How to lengthen & shorten a rain chain
Two-story drop? Combine standard 8.5-foot lengths into one seamless run. Here's the clean way to do it.
Every chain we sell is a standard 8.5 feet — the right length for most single-story eaves. We don't cut chains to custom sizes, and the good news is you don't need us to: taller runs are made by joining standard lengths, and the splice disappears into the chain.
Do the math first
Need a 14-foot run? Order two 8.5-foot chains and join them. Need just a couple of extra feet on two separate runs? A trick our customers use: order three chains and split the third between the other two, making a matched pair of longer chains with nothing wasted.
Splicing a link chain: the cross-cut method
Chains built from doubled links join where the links of each segment meet. The splice takes three steps:
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Cut where the links of each segment meet
A bolt cutter does it; a fine hacksaw makes the cleaner cut.
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Open the cut links and thread on the new segment
The links only need to part far enough to accept the next chain's end link.
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Close the links and bind the joint
Work the links back closed, then seal the cut with a metal epoxy such as J-B Weld. The joint reads as just another link.
The single-cut method
Other link constructions are simpler still: make one cut at any point on the bottom link, open it enough to add the new section, close it, and bind the cut with the same metal epoxy. Shortening works in reverse on either construction — cut, remove length, close, bind.
Which method your chain takes depends on its link construction. Not sure — or running a cup-style chain? Email us at info@rainchainsdirect.com with your style and we'll confirm the right approach before you make a cut.
A combined chain hangs heavier than the stock hook was designed to carry — and ice or wind adds more. For any extended chain, use the Gutter Installer: its bolted connection carries the load a hook shouldn't.
Installer vs. hook, explained