Rain chain
Encyclopedia
Rain chains are alternatives to a downspout
. They are widely used in Japan. Their purpose is largely decorative, to make a water feature
out of the transport of rainwater from the guttering downwards to a drain or to a storage container. (Rainwater is sometimes collected for household usage.) They can be found on temples.
Rain chains are typically either a series of metal cups, chained together with a hole in the bottom of each, or chain links that span vertically. Rain water run-off gets distributed from a rooftop gutter downward through the rain chain.
Downspout
A downspout, downpipe, roof drain pipe, or leader is a vertical pipe for carrying rainwater from a rain gutter to ground level...
. They are widely used in Japan. Their purpose is largely decorative, to make a water feature
Water feature
In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, pools, ponds, cascades, waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, though the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon are described by Strabo as...
out of the transport of rainwater from the guttering downwards to a drain or to a storage container. (Rainwater is sometimes collected for household usage.) They can be found on temples.
Rain chains are typically either a series of metal cups, chained together with a hole in the bottom of each, or chain links that span vertically. Rain water run-off gets distributed from a rooftop gutter downward through the rain chain.