Replace Your Boring Old Downspouts With Decorative Rain Chains
Posted on: 13 May 2016
Dispersing the rainwater that runs off the roof of your home is important. You cannot just let the water gush through the hole at the ends of your gutters. Water will splatter all over the side of your home, or splash onto the ground creating erosion problems. You may think your only solution is to use old-fashioned downspouts to deal with this problem.
But, there is a different choice you can use to handle the water flow coming from your downspouts. Rain chains are an alternative that gets the job done, plus adds an ornamental decorative appeal to your home
What are Rain Chains?
Rain chains are decorative downspouts that replace conventional gutter downspouts. They can be made of different types of material, using various ornamental type objects.
The primary objective is to disperse the water flow coming from your gutter spout, so it does not splatter into the air, or simply runoff into the ground. While rain chains can be used just to disperse water runoff evenly, they are predominantly used to help collect some, or all of the rainwater coming off your roof.
The first rain chain design accomplished this using a series of cups, separated 2 or 3 inches apart, and connected with a link type chain. This dangling chain of cups is suspended from the gutter spout opening.
The idea of using rain chains is definitely not a new concept. The idea originated hundreds of years ago in Japan. The Japanese
Water would flow off the roof, streaming down a series of chains, gently falling into a collection barrel. This water can be used to water gardens, or sand filtered for household use. Since rain chains are quite visible around the home, their ornamental appeal has led to a multitude of unique and interesting ideas.
3 Simple Rain Chain Design Ideas
Here are three interesting ideas for your rain chains.
- Aluminum Cone-shaped Cups
This design is the most basic rain chain you will find on the market. It is a series of aluminum cones linked together with a chain. They are usually 2 to 3 inches in diameter and around 4 inches tall. The lower two-thirds of the cone
- Flower Cups
Many people enjoy using decorative flower pots suspended by a center chain, or nylon rope. The pot size and color are optional, and the rope can also be many different colors. This can add a bit of color to your exterior decorations.
- Wind Chimes
Another, and very unique rain chain idea is to use a series of wind chimes all connected by a single chain. While this is not the best design if you want to collect the water for use somewhere else, it does have a unique feature. As the water trickles from your downspout, the natural flow will gently vibrate each wind chime making a melodious sound as the excess rainwater gently gets channeled to the ground.
The types of design ideas you can find for rain chains are endless. There are helpful do-it-yourself plans available, or you can search the market for professionally manufactured rain chains. Whatever your choice, you can add a pleasant decorative appeal to your home, while you gently disperse the water from your downspouts. To learn more, speak with a business like Monarch Rain Chains.
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