Rain spouts
can be painted to match the house to make them less obtrusive.
Rain spouts hug the corners of a house, channeling water from the roof to receptacles or sections of the yard that get periodically inundated. They need painting, cleaning out, refastening and other maintenance, and aren't always the most attractive feature of the exterior. However, rain spouts are worth the trouble, for a host of reasons that will save you money and give you a "greener" home. Does this Spark an idea?
The Setup
Rain spouts are attached to roof gutters that collect rainfall and snow melt along the edge of the roof and channel it into the spouts. The water --- and everything carried by it, including leaves, dirt and anything else that's loose on the roof --- pours down the spout and away from the house. That's the idea, anyway. In most parts of the United States, gutters and rain spouts are essential. The water channels keep rain from flying off the roof and splashing all over people trying to get in or out of their front doors. Water sheeting or splashing off the edge of a roof will drum into flower borders, ruining them, kicking up dirt onto the sides of homes and wearing away mulch and ground covers.
House Protection
Without a system of rain gutters and downspouts, a house will develop rot wherever rainfall leaks behind siding, into cracks in caulk and under shingles and paint. When water is not directed away from your home, it can wear away areas under the roof line and erode turf, causing ponds and muddy depressions that ruin landscaping. Pooled water and muddy patches will eventually result in damp or flooded basements when the ground near the foundation of the house is soaked. Foundation walls that sit in wet ground will ultimately settle and could pull away from the main structure. A rain spout that directs water away from the house prevents a lot of serious damage.
Rain Barrels
One solution for removing the threat of water damage to a home from rain is to run the rain spout into a rain barrel. This configuration has several important advantages. The rain barrel collects water from the spout that would otherwise end up in storm drains and local streams, rivers and lakes. Storm drain systems deposit a lot of waste in those bodies of water from rainfall that flows along streets and in sewers. However, the barrels do more than save pristine water systems. They save water for landscaping and other household use. The City of Bloomington, Indiana, estimates that 40 percent of household water is used for irrigation, washing cars and topping off swimming pools. All that water can come from a rain barrel --- and it's free. A rain spout ending in a 55-gallon drum can save a homeowner approximately 1,300 gallons of water during the summer months.
Rain Chains
Rain spouts are utilitarian, but no one would argue that they are aesthetically arresting. However, there is one version of a rain spout that is both visually attractive and effective. Rain chains are widely used in Japan and are becoming more common in the U.S. They hang from the gutters at the corners of the house or wherever the roof makes an angle. Rain slides and whirls down the chains and into a basin or rain barrel. The chains can be part of a design that moves the rain into irrigation canals and off to the lawn or garden. The chains are mesmerizing to watch in a downpour. Copper chains will weather into verdigris over time, so they are also unobtrusive but good-looking when they are dry. As an added benefit, you don't need to clean them out.
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