I use 65 gallon , heavy duty white plastic barrels from the water treatment plant . All four of my barrels are full from this storm .
One nice advantage to the plastic is that you can see exactly how much water is inside . They are easy to move around when empty . There is no plastic smell or taste . AND - they will never rot like wood .
Best of all ... the barrels were free .
Good luck on your search for oak barrels .

I believe the ones they sell at the Big Box stores are half barrels to put plants in.
Good luck finding full empty barrels!

Although I must agree that the wooden barrels are more aesthetically pleasing than plastic, the short life expectancy of such a product (due to termites and high humidity) might make it a less-than-economical choice in Florida. I do not know of any direct sources for oak barrels but have had much success finding other uncommon items via Craigslist wanted ads. If you try the Craigslist route, you will likely find something.

Why not paint the plastic rain barrel to look like oak?They make a wonderful tool that puts woodgrain through your paint.Ask the bIg store s for it and you will see.Sorry I can't help with the wood,maybe the next trip to a whiskey factory would yield thre real thing but personally Ill opt for painted plastic.

www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/W... - 73k -

Where do you live? My Ace hardware had the oak barrel already fitted with a brass spigot for $139. It's been awhile since I have been there so I can't say for sure they still have any, but it's worth checking with your Ace. I don't know if this is something local or through their vendor.

Ginny

You could always check with LakeRidge Winery out on 27 to see if they have any barrels that they don't use anymore. Couldnt hurt to ask.

Well I am really second guessing my yen for the old barrels now- thanks a lot guys! Obviously kidding- there is much wisdom found here and I appreciate the caveats. Not sure what I am going to end up with but my goodness I don't need to worry about it this week! I wouldn't be accessing a rainbarrel for some time after all this RAIN. Would be nice if it were filling up more than our slim 5 Pound buckets though.

I may give Lakeridge a call just to see if they have any dirt cheap or throwaways. You never know. Thank you for all the responses!

Naomi

I don't think Lakeridge is still doing wooden barrels ;-) ...
but really, the wooden barrels are ok as long as you keep them filled/wet at all times. they dry out and that will make them crack. This would not be a problem in the rainy season, but the rest of the year, it may not be so easy to keep them wet.

There are other neat ideas to be found on the net on how to turn the barrels into yard art. Here is one of mine:

Evelyn

Here is a link that might be useful: my rainwater barrels

If you search Ebay for "oak rain barrel" you will find three wine barrels available right now, in two separate ads, for $48 plus $75 shipping each. I wonder if you could solve the drying problem discussed by abendwolke, were you to encounter it, by coating the interior with a clear elastomeric paint or a flexible epoxy resin. Either approach, of course, would run up the price and might fail utterly (and you'd still have the expense of plumbing the things to consider). Dunno if it would be feasible and effective to just seal the seams between the staves with tar or elastomeric caulk or something like that.

How nasty do these barrels get after two or three years?

Hi
I built a 5x10 x3 deep made of stacked 4x4's lined with a fiberglass tarp. Holds 1000 gallons for around 300 bucks .
The problem has been that I couldn't resist planting it so now it's actually a water garden complete with fish . Obviosly this means I can't use all the water ,lol
When I gave up my Marine aquarium I decided to use the tank for rainwater .150 gallons in a space 18x72. Same problem . Added plants and fish so can't use the water lol.
Wasn't sure I could keep an aquarium outdoors but it's actually been easier than keeping one indoors. Have even been able to keep it warm through winter with a simple aquarium heater. with a boost from some styrofoam insulation on cold nights.
I now use the aquarium as a reservoir for the waterfall.
Guess what? I planted the entire face of that too lol
What I need is some place to store rainwater for the terrestrial plants ?? lol gary