RBL020 Rain Barrel Linking Kit (Two Brass Bulkhead Fitting and One 8 inch 3/4" I.D. hose)

This company made converting water catchment into an art for newbies. For years I struggled with my big blue barrels, too afraid to upgrade them to something user friendly. I finally got sick of not being able to get water out easily and began searching. THIS company offered this connection between barrels PLUS a great spigot. Installed barrel connectors yesterday plus spigot and an overflow valve in under 4 hours holes to putting back all the rain water I had pumped out. Heavy connectors and threads. Easy to follow instructions on the sale site. I am seriously pleased with my home catchment system. Crookneck elbows so my barrels are close together so no kinks in my hose. NO LEAKS first try.

I have 3 rain barrels I wanted to daisy chain together; two of which were barrels whose tops did not open save for a small hole. The original taller barrel is fed by a diverter on the house downspout with a hose to the barrel. The diverter redirects to the downspout once the barrels are full. I could not find anything locally at the hardware store that would work to daisy chain the two new barrels to the original one but these fit the bill perfectly. After viewing several YouTube videos on how to install these in closed barrels, They went in without a hitch. Couples with the RAINPAL RBS050 Brass Rain Barrel DIY Spigot(Unibody Design) spigot (not visible in the photo), we have about 150 gallon capacity.There was a spigot on the taller of the barrels already however we added the RAINPAL one on one of the closed barrels to which I will attach drip hose and a solar powered timer from Bluebarrelsystems.

I like them and I have gotten 4 but read the rest.PRO:Well made fittings with o rings.They seal well in 32 gal trash cans or blue 50 gal barrels.I believe the hose diameter is 3/4 inch which is as wide as you get with a standard hose fitting.The inside diameter if the fittings are also large for maximum flow.CON:They have lead. That means no use with rain collection for potable water or watering of crops.Also consider that if you run a string of interconnected barrels one inch hoses water flow between the barrels will be limited. I have found that with a slow rain or a long rain all four barrels fill fine but with short hard rains filling can be reduced. If it is a problem I suggest using 2 of these interconnects which can make the collection system cost more than the water it saves. I found a way to make connectors of almost any inside diameter for a fraction of this cost and without lead. I used 1 1/4 ID fittings which will give about five times the flow and cost about $6 each. The fittings are available at any local hardware store. I use 2 each of male and female PVC adapters for each end and the appropriate length of PVc water pipe. You will need to get 2 suitable sized "o" rings, one for each end. You will also need PVC cement (2 part). Google it.

It was so easy to install, I think the hardest part was drilling the hole (not really - the drill did all the work) :)I'm waiting for it to rain so I can watch the water flow between them both.Great product.

I needed to connect 2 - 65 gallon barrels but need to be able to take them apart to store them in the winter. This item was perfect. Very easy to install and it seals very well. I will buy again so next year I can go to a 5 barrel system.

Updated 9 Jul 19: Downgraded to one star. The castings on the bulkheads continue to fail, the latest today, resulting in the loss of a barrel of rainwater. The pic shows a failed bulkhead (on the right) compared to an intact bulkhead. The problems described in this review caused me to reengineer the system and get rid of the barrels for the irrigation system reservoir. I still have a few in service collecting rainwater at downspouts. As these units fail I have to rework the barrels and get rid of the remaining bulkheads. Don't buy these.Original review: Have purchased a number of these units to set up a drip irrigation system using rainwater I collect from the house and shop building. They are the perfect size for 55 gallon barrels and are easy to install. HOWEVER, two of the brass bulkhead fittings failed after installation, causing the loss of all the water in my system (about 300 gallons). This happened on two separate occasions, causing the a total loss of 600 gallons of collected rain water. Upon inspection, the bulkheads failed as the casting broke at the point where the threaded piece passes through the barrels. The first time it happened, I figured it was a fluke, and ordered another set for the replacement bulkhead fittings. Then it happened again.

Installed on to rain barrels

I wanted this short bit of hose because it did not have the metal coil around it that is commonly sold here and at the hardware store down the street. The hose wall is very thin and not robust. Any minor bend will pinch the hose closed. And it is not made to handle the pressure of an average municipal water supply. When I connected it and gradually turned things on for the first time, the hose blew up like a balloon being blown up by a clown for a balloon animal. Then the brass fitting popped off one end. A nice loud ‘POP’ too— the kid heard it inside the house.With all that said, I must point out this hose connector is not sold for average garden hose use. If you use it for low-pressure straight connections between water barrels, you should be fine. For any other use, please consider all your options. I didn’t use the brass barrel connections. They seemed of good quality— no corrosion or casting pits.