One of the most effective ways of directing water from the gutter into any rainwater collection device is by using downspouts that connect the rooftop gutters to the tank. However, some may argue that downspouts are not pleasing to the eye. Although less effective, rain chains can be used in their place to provide both aesthetic value and function. Rain chains, known as Kusari doi in Japanese are a chain of small little pots which look like flipped over bells that hang from the gutter. They do exactly the same thing as downspouts, which is to direct water from the roof into large tanks to be used for household purposes and gardening, except that they look better. When water flows down into the rain chain, it swirls around before flowing down into the next pot, creating a wonderful motion that is both pleasing to the eye and soothes the mind. However, copper rain chains might require more maintenance as they may turn green due to chemical reaction. Unfortunately, if rain chains are used in place of downspouts, the top of the water collection tank must be left open and exposed as rain chains may tend to sway as the wind blows. Therefore, this might not be a child-friendly method. Besides that, this would also mean that the water collected will be much dirtier than that directed using downspouts. However, the water collected can still be used for many household chores such as watering plants, washing cars and driveways. Since the rainwater barrel is left open, more than one rain chain can be added to add to the aesthetic appeal. One way of doing this is to hang four or five rain chains together to look like a giant wind chime. You can then hang it at the corner of your awning.
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharon_k/3813589050/
