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

Excellent value and long lasting.

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.

Bough it to connect two 55-gal water drums for watering system. Easy to install, easy to use. Its made out of a standard water hose so no questions about its durability. It is flexible enough to bend it a bit if the surfaces of the vessels are not vertical. Doesn't leak but I recommend to use some silicone when bulkhead fittings are installed because the fittings are designed to be used on flat surfaces while the drum's side surface is a cylinder. The only thing is the hose is long, some space between drums could be used more productively.

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.

This was a great kit for rain barrel connect

With small bend in the hose it kinks. So I ended up buying a different one that won’t kink. Buy the metal expandable one for $1 more.

So... Late and in the middle of a rain storm I decided to connect the 2 barrels. It works great! no drips, no problems. Just used a rope after using a 1 1/8 drill bit to slide it inside and connect the barrels. I made the stands with 16 concrete 8 x 8 x 16 with 8 12"x 12" pave stones. The brass might get dirty but it works well.

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.

Fits well

Item arrived earlier than expected as described. Also tracking the package was easier than other shipments. I would shop again with TULUSHOP with confident.....

Worked as advertised.

When installed the hose provided by the manufacturer does not seal against the supplied barrel taps. When it rains the water just leaks out around the connections provided leaving contstant empty barrels. I have had to purchase additional materials to make this work. I strongly recommend NOT purchasing this product!! It's a POS!!

The threads dont match where the hose attaches to the fitting preventing tightening and engaging the seal causing significant leakage!