How To Lengthen and Shorten Rain Chains

How to Lengthen and Shorten Rain Chains


All our rain chains are sold in standard 8.5 feet lengths.  This is a suitable length for most situations, however, in some situations there may be a need for a longer rain chain - such as a longer run or a multi-story drop.  Although we do not customize orders to size, we can advise on how to lengthen or shorten chains according to your needs. You will simply need to order enough length from the standard length sizes to suit your needs. For example: if you need a 14 foot rain chain, you would order two of the 8.5 foot rain chains to make one 14-foot chain. Some customers who need only an extra 2 or 3 feet decide to get 3 rain chains and then make 2 longer matching chains from those. Please note that it is advisable to get a Gutter Installer when extending chains, as it provides the strongest support for your extended chain.

Our link double-link styles require that you simply make a cross cut where the links of each segment of chain meet. (This can be accomplished with a bolt cutter or for a cleaner cut, a fine hacksaw.) Once the cut is made, the links can be pulled apart far enough to add a new segment of chain.  Once the new section is added, the links can be closed again and bound with a metal epoxy such as J-B Weld.  This 3-step process can be seen the following photos:

lengthening 1lengthening 2lengthening 3

The styles that can be lengthened in this fashion are: 

 

The rest of the link styles can be lengthened by simply making a single cut at any point on the bottom link. Then the link can be separated enough to add on a new section. After the new section is added, the cut link can be bound with a metal epoxy such as J-B Weld. The styles that can be lengthened in this fashion are:

Feel free to contact us with questions on any of these procedures at info@rainchainsdirect.com.

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