Rain Barrel Rehab

You know how all the quintessential rain barrels have that nice metal spigot? So quaint! So charming! I SOOOOOO needed it to feel all warm and fuzzy inside! You know what you should do with it though?
DITCH IT!
What a pain in the patootie!
First of all, things end up in your rain barrel. Things like gravel from your shingles, leaves from your roof, pine needles, and dirt. Plus, do you know how long it takes on a GOOD day for that cute little brass fixture to merrily fill a watering can? Do you have a lot of time? A whole lot of time?
Of course, being so small, any little thing jams it up and renders the entire things useless. What a waste to have to dump out all the water to flush the stupid spigot!
Useless!
Everything else works like a charm but this stupid thing has jammed up on me for the last time!

So after dumping out 4 inches of roof gravel in the barrel, back flushing the little spigot and still hearing grit when I turned it plus the water was less of a trickle than it's suppose to produce, I gave up in disgust.
My other 2 rain barrels, The Gusher Twins, have never given me any trouble.
Those babies are connected at the bottom and the overflow goes out a fat pvc pipe from the top right side. And don't kid yourself, I have full barrels within minutes of a rainstorm.
Here, you can see how The Gusher Twins are connected to the gutter (saw it off where you want it, screw on this bendy plastic piece you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot, and stick it in the barrel) and how they sit up on a stand so I don't have to bend over BUT you have to be strong enough to hold a full container of water if you're planning one of these. I'm fine with this set up, but it's probably not the best for your Grandmother's yard.

Yeah, cut it, crimp it to fit with pliers (it's just tin), screw the bendy piece on. That bendy piece even comes in different colors to match your house.

This is how they're connected. Some aquarium sealant, some plumbers tape on the parts that screw together (yes, there is a piece on the inside of the barrel) and you're good to go.
It does leak some. SOME. This water is mostly the gutter overhead that is dripping from the rain.

Double barrels are optional. Depends on your amount of rainfall and watering habits. Works like a charm for me. 3 water barrels and I've never run out of water for my yard, but I do live in Florida and when the rainy season hits, I barely use these at all. You have no idea how fabulous they were during our recent droughts though!

Nothing impedes the big valve on The Gusher Twins! Could be a whole squirrel's nest in there, and it wouldn't slow down the flow. I don't even know what's on the bottom of these 2 barrels, I've never had to drain them and flush them out! Not once!

The only drawback is that I can't put a hose on it and water with a hose.

Yet.

That square piece with a hole in it is optional. It's a gasket/spacer, if you need it. Depends on the thickness of your barrel.
That piece with the stick in it? That goes on the inside. If you're very clever, you can use a dowel or stick to hold it in place whilst you screw on the assembly outside the barrel.
Unless you have freakishly long monkey arms or you're a member of The Fantastic Four.

That little brass do-hicky on the end of the spigot? Well, the water in the barrel is not under pressure. So, I just press that up firmly into the spigot, screw the hose to the brass end and I can now use my hose to water the yard just like old times with the inferior but quaint metal spigot.

My 3rd barrel is now perfect!