Guides & know-how
Install it right, buy it smart, and a little history — everything we've learned about rain chains since 2003, in plain English.
How to install a rain chain
No tools in most cases. The hook method, the bolted best-practice method, and the winter-proofing note — the whole job in five minutes of reading.
Read the guideKnow before you buy
What separates a real rain chain from a cheap one — length, gauge, and the product claims worth squinting at.
Gutter Installer vs. hanging hook
Two ways to hang a chain, and how to pick: leaders, added length, wind, and what looks best from the curb.
Installing without a gutter
Corners, roof valleys, Southwest canales, and bucket rigs — chains don't strictly require a gutter system.
How to lengthen & shorten a chain
Two-story drop? Combine standard 8.5-foot lengths into one seamless run — here's the clean way to do it.
Rain chains vs. downspouts
What a downspout actually does for your foundation — and how a chain does the same job in the open.
A brief history of rain chains
Kusari-doi: four centuries on Japanese temples and homes, then one Winter Olympics that introduced them to the world.