Hurricane Season in FL translates into rain. And lots of it! Ever the water babies, we love a good water feature. So we decided to take down our traditional downspout and replace it with a gorgeous rain chain.
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Not only is a rain chain a stunning addition to your home, but it also serves a purpose to divert rainwater runoff. That helps to keep the erosion at the base of your house to a minimum.
Here is our step-by-step process of How to install a Rain Chain on your Home:
First things first, we needed to make sure the gutters were clean.
This will prevent any organic matter from building up and forming possible leaks.
As discussed in my Trees That Hang Over Your Roof Can Leaf You in a Bad Position post, clogged gutters can cause major damage to your homes. Especially when there is non-stop rain like during Hurricane Season. If you haven’t checked out the outrageous photos yet, go ahead and do that now.
Once you have cleaned your gutters to prevent any clogs, keep them that way and add in leaf guards like these. (Be certain to get the right size!)
Next, take off the downspout.
It was not nearly as complicated as I thought it may be. A few screws removed and it popped right off.
Once the downspout was off, I placed the copper cup and flat into the gutter drop.
Then, it was time to connect the chain.
Again, an easy process. All you’ve got to do is feed the chain into the cup holder, and secure the pin. But I will say, the chain is super heavy. Especially when you’re holding it while balancing up on the ladder.
Once you’ve got the chain suspended, its time to secure it.
Now, you could theoretically leave your rain chain unsecured…but… another nasty part of Hurricanes are their gale force winds. You do not want the wind whipping around a heavy copper chain through your windows or siding like an unmanned firefighter hose.
We did some DIY magic with a wire hanger (sorry “Mommy Dearest”) and a zip tie leading into a ceramic pot.
Finally, we added some river rock to cover the connectors.
Just to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing.
And here you have it, folks! The rain chain in action! :
Now you know what goes into installing a rain chain! The entire process was surprisingly simple and required very little labor.
***Putting my Realtor® hat on for a minute…. I have to recommend that you create some sort of French drain or drainage system that will redirect the water away. The last thing you want to do is encourage water to sit at your home’s foundation. We’ve got a French drain under our pot so we are set.***