Do I Need a Gutter Installer or Adaptor for My Copper Rain Chain?
How to Determine Which Accessory You Need
One of the questions that most of our customers have before they purchase a copper rain chain is: “Do I need a gutter adaptor, gutter installer, or none?”. In today’s post, I’m going to discuss the cases that will dictate which extra item you need so that your rain chain can work just as you have always imagined.
Through time and experience with people who have bought Golden Canary Copper Rain Chains and have shared their comments, I’ve been able to narrow the whole situation into 3 simple scenarios which I consider will help you determine which installer or adaptor you need (if any). It will depend mainly on two factors: the type of gutter your house has and the rain chain you buy.
Scenario 1: Not needing any
This is the best situation in which you can be as you’ll be able to just hang your rain chain and have it ready to work in a couple of minutes. How to determine if your situation is this one? Check the image below and let me explain further.
When your lateral gutter has a “neck” like the one shown above, water will be more likely to flow downward steadier than if it didn’t have it. In addition, the rain chain you purchase must start with a chain to direct water to the first cup (this characteristic varies in each rain chain model) or, if it starts with a cup, make sure the cup’s top diameter is bigger than the gutter’s neck so that all water can flow down the rain chain and none is spilling sideways.
In other words, I would rationalize the situation as follows.
Does my gutter has a neck?
YES
Does my rain chain starts with chain links or a cup?
CHAIN LINKS
Perfect, I don’t need an extra item.
CUP
Is the cup’s top diameter larger than the neck’s diameter?
YES
Perfect, I don’t need an extra item.
NO
I need a gutter adaptor (See Scenario 3)
NO
I need a gutter installer (See Scenario 2)
Scenario 2: A gutter installer
Needing a gutter installer will be your situation whenever you have to make a hole to your lateral gutter (like the picture shown below) or when it simply doesn’t have the “neck” we talked about on the last scenario.
Water usually has speed while traveling through your lateral gutter, so if it doesn’t have the neck, when water reaches the hole, it’ll spill in all directions and will not pour down the copper rain chain. The gutter installer will simulate that neck that many lateral gutters already have and will help deliver water in a stream down your chain.
If drilling a hole to your gutter, please remember to have the specifications of the gutter installer’s diameter first so that the hole is drilled with the appropriate dimensions.
Scenario 3: A gutter adaptor
If your lateral gutter does have a neck, but this is wider than the first cup’s top diameter or it is hard to align it properly to the copper rain chain’s first cup, a gutter adaptor is the extra item you need. On the picture below, it can be seen that the adaptor works as some kind of funnel so that all water that comes down from the gutter can be directed to the rain chain.
At Golden Canary, we don’t have this type of items available yet. Our rain chains come with a “V” hook that sits directly in the gutter hole and make it simple for installation.
However, we do have plans to introduce them soon as a way to add more value to you and to give you options to install your Golden Canary Rain Chain the best way possible.
For now, one main option for each (installer and adaptor) can be found on Amazon and both have positive reviews from customers, aside from being the most popular ones.
Option 1: Gutter Installer
Option 2: Gutter Adaptor
I recommend for you to check them out if you need any and I’ll be glad to keep you updated as soon as Golden Canary starts working in getting these items available for sale.
