If you're going to buy fake rocks to hide ugly yard and garden utilities then chances are realism, durability, and usability are probably on the top of your list. Afterall, covering an ugly utility with an artificial rock that looks like cheap plastic more or less defeats the purpose of covering it in the first place.
In today's market, EMSCO and DekoRRa are the two most prevalent brands of fake rock covers. Which is your best choice? We've compared the two brands side by side to help you decide.
Overall Realism
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DekoRRa's Patented "Real-Rock" Molding Process Creates Incredible Results.[/caption]
As mentioned above, covering an ugly well, septic, utility box or another yard eyesore with an artificial rock that looks like cheap plastic doesn't make sense from a curb appeal perspective. With your goal of blending those ugly utilities into the landscape, it's crucial to choose rock enclosures featuring realistic colors and rough and natural textures.
Here we took a brand new DekoRRa Mock Rock and set it aside a comparatively sized brand new EMSCO model in the yard behind our office to offer a direct comparison. We took care to ensure the lighting was the same throughout the photo frame and both rocks were placed about equal distance from the camera to offer an even duel.
Where the EMSCO rock appears smooth and of uniform color, the DekoRRa model presents much more texture depth and color variation.
Natural landscaping rocks offer a variety of colors with small cracks and crevices throughout. Without these details, the shape and textures appear fake and unnatural. Exactly what you don't want sitting out in your yard.
Durability & Weather Resistance
Fake rocks have it rough living outside all year long, baking in the sun, being hammered with hail and freezing rain and enduring blistering cold in winter climates. String trimmers beat on them relentlessly and youngsters love to sit and step on them. They need to be tough to survive out there!
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Thicker Rock Walls Provides More Strength & Better U.V. Protection.[/caption]
In the next image, we flipped a DekoRRa rock and an EMSCO rock over and photographed the inside edges to offer a side by side comparison of edge thickness.
As the image reveals, the DekoRRa rock offers a much thicker and more robust construction providing more overall strength and a better ability to withstand impact damage.
Thicker rock walls also provide better resistance to U.V. degradation with more resin present to absorb damaging solar radiation that can fade the rock surface and cause the plastic to become brittle.
You've probably witnessed first hand how cheap plastic lawn chairs quickly fade in the sun and crack as U.V. rays break down the plastic resins over time.
DekoRRa goes to great lengths to prevent this by molding their Mock Rocks with thick outer edges and highly resilient U.V. inhibitors blended into the resin with the colorant during the manufacturing process.
This results in an ultra-rugged weatherproof design that will not fade or weaken when left outdoors year round.
Security & Wind Resistance
As you know, wind can be a real pain in the rear when it comes to lawn and garden landscaping. The hollow, lightweight design of these faux rock covers makes them highly susceptible to the wind. The last thing you want is your rock cover landing in Kansas and being surrounded by little people dancing and singing about a yellow brick road!
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Patented Staking Flanges Provide Security & Wind Protection.[/caption]
To combat this DekoRRa designed their Mock Rocks with patented flanges along the bottom edges. Serrated ground stakes, included with each rock, are driven through the holes in the flanges to pin the rock cover to the ground.
Securing the rock enclosure to the ground from multiple anchor points provides wind protection from different angles and makes the enclosure more difficult to simply lift off and run away with. It also helps prevent critters and curious toddlers from getting underneath the rock.
Options & Accessories
DekoRRa has the upper hand here as well with each Mock Rock model available in four natural and realistic colors designed to blend in with a wide variety of landscaping elements.
Vents are available pre-installed prior to shipment. Venting can be very important for certain applications. Covering septic tanks, risers, caps and cleanouts almost always require venting to allow gases to escape the enclosure. And covering electric pump motors, transformers and amplifiers without proper ventilation can cause sensitive components to overheat and become damaged.
In colder climates insulation may be necessary for certain applications. Sensitive backflow valves often require additional insulation for freeze protection. DekoRRa offers insulation bags designed to slip over objects prior to positioning the rock cover. This provides protection from the wind as well as added R-value.
In addition to the insulation bags, the riverbed rock color is available with a thin layer of R-4 insulation added during the manufacturing process. The Pro-R insulation coating is a great option for added protection where necessary.
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Venting & Insulation Options Can Be Added To Any DekoRRa Rock.[/caption]
Conclusion
The old adage "You get what you pay for" can definitely be applied to shopping for fake rocks. If your goal is to hide something ugly in your yard with a rock enclosure that actually appears real and not made of cheap plastic, it pays to do your research first. The textures and colors created during DekoRRa's patented Real-Rock molding process create an incredibly realistic and rugged design. And he added security and wind protection provided by the staked flanges molded into the base of each rock cover is a wonderful feature as well. Add the color, venting and insulation options to the mix and DekoRRa is going to be tough to beat.
Faux Rock Cover Review: Which Fake Rocks Are Your Best Choice? is courtesy of: ROCKSFAST LLC
The Model 118 is available in four natural colors: Fieldstone, Riverbed, Autumn Bluff and Sandstone. All colors feature DekoRRa's patented "Real-Rock" molding process creating super realistic textures with advanced U.V. protective resins that prevent sun fade. Snow, rain or searing summer heat, these fake rocks are ultra-rugged and can stand the test of time
The type of backflow covers required depends greatly on the climate of the area you live in, and also the type of valve you have. Potable water valves tend to be more active all year long, with water flowing through them day and night. Moving water does not freeze as easily in these vs irrigation types which may sit dormant for weeks or months with stagnant water in them that is prime for freeze.
Fortunately, the 3/4″ valve size usually lends itself to a rather small installation footprint. Concrete slabs are sometimes used when installing the 3/4″ valve gates, but the pads are often times low enough to the ground to make covering the concrete optional. If one does intend to cover an entire concrete slab, in addition to the actual piping and valve, keep in mind that cost is going to run considerably higher because a larger sized 
The type of backflow device is also a factor. Many irrigation valves sit dormant for days or weeks on end without any water moving through them. Stagnant water will freeze much faster than moving water in a potable water device, for example. Sometimes leaving the water valve on just a bit to create a trickle of water can keep the water moving enough to prevent freeze during really cold spells.