My trusty rain barrel finally cracked after 8 summers
Noticed a slow leak last week after that big thunderstorm, looked underneath and the whole bottom was spiderwebbed. Patching it with flex seal for now but has anyone switched to those collapsible fabric ones and do they hold up better in freezing temps?
Stick with the plastic ones. Those collapsible fabric barrels are garbage in cold weather. They're basically thick bags - freeze once and the seams pop like cheap zippers. Had a neighbor lose two of them last winter, water everywhere, turned into a ice rink. Flex seal that crack right, you'll get another couple years easy.
Oh man, you're not kidding about those fabric barrels. I tried one a couple years back and it split right down the side after the first hard freeze, what a mess. Plastic ones might be plain looking but they hold up way better season after season.