This chain ran from the gutter to the ground. Could this work? Has anyone seen anything like this? I would normally just say this is a joke and install a downspout. But you should of seen this house. It is 55 years old and was the most meticulous and correct remodel job I have ever seen - inside, outside, over, and under.
I just googled this. It’s called a “rain chain”. Japanese architectural influence. Has anyone seen these?
Yes, once in a while one runs into them. They work, but how well they work, I couldn’t tell you, and I don’t know how they control the water once it hits the ground, which will probably be too close to the foundation.
Rain chains have been around for centuries and in many different places. Ive seen them in Japan and as weird as it sounds in Williamsburg, Virginia on some of the homes and buildings inside Williamsburg. Some are more decorative and kind of form cascading waterfalls from one cup or bucket down, others are chains (some have a weighted ball on the ends). I think in a hurricane it would beat the snot out of the side of the house though.
The medical centre on Saltspring Island BC, built around 1970, has chain downspouts. Low, wide overhangs and big concrete-lined drainpits at the bottom are important parts of the design, would not work well on a taller house.
I have seen several designs. They work well around here. It rains a lot, but rarely very hard. You have to anchor them to the ground so they don’t swing in the wind. I think the stacked bucket designs look great.
That sounds more like a gutter attachment problem.
If there were an enclosed downspout, it too would have been filled with ice and the additional weight load would have transfered to the gutter hangers as well.
Unless, the freeze thaw cycle created an inconceivable amount of continuing and ever expanding ice formations on the chain.
Chains are super common “downspouts” used in my area on higher end builds and rustic builds. They are great in warm climates, however in areas that get cold such as mine they can become heavy ice blocks in the winter.
The purpose of a rainwater management system (gutters, downspouts, extensions) is to collect rain water from the roof and direct it to a suitable disposal site where it will not damage the foundation of the building. I write up any design that does not accomplish this task. Art is all good and well, but function is the most important.