EarthMinded FlexiFit Diverter for 3 x 4 Inch Rectangular Downspouts

I’ve embarked on a rain barrel journey this year, and wasn’t sure how to handle the part about diverting the water. At first, I just wanted to cut the drain pipe off and let it run into the barrel. Simple and inexpensive. Then I started reading how quickly the barrel could fill up, and the ones I purchased aren’t that well designed for overflow capability, will just run off the top. I bought a different kind of diverter first, didn’t like how complicated it was, so I went for this thing. I have 4x3 gutters, and these fit just right, definitely collect water well. Thanks to a really detailed review from someone before me, I learned that I could set up a PVC conduit to get the water to the barrel, for far less $$ than buying the full EarthMinded kit. The diverter itself is the critical piece; well, that and the hole saw. To use this, you need a 2 1/8 inch hole saw that can cut aluminum. The problem is that most are made for wood. Persist, and use a bit of lubricating grease or oil on the teeth as you work. It took me about ten to fifteen minutes of gentle, steady pressure and persistence to make the hole, which seems nuts when you think how easy it is to cut off a drain pipe with a hacksaw. But—once that hole is made, you’re home free. Wad this up like a taco, insert it easily, and drill two small holes (7/64 drill bit worked great) for the retention screws that are included with this diverter. I used 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe and the appropriate connector fittings to then route the rainwater to the barrel mouth. Tip: use 45 degree angled fittings, two per barrel setup, and it gives you a lot more flexibility than if you go 90 degrees, plus easier flow. I bought the same size end caps, too; in winter, I’ll remove the pipes from outside, and cap off the diverter hole. (I took the diverter with me to the hardware store, just to be sure everything would fit.) Basically, once you get the hole in the gutter pipe worked out, the rest is simplicity itself. And my barrels are collecting like gangbusters. In light rain, they get most all of it—because rain flows down around the sides of the pipe when it isn’t heavy. In heavy rain, the whole pipe can be filled, but that’s why you need to be able to let some go. I actually still had to buy some secondary ‘overflow’ barrels for where the gutter spout covers a lot of roofline. So, if you’re considering this, go for it. It’s pretty great at collecting, nicely cosmetic (I can hide the piping for the barrels off to the side with this gizmo. There’s a different shape one by same mfr for if you want it off the front or back (4 inch wide side) instead of the 3 inch sides.), and not too tough to install. After the first one went well, I got five more, so you know I had to like this! Plus, it’s probably the most cost effective option short of cutting off your gutter spout to drain directly, and then you have more foundation risk issues.

This is great! I bought this to go with the rain barrel kit, which came with a smaller diverter and we have large gutters. One rain, we filled a 55 gallon barrel and the overflow worked perfectly! I plan on doing all my gutters!

I recently had new downspouts installed on my home and I wanted a cleaner way to divert water to my rain barrels than I had been using previously. These diverters work well and look nice with a clean aesthetic. There are instructional videos online to help you see how to install these. The instructions indicate to install each one so that the outflow hose is parallel to the ground. But that is if you have a closed barrel system only. My barrels are open at the top with mesh, and they have overflow hoses. So, I installed the diverter a couple of feet above the top of the barrels. This allows them to fill a little faster and it gives me room to raise the barrels higher-up if I wish without having to drill new holes in my downspouts; currently the barrels are resting on one layer of cinderblocks, but I may increase that to two layers down the road. This installation, however, does not allow for the built-in overflow protection to work; for the overflow protection, you need a sealed barrel and the hose from the downspout to be parallel to the ground. To save money, I didn’t buy the kit that this manufacturer sells. I just bought the diverters themselves and a 2-1/8” (54mm) bi-metal hole saw on Amazon. I went to my local big-box hardware store and purchased a 25-foot length of 1.25-inch diameter sump pump hose that I cut to fit to extend to each rain barrel. I also used some worm-clamps to ensure the hose stayed in place in the diverters. I installed four of these, one at the downspout at each corner of my home. It rained last night and is still raining this morning, and I had two barrels that were already full and two that were empty prior to the rain. The barrels that were already full have not overflowed and are draining through their overflow hoses properly, and the empty barrels have filled about 1/8 of the way so far. I like that they filled the barrels slowly, but not too slowly, and that much of the rain continued down the downspouts. I checked for leaks around the downspout connections and there were no leaks or drips on three of the four installations; on one corner of the house there were drips coming out at the hose connection from the diverter, so after the rain I will have to reinstall the hose at that one spot. After having used almost every type of diverter on the market over the last twenty years, I feel that these FlexiFit diverters are the best on the market for a clean aesthetic that when properly installed won’t leak or cause overflow issues. The price is right for the plain diverter, but I do feel the kits are a bit pricey for what’s included, so if you don’t need the connection to the barrel and you are a DIYer, I’d recommend getting the diverter only and the accessories you need separately from your big-box hardware store.

