Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 22, 2013 10:35 am I`ve been wondering for years why some new homes have thick chains hanging from the eaves down to the ground, its always at the front and generally near the entrance, but it doesn't seem to be for aesthetic purposes . Does anyone have a house that has this or know why some new homes have this?. I cant find any pictures of houses that have this to demonstrate what I mean, and it seems like In the last couple of years houses have stopped having this feature Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 2May 22, 2013 10:56 am Hi Alex2424 The ones I have seen are in lieu of downpipes with rain water trickling down chains as an architectural feature and unintentionally a good way to increase your termite risk because inevitably some water from chain will miss the drain and create damp spot. Termite risk reduction requires good drainage, dryness and good ventilation. Chains are just a fad. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 3May 22, 2013 11:05 am Those that drop down from gutters are intended to provide a "path" for rain water to stream down. This is only effective in light rain and the gutter opening is just a little wider than the chain. When it's heavy rain, the water could overflow the gutter or if the gutter opening is too wide, like standard downpipe opening, the water will rush down the opening and spray all around the perimeter. Some commercial buildings use this concept, usually with thick "fishing line" to create a water feature...water movement without the noise and water spray. I think! HD Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 5May 22, 2013 2:13 pm If eaves gutters are fitted, they must be fitted with downpipes and the eaves gutters and downpipes must be sized to provide adequate roof drainage during a 1:20 Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) as referenced in AS/NZS 3500.3:2003 Table 3.3 Because compliance does not guarantee good design and because storms can exceed a 1:20 ARI, gutter overflows are not uncommon but gutters can also be fitted with continuous and non continuous provisions to prevent overflows. Chains have long been popular in Japan and are sometimes used in Australia to provide a provision to prevent overflows in troublesome areas. There are regulations regarding rooves not fitted with gutters or to gutters fitted with overflow provisions that drain to atmosphere as referenced in AS/NZS 3500.3, 5.3.3.1 that state that overflow provisions discharging to atmosphere must drain to either: Paved areas. Onto concrete or stone splash blocks and then infiltrate into pervious areas. Discharge to subsoil drains or soakaways either directly or by infiltration. Alex2424 I`ve been wondering for years why some new homes have thick chains hanging from the eaves down to the ground, its always at the front and generally near the entrance, but it doesn't seem to be for aesthetic purposes The above raises an interesting point that highlights one example of poor roof drainage regulations but first...a little background. Huge numbers of new homes are sold with non compliant roof drainage and many other homes that meet compliance still have gutters that overflow during heavy rain due to the regulations not addressing good design. During a recent Dept of Fair Trading inquiry into overflowing gutters that was presented to the NSW Parliament, a team of inspectors were sent to randomly inspect display homes. Of the 35 display homes inspected, 34 were found to have non compliant roof drainage. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hidden-report ... 1hx55.html Most downpipes are located at the end of walls for aesthetics whereas the larger roof area is between the downpipes. It is also not fashionable to plumb downpipes near an entrance. Single story homes often have a roof valley near the entrance. Roof valleys provide a concentrated flow of water to this area and when the downpipe is plumbed some distance away, the gutter can overflow near the entrance during heavy rain that has not exceeded a 1:20 ARI, even though the roof drainage meets compliance. Many double story houses also drain an upper roof area down a downpipe to a spreader on a lower roof that then feeds the concentrated flow to a very small section of gutter. It is common for the entrance to be near the end of the gutter that receives this concentrated flow. The big problem is when the downpipe is located at the opposite end of the gutter and sometimes even around the corner and so while the drainage may be compliant, it is a hopelessly poor design that will overflow. An additional problem to the above happens when wind driven rain on an abutting wall also provides an additional concentrated flow of water down the wall/roof interface to the same section of gutter already fed by the spreader. The regulations do not require a downpipe to be plumbed to the gutter area that receives the most concentrated flow. Add slotted gutters into the equation and there are real problems. It should also be noted that many slotted gutters are not installed as per the compliance required by AS/NZS 3500.3 5.3.3.1 If you see a chain dangling from an eaves gutter near an entrance, the chances are that it is there as an overflow provision to remedy either poor roof drainage design or non compliance under the guise of it being a water feature. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 6May 22, 2013 2:58 pm That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!! Hahaha. Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65085 Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 7May 22, 2013 3:13 pm SaveH2O If eaves gutters are fitted, they must be fitted with downpipes and the eaves gutters and downpipes must be sized to provide adequate roof drainage during a 1:20 Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) as referenced in AS/NZS 3500.3:2003 Table 3.3 Because compliance does not guarantee good design and because storms can exceed a 1:20 ARI, gutter overflows are not uncommon but gutters can also be fitted with continuous and non continuous provisions to prevent overflows. Chains have long been popular in Japan and are sometimes used in Australia to provide a provision to prevent overflows in troublesome areas. There are regulations regarding rooves not fitted with gutters or to gutters fitted with overflow provisions that drain to atmosphere as referenced in AS/NZS 3500.3, 5.3.3.1 that state that overflow provisions discharging to atmosphere must drain to either: Paved areas. Onto concrete or stone splash blocks and then infiltrate into pervious areas. Discharge to subsoil drains or soakaways either directly or by infiltration. Alex2424 I`ve been wondering for years why some new homes have thick chains hanging from the eaves down to the ground, its always at the front and generally near the entrance, but it doesn't seem to be for aesthetic purposes The above raises an interesting point that highlights one example of poor roof drainage regulations but first...a little background. Huge numbers of new homes are sold with non compliant roof drainage and many other homes that meet compliance still have gutters that overflow during heavy rain due to the regulations not addressing good design. During a recent Dept of Fair Trading inquiry into overflowing gutters that was presented to the NSW Parliament, a team of inspectors were sent to randomly inspect display homes. Of the 35 display homes inspected, 34 were found to have non compliant roof drainage. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hidden-report ... 1hx55.html Most downpipes are located at the end of walls for aesthetics whereas the larger roof area is between the downpipes. It is also not fashionable to plumb downpipes near an entrance. Single story homes often have a roof valley near the entrance. Roof valleys provide a concentrated flow of water to this area and when the downpipe is plumbed some distance away, the gutter can overflow near the entrance during heavy rain that has not exceeded a 1:20 ARI, even though the roof drainage meets compliance. Many double story houses also drain an upper roof area down a downpipe to a spreader on a lower roof that then feeds the concentrated flow to a very small section of gutter. It is common for the entrance to be near the end of the gutter that receives this concentrated flow. The big problem is when the downpipe is located at the opposite end of the gutter and sometimes even around the corner and so while the drainage may be compliant, it is a hopelessly poor design that will overflow. An additional problem to the above happens when wind driven rain on an abutting wall also provides an additional concentrated flow of water down the wall/roof interface to the same section of gutter already fed by the spreader. The regulations do not require a downpipe to be plumbed to the gutter area that receives the most concentrated flow. Add slotted gutters into the equation and there are real problems. It should also be noted that many slotted gutters are not installed as per the compliance required by AS/NZS 3500.3 5.3.3.1 If you see a chain dangling from an eaves gutter near an entrance, the chances are that it is there as an overflow provision to remedy either poor roof drainage design or non compliance under the guise of it being a water feature. Oh that makes even more sense now, I can see why they would want chains at the front of a house instead of downpipes, thanks Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 8May 22, 2013 6:55 pm The first time I saw chain downpipes was in 1965 on Dunelm House in Durham City, UK. I used to pass it every day in my previous life as a photographer. Dunelm House was designed by Sir Ove Arup, he is said to have thought this to be his best design, he was also the man (Ove Arup and Partners) who turned Jørn Utzon's design for the Sydney Opera House into a practical reality in 1973. Some (chain) links... http://www.flickr.com/photos/iqbalaalam ... /lightbox/ http://www.japanesegardensupplies.co.uk/pages/rain.htm http://rainchains.com.au/products?gclid ... pQodr0wAsg Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 9May 22, 2013 7:35 pm ed @ ecoclassic The first time I saw chain downpipes was in 1965 on Dunelm House in Durham City, UK. I used to pass it every day in my previous life as a photographer. Dunelm House was designed by Sir Ove Arup, he is said to have thought this to be his best design, he was also the man (Ove Arup and Partners) who turned Jørn Utzon's design for the Sydney Opera House into a practical reality in 1973. Some (chain) links... http://www.flickr.com/photos/iqbalaalam ... /lightbox/ http://www.japanesegardensupplies.co.uk/pages/rain.htm http://rainchains.com.au/products?gclid ... pQodr0wAsg Ed Thanks ed, you've all been very helpful Re: Chains hanging from eaves of new homes 10May 29, 2013 7:40 am I think these answers highlight the complexity of construction in 2013. I would like all home builders to remember that when they think that their builder has done something wrong. Maybe a contractor has, and maybe not, but the issues are complex and expert don't always agree. What to do? Some common sense and a bit of fairness can help. cheers Update from me! Couldn't find the trimmer