Wasted $400 on a rain barrel system that nearly flooded my basement
I bought this fancy rain barrel setup from a local hardware store last spring, thinking it would cut my water bill and help with drought. Total cost was around $400 for the barrel, diverter, and hose attachments. First big storm came and the overflow valve failed, sent water right into my foundation crack. Had to pay a plumber $200 to fix the drain line and patch the leak. Now I'm just using a simple 50-gallon drum I got for free from a bakery, and it works way better. Anyone else deal with overpriced water collection gear that wasn't worth it?
Bet that cheap bakery drum is gonna rust out by next fall, those fancy systems are priced that way for a reason. You probably just got a bad unit or installed the overflow wrong.