Earthbox vs Earthtainer - Page 2

Tchamp77 · June 12, 2015

Am I the only one experiencing leaks in Rugged Totes? Before the season started I replaced four totes that had developed leaks in 2014 and required daily filling. Company was great in honoring the lifetime warranty.

I didn't throw these away, and instead cut them down to make aeration benches for new Earth Tainers.

So here we are on the first warm days and one of the newly purchased Rugged Totes is leaking, from one of the corners. I really believe there is a design flaw in these, as they are nearly paper thin in the corners. See attached - the round light holes.

I am now looking at ways to patch from the outside.

rnewste · June 12, 2015

Very strange. These are the Lowes Centrex models - correct? I've never had a problem with any of them leaking - and mine are going on 5 years old. By any chance, were these slid on your concrete paver blocks? I don't think you can patch them with long term success.

Lowes /Centrex should replace with no issue.

Raybo

Tchamp77 · June 12, 2015

Yes, Ray, they are. Problem seems to occur when the weather heats up. As for dragging them, I have always kept a plastic cut-out cushion under them as per your instructions. The leaky hole, however, is not really the lowest point or at least doesn't bear the scratches that the outer corners do.

So I don't think it's a result of being scarred/scraped...just very thin plastic to begin with that stresses when the temps get into the 90s. You can see that by the picture - very thin in certain areas, probably due to the molding process itself.

While I can get my money back, it would be hard to replace right now. So I need a repair solution through Sept. I did find this interesting article:
http://info.craftechind.com/blog/bid...ue-for-Plastic

Dewayne mater · June 12, 2015

I have one that leaks, but, not that much. In fact, it doesn't need watering any more frequently that the rest. Mine are all at least 4 years old. I have to admit that I have dragged mine all over the place and have tried mover dollies, cardboard ramps and in the end, gone back to dragging them. I've been shocked how well they've held up in spite of that abuse. Maybe yours are defective.

JamesL · June 12, 2015

I see what you mean. Does look like a manufacturing defect. Maybe they had a flawed production run. You might be able to get away with some waterproof tape, maybe even some duct tape as a short term fix.

IronPete · June 25, 2015

Hi there! I have been reading about Earthboxes and dreaming of making Earthtainers for some time now. Unfortunately the prices to put one together up here in Canada is around $50/unit. Add to that my brokeness in general and I had to compromise. I saw some kids on youtube who had basically copied Raybo's earthtainer using 2 - 5 gallon buckets. As I can get those for free and most of the other parts I have gone this route. So far so good. I will post pics at season's end of the results. I used all soil mix directions and everything else from Raybo's directions.
Oh, and I was a month late getting them into the ground! lol! Still hopeful!

Sojourner · June 25, 2015

I had a friend who tried using Rubbermaid totes like those for his garden, and they had degraded due to sun exposure by the second year so as to be unusable. They were thicker back then. They're not UV stabilized. I'm not surprised they're breaking down. I'm surprised by the report of a 5 year lifetime however.

rnewste · June 25, 2015

The design of the EarthTainer III is to place a "container-within-a-container" which like a Thermos bottle, provides some degree of thermal isolation for the plant's roots from the direct heating rays of the Sun:

Yes, this is a more expensive design vs. a single container but I have found the side-wall thermal isolation benefits to be worth it.

My original Rubbermaid brand totes showed cracking from UV after about 3 years in the Sun. Since I began using the Lowes Centrex brand totes 5 years ago, I have not had a single one crack and they are all doing fine exposed to our year-around California Sun today.

The Lowes Centrex totes have a lifetime warranty which I find of great comfort even though I have never had to test the replacement policy yet.

Raybo

amideutch · June 26, 2015

There are a couple things you can use to protect your Totes from UV and heat.

The first one is the use of flooring underlayment which is polyethylene foam that comes in rolls 2-3 feet wide and lengths from 50-200 feet and 2-3 mm thick. Get some carpet tape that has adhesives on both side and wrap it around your tote 4 inches from the top and another band 4 inches up from the bottom. Cut your foam to the height of the tote and long enough to go around the tote. Then apply it to the tote and the carpet tape will hold it in place. Blocks the UV and helps insulate the tote for more stable root zone temperatures. You can run twine around it for added support. I have used this on normal top watered containers and works like a champ.

