To prevent your barrel from cracking in the winter, we recommend that you either disconnect the barrel from your downspout and turn it upside down for the winter, or store the barrel in a garage or basement. Make sure you reconnect your downspout to temporary tubing to move rain or melting snow away from your foundation. We recommend that you run downspouts or tubing at least 6 to 10 feet away from your house.

How do I reconnect my downspout after I have disconnected my rain barrel for the winter?
We recommend that you purchase a flexible downspout from your local hardware store and simply affix that to the downspout on your home. These flexible downspouts come in a variety of lengths.

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It starts with each drop of water You can reduce water pollution, lower your water costs, and help preserve Lake Michigan...all by capturing water from your roof's downspout in a rain barrel. Rain barrels are fun, easy to install and move. RAIN BARRELS store 55 gallons of rainwater from your roof that you can use when it's dry to give thirsty gardens, flowers and trees a drink. Rain barrels help keep excess water out of the sewer system when it rains. They also help prevent rain from becoming polluted stormwater runoff, the biggest remaining threat to clean water in the United States.