The first thing to plan for is properly anchoring your rain chain to the ground. Your rain chain won’t drain properly if it isn’t hanging mostly straight. If your rain chain moves around a lot in the wind during a rain storm, water won’t be able to properly flow down it to the ground. Anchoring your rain chain will help with this. Every rain chain we offer has an attachment point where you can connect it to a dish, basin, rain barrel, or other feature.
The second thing to consider is proper grade (or slope) in your landscaping where the water will fall from your rain chain to the ground. Whether you’re using a rain chain or a downspout, this is very important. The goal is to direct all water to run away from the foundation of your home. The best way to adjust your landscape grade for drainage is to hire a local landscaper to do it for you.Using the Hand Hammered Copper or Aluminum Dish with a Loop Kit is one of our favorite ways to securely anchor rain chains to the ground. The accessory chain that comes with them allows you to get the perfect length for your rain chain to ensure it hangs properly. Be sure not to pull your rain chain tight, so you don't damage the rain chain or your gutter. You want the rain chain to be able to move feely, just not enough to swing and hit your home.
We recommend filling these basins with rocks or pebbles to prevent it from blowing around in heavy winds and storms. These stones also offer a great landing spot for heavy falling water.
The only downside of this method is that water is likely to sit in the dish for several days if not emptied. This problem is countered very easily by drilling several small holes in the bottom of your dish at desired locations. This will allow water to filter through the rocks and slowly leak out into your landscaping where it will then drain away.
Click Here to Shop This Copper Dish!Anchor Stakes and Anchor Pins are great if you are going for the more minimalist look in your landscaping. These also come with a length of accessory chain that allows for the same attachment method as the Hand Hammered Dishes with Loop Kits.
We suggest using these accessories in conjunction with landscaping rocks or stones. By placing several stones or rocks around the area where water will fall, you will prevent mulch or dirt from eroding away and causing improper drainage.
You can also dig a small channel or ditch and fill it with stones. This is a great way to direct water in a specific direction and an anchor stake is a great attachment point for this method.
Many of our customers also like to run rain chains into flower pots or planters. This allows you to pick a specific planter to drain water into that matches your home. If you decide to have plans in these make sure you pick some that can handle a lot of water.
Click Here to Shop This Stake!A great alternative to draining your rain water away from your home is to collect it in a rain barrel! Collecting rain water with rain barrels for use in gardening is becoming more and more popular. It's a very sustainable way to spend less on water and grow your own food right in your backyard!
Using a rain chain to drain water from your gutters is a very decorative and creative way to collect rainwater too. Every rain barrel is a little different, so it’s important to look at how you can attach a rain chain to it before purchasing, using accessory chain to attach to a top screen on a rain barrel or removing the top screen and running the rain chain down into the barrel are both very popular methods. Make sure to use a rain chain with a high waterflow index when using this method.
Sometimes landscapers and architects plan for rain water drainage by installing an underground drain where a downspout would end. These drains work great with rain chains as well. You just need to make sure they are directly underneath where the rain chain will hang. If the rain chain hangs crooked then the water won’t reach the drain properly. Using some accessory chain or a Loop Kit works great for attaching to these as well.
