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Can I use
a rain chain if I don't have gutters on my home?
Rain chains can be used without gutters, but they do
depend upon a vertical water source to function most
efficiently. If water is arching off the roof, the chain
may or may not catch or transport all of the water in
both light and heavy rainfall conditions.
We have two products for homes without gutters:
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Which
chains can handle the least/most amount of rainfall?
Link styles can
handle a fair amount of rainfall, but in a downpour, some water will leave the chain and splash
to the sides and down. Our best link product is the #3130-2 Double Loop.
Cup styles can
take more water, since their design directs the water
straight downward into the next cup. All of our cup styles have open bottoms. |
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How
will my rain chain change in appearance as it ages?
This depends
a little on where you live, how much rain you get and
how acidic the rain is. Brass darkens with age, taking
on rich bronzy/brown tones. Copper also darkens with
age and tends to take on more of the familiar green patina
effect. Aluminum stays silver in color, eventually acquiring small oxidation pits on the surface. None of our chains are finished with lacquer,
so they all undergo a natural aging process. |
I
bought unfinished chains - is there a way to speed
up the aging process?
Unfinished
chains will age pretty quickly if they get wet a lot.
If it's not raining naturally when you install them,
try hosing them down. You can also make up a spray bottle
with a light saltwater solution and spray your chains
regularly. Patina solutions are available at home improvement
stores like Home Depot, if you want to try chemically
aging the chains yourself. It's not as good, thick or
rich as our commercial patinas, though! |
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Are
there any problems with ice on the chains?
We sell
a lot of chains to the Northeastern U.S., and have not
heard of icing "problems" with our rain chains.
Customers have shared some images with us, saying how gorgeous the link chains
were with icycle shapes frozen onto them. With that said,
be aware that you may need to account for the extra weight
on the chain if the water on it freezes.
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Do
high winds make the chains swing too much?
We've
had very few reports of excessive swinging in windy conditions.
Our headquarters in Southern California experiences Santa
Ana winds in the fall with 50+ mph gusty winds.
One way to secure your chain at the bottom is to use our Copper
Dish (#3145-A) with its brass attachment loop. |
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How
heavy are rain chains? Can my gutter take the weight?
Our
rain chains are supported just fine by a normal gutter.
A standard 8.5' length of rain chain ranges from 5-7
pounds, although the water in the chain during rainfall
does add a little to that. Long runs (20+ feet) may require
some additional gutter reinforcement. |
Are
rain chains easy to install?
We provide
a gutter attachment piece with every chain we sell. The
attachment sits in the gutter, over the hole, and helps
direct water flow down onto the chain. Installation may
require some bending of the attachment so it sits correctly
in the gutter.
We also offer our Rain
Chain Installation Kit (RCR-1), which offers some
advantages over the standard gutter attachment piece.
» Also see our Installation page |
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What
should rain chains drain into?
Rain
chains can drain into a variety of receptacles - basins,
bowls, saucers, pebbles, etc. They can pass through a
hole in a deck, or just hover above whatever surface
is beneath them. The chain's purpose is to break the
fall of the water and direct it downward gently, minimizing
erosion and splash.
» See our Drainage Designs page
» Also see our About
Rain Chains page |
I
received my chain and it's too long - what do I do?
Lotus
design (LRC1/LRC2): This chain unscrews in 4" sections,
simply remove one or more sections.
Brass/Copper Links: Using two pliers or a
vise and pliers, twist a link to open it and remove
chain lengths.
Cup styles: Snip the wire connector that joins the
cups together to reduce lengths.
Double Loops: Use heavy snippers or a hack saw to
cut links open (it's easier to cut at the weld point). |
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Are
there issues with aluminum gutters and electrolysis?
We do
get calls with concerns about electrolysis between an
aluminum gutter and brass or copper attachment pieces.
For this to be a valid technical concern, there would
need to be good contact between both raw metals. I've
had copper against aluminum on my own home for 6 years
now, with no noticeable corrosion or degradation at the
point of contact. However, here a couple of ways to easily
minimize contact:
- Spray
clear lacquer or paint onto the bottom of the gutter
and/or the gutter attachment piece.
- Put
a piece of plastic on each side of the gutter hole,
underneath the gutter attachment piece.
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Do
rain chains sound good? Our downspouts are noisy.
Rain chains sound much better than traditional downspouts.
From the bell-like tinkle of drops falling from cup to
cup, to the soft whitewater sound of a waterfall, rain
chains elminate the disruptive, clunky noise associated
with closed downspouts. |
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Do
you accept international orders?
Our company is honored to serve our international
customers. Our preferred method of shipping is USPS Priority (or UPS Ground to CANADA). We make international
shipments once a week. We charge approximately $3.50 per pound. Residents
of the following countries are among those that now enjoy
our rain chain products:
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Canada |
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United Kingdom |
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Australia |
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Ireland |
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Mexico |
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Greece |
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Spain |
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Philippines |
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Portugal |
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South Africa |
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Nigeria |
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Singapore |
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Brazil |
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Can a rain chain be used with canales?
Since canales come in a lot of unique configurations, we do not have a "standard" way of hanging a rain chain from them. The main problem is that a canale generally creates a horizontal water stream (usually off the end), and a rain chain requires a vertical one.
The water must be turned downward by some means for the rain chain to work properly. Some customers have capped the end of the canale, then used an outlet much like a gutter so they could hang a rain chain there. Others hang the rain chain from an outlet without capping the end, but don't expect it to catch all of the water in terms of drainage.
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Can rain chains be hung at an angle?
While a few degrees or so with a cup style rain chain will work, any more than that and the water will miss the next cup in the series. Link style chains don't work well at an angle. |
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