- Tried leaf eaters myself—pretty decent for big stuff, but yeah, pollen's sneaky.
- Ended up rigging a cheap pantyhose over the outlet (classy, I know), worked better than expected.
- Still waiting for squirrels to realize it's the perfect trampoline...
Pantyhose trick, huh? Sounds like one of those quick-fix solutions you'd see in an emergency plumbing hack guide—can't argue with results, though. I've run into similar problems with pollen and finer debris clogging up filters. For a more permanent fix, you might consider layering different mesh sizes—coarse screen on top, finer mesh or fabric below—to catch progressively smaller particles without clogging too fast. It's a bit more upfront work, but cuts down on maintenance later.
Speaking of squirrels...have they ever caused actual damage to your setup? Had one chew through my overflow pipe last spring. Ended up wrapping it in wire mesh—ugly but effective. Wondering if anyone else has had critter-related issues with their rain harvesting rig.
Had a squirrel chew through my plastic barrel lid once...little bugger wanted in bad. Switched to a metal lid and haven't had issues since. Wire mesh sounds good, but metal components seem to deter them better long-term.
Metal lids are definitely the way to go. Plastic might seem convenient at first, but critters can be surprisingly persistent...and once they're in, you've got contamination risks. Good call switching to metal—it's safer and more reliable long-term. Wire mesh can help too, but I've seen squirrels chew right through thinner gauges. Solid metal components just give you that extra peace of mind.
Yeah, metal lids are solid, but honestly, I've had raccoons pry open even metal if it's not secured properly. Learned that the hard way—came out one morning to find a raccoon pool party in my rain barrel...not fun cleaning that up. Secure latches are your friend.