Rain barrels are often made of plastic. Although this material is very inexpensive, plastic is not particularly weather-resistant and is prone to holes or cracks. If water leaks from your rain barrel, you won't have to buy a new model for a long time. The hole can be sealed in just a few simple steps. Find out here what you need and how to proceed.
How do you seal a hole in a rain barrel?
To seal a hole in a rain barrel you will need a screw, a rubber gasket, some silicone and locknuts. Attach the rubber gasket from the inside in front of the hole, fix it with the lock nuts and screw. Finally, surround the construction with silicone for additional security.
Inappropriate methods
- Duct tape or tape
- exclusive use of silicone
If you have discovered a hole in your rain barrel or the connection is leaking, you will probably want to seal the area as quickly as possible. As a first aid measure, you may therefore resort to the next best remedies you can find. However, the arbitrary choice of material will soon prove to be ineffective. Here are two examples:
Duct tape or tape
The adhesive strip softens after just a few days. Especially if a lot of water runs into the bin at once due to increased precipitation, conventional tape will give in to the pressure over time.
Silicone
Where silicone is often used in the household, for example in the shower, the material for sealing the rain barrel in the garden unfortunately fails to do its job. At least if you try it exclusively with silicone. Sealing with silicone simply cannot withstand the constantly changing temperature difference of the rainwater.
What really helps
Nevertheless, silicone is an important component of an effective seal. However, a rubber seal mainly achieves the desired effect. For a long-lasting seal you need
- One screw
- A rubber seal (€8.00 on Amazon)
- Some silicone
- locknuts
Fix the rubber seal with the lock nuts and the screw from the inside in front of the hole. To be on the safe side, surround the construction with silicone so that every spot is sealed. Now nothing stands in the way of complete water extraction. As a test, we recommend checking the rain barrel for usability after attaching the seal by filling the container.