For UV protection only I came across a product called "303 Protectant" supposedly developed by NASA.
303 contains no petrochemicals, silicone oils, or petroleum distillates. 303 is not a build-up product. 303 treated surfaces dissipate heat normally. I have not used it personally but looks like it my fill the bill for our application and has had many positive reviews.

Ami

June 25, 2015	#21
IronPete Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Charlottetown, PEI, Canada Posts: 302	Hi there! I have been reading about Earthboxes and dreaming of making Earthtainers for some time now. Unfortunately the prices to put one together up here in Canada is around $50/unit. Add to that my brokeness in general and I had to compromise. I saw some kids on youtube who had basically copied Raybo's earthtainer using 2 - 5 gallon buckets. As I can get those for free and most of the other parts I have gone this route. So far so good. I will post pics at season's end of the results. I used all soil mix directions and everything else from Raybo's directions. Oh, and I was a month late getting them into the ground! lol! Still hopeful! __________________ Thanks; Iron Pete "We can agree to disagree."

June 26, 2015	#24
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	There are a couple things you can use to protect your Totes from UV and heat. The first one is the use of flooring underlayment which is polyethylene foam that comes in rolls 2-3 feet wide and lengths from 50-200 feet and 2-3 mm thick. Get some carpet tape that has adhesives on both side and wrap it around your tote 4 inches from the top and another band 4 inches up from the bottom. Cut your foam to the height of the tote and long enough to go around the tote. Then apply it to the tote and the carpet tape will hold it in place. Blocks the UV and helps insulate the tote for more stable root zone temperatures. You can run twine around it for added support. I have used this on normal top watered containers and works like a champ. For UV protection only I came across a product called "303 Protectant" supposedly developed by NASA. 303 contains no petrochemicals, silicone oils, or petroleum distillates. 303 is not a build-up product. 303 treated surfaces dissipate heat normally. I have not used it personally but looks like it my fill the bill for our application and has had many positive reviews. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!' Last edited by amideutch; June 26, 2015 at 05:27 AM.

June 12, 2015	#17
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Very strange. These are the Lowes Centrex models - correct? I've never had a problem with any of them leaking - and mine are going on 5 years old. By any chance, were these slid on your concrete paver blocks? I don't think you can patch them with long term success. Lowes /Centrex should replace with no issue. Raybo

June 12, 2015	#18
Tchamp77 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: NJ Posts: 5	Yes, Ray, they are. Problem seems to occur when the weather heats up. As for dragging them, I have always kept a plastic cut-out cushion under them as per your instructions. The leaky hole, however, is not really the lowest point or at least doesn't bear the scratches that the outer corners do. So I don't think it's a result of being scarred/scraped...just very thin plastic to begin with that stresses when the temps get into the 90s. You can see that by the picture - very thin in certain areas, probably due to the molding process itself. While I can get my money back, it would be hard to replace right now. So I need a repair solution through Sept. I did find this interesting article: http://info.craftechind.com/blog/bid...ue-for-Plastic

June 12, 2015	#19
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	I have one that leaks, but, not that much. In fact, it doesn't need watering any more frequently that the rest. Mine are all at least 4 years old. I have to admit that I have dragged mine all over the place and have tried mover dollies, cardboard ramps and in the end, gone back to dragging them. I've been shocked how well they've held up in spite of that abuse. Maybe yours are defective.

June 12, 2015	#20
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	I see what you mean. Does look like a manufacturing defect. Maybe they had a flawed production run. You might be able to get away with some waterproof tape, maybe even some duct tape as a short term fix.

June 25, 2015	#22
Sojourner Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Earth Posts: 27	I had a friend who tried using Rubbermaid totes like those for his garden, and they had degraded due to sun exposure by the second year so as to be unusable. They were thicker back then. They're not UV stabilized. I'm not surprised they're breaking down. I'm surprised by the report of a 5 year lifetime however.