My rain barrel overflow pipe snapped off last night during that big storm

I came out this morning to find my downspout completely disconnected and about 50 gallons of water all over the foundation from the overflow. Has anyone else had their cheap plastic fittings give out under pressure like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_singh78d ago

You definitely want to go with brass or steel fittings for the overflow, the cheap plastic ones crack the second you get a good pressure spike. I learned this the hard way last season when mine blew off during a freak thunderstorm and dumped water right against the basement wall. Worth the extra few bucks at the hardware store to swap out those weak plastic parts before the next storm hits. Also check that your downspout is secured with a couple of metal brackets, the plastic clips they include with those rain barrel kits are basically useless.

the_dylan7d ago

Holy crap, the whole thing blew off during a storm? That's insane. I would have lost it if water ended up against my foundation like that, that's a nightmare scenario. Glad you caught it before it did real damage though, that could have turned into a major basement fix real quick.