Kusari Doi
(in Japanese "Rain Chains") 

You may now begin noticing rain chains here and there.  I spied them on a few residences, but mostly I've seen them in larger outdoor facilities, lodges, lookouts, vacation cabins, etc. 

Rain Chains simply provide a method of directing water down from the gutters.  The rain is not enclosed and flows through/around the chain links.  It also makes a delightful swooshing sound.  Trouble is, the water does tend to spit off the upper end of links to free fall down.  See some examples of the very expensive Japanese Copper  Rain Chains.  I wanted to buy some of these "ornamental" rain chains, but they are extremely expensive.  Hum, real iron chains hanging from my second floor would be extremely heavy!  Expensive/Heavy - what to do.

I found large black plastic chain that was cheap, light, and still looked great!

I have always adored rain chains.  They sound wonderful and add an old world aesthetic feel - like a wood stove.  I also love the concept of Rain Barrels and found some used Oak Wine Casks.

I fitted the Casks to receive the rain chains and also plumbed them on the bottom so I can attach a length of hose.  Sounds like a decent idea.

Still, when it did rain I had a problem.  The rain chains worked pretty well, but about 10% of the water flicked off the chain here and there.  That lost water free fell to hit the top of the barrel and when it splattered into water collecting on top of the barrel it would splatter the side of the house.  I had to control the "Splatter.  I had to make something like the copper cups on the Japanese rain chains. 

  That took allot of thought and I never did come up with an easy way to create the cups, until I was having a fancy drink that had a plastic sno-cone cover on the cup.  Whall-A Here was my cup.  They tightly slide up the chain and work just like the Japanese copper cups.  They look like glass - if you can even spot them.  Best of all, they greatly improve the lost water - not totally, but nearly.

I now have 3 Rain Barrels and 3 Rain Chains with Cups.  If you see the barrel picture to the left you may notice the top of the barrel.  I had to make a small "rockery" on top of the barrel to further reduce the "splatter" from free falling rain water.  Works extremely well.  Now I have to create 2 more pretty rockery's on the other barrels.