I needed a diverter to transfer water to an underground drainage pipe. This product allowed me to make a clean serviceable connection. I used 1½” PVC to provide maximum flow. The rubber diverter doesn’t directly fit with PVC because it has external lugs meant for flexible corrugated tubing. So I modified the outside rubber connector to be round “O“ by carefully cutting off the rubber lugs “-O-” . If you freeze the rubber first, it cuts easier with a fine coping saw or hacksaw blade. Then you can sand it to make it round. With a little silicone lubricant I threaded on a 1½ “ thread x 1½ slip pvc connector. The threaded connector wanted to slide off as I worked with the piece, so I drilled and installed 4 short stainless steel gutter screws to secure it. Then used standard PVC plumbing parts (no glue in case I need to re-work them). The good: this is a compact simple solution and easy to install. The bad: the rubber edges inside the gutter pipe don’t seal tightly with the aluminum downspout corrugations, so a portion of light rain passes through. It may get better over time or with warmer weather. Otherwise I may try to put a silicone bead on the underside of the rubber next summer. Not sure how easy the diverter will be to remove and re-work.

Works as advertised. This was the great choice to fill my rain barrel with rainwater for the plants and emergency use. Follow the instructions and you won't have any problems. It doesn't allow debris to enter rain barrel. Very clever design. I highly recommend this product over the other options out there.

Made of a stiffer rubber but pliable enough to get inside the downspout. Installation is easy enough by making a hole and securing with a couple of screws supplied. So, the product worked great in my area which is Florida. In just one afternoon It filled my 55-gallon rain barrel up to almost the top. Good product at a reasonable price making my plants happy.

First good rain storm we had water spewing out of the top of our gutter! Easy to install, inconspicuous, but have to clean out the backup periodically.

This worked in my larger downspout! Backstory: I'd ordered a rain barrel diverter kit from a rain barrel company, who told me the included diverter would work in either size downspout, but it did not. Should've ordered from Amazon! Contacting the company yielded nothing and after all the rains we had this spring in Texas, the rain barrel hardly had any water in it at all as the smaller diverter was allowing it to flow past unheeded. I was frustrated, but had worked hard to do a multi-barrel set up and needed it to work, so I ordered this. Bravo! Check the sizing carefully and get exactly what you need for success. They're rather dear, though. I think a screened opening with a flexible spout off the downspout would've been a far more budget friendly way to go. I saw one video where he sandwiched screening between two quart size planting pots to keep out mosquitoes. Genius! I thought this would yield more of a closed system which would flow through PVC pipe across the top from one barrel to another and it did not at all. My error. I think I have to do a "first flush" and completely close the system for that to work. Then this wouldn't be needed. If I can get the others to fill with splitters on the spigots at the bottom, I'll still be a happy camper. I cannot speak to sturdiness; haven't had it long enough.

The product is appropriate as a rainwater diverter. It does not work for my Barrell and I am glad the seller agreed to the refund. Thank you.

I received only the parts insiste the downspout! Not as shown on the picture. It missing the pipe as show on 2 pictures !