you get the last several inches of water out of the barrel? The spigot is located 10" up on the side, I assume to make room to put a hose on it easily. This leaves 10" of water in the barrel at all times. I have rigged up a siphon, and it works pretty well. If this is necessary, why hasn't anyone else mentioned it? And why doesn't the manufacturer include this in the instructions? Or has no one taken the lid off and looked inside to see the standing water? If there is a better solution, I would love to hear it. Thanks.

This rain barrel does the job! Looking like true terracotta, it blends nicely with our planters outside. We grow flowers, fruits & vegetables as well & conserve water for our gardens with the rain caught in this rain berrel.

Thank you so much, Fiskars for this product!

This item was very easy to instal, just like the instructions pointed out. You need only a drill to drill out the hole for the hose coming out of the drain, and a hacksaw to cut into the existing drain pipe. It can all be done in about 15 minutes or less. I bought 2, and have one in the front of my house - masked by a column on my porch - totally invisible from the front, and one in my backyard. With the drought in Texas, it has proven its worth.
Fiskars 5997

The rain barrel was easy to install and filled with water after a day of rain. The amount of water allowed me to water my many pots of plants for many days afterwards. I am already planning on installing another on the other side of the house. Great product!

The plastic that the barrel is made of is too thin and certainly not worth even the sale price. I suspect the barrel plastic will not last very long if it is left in the sun over several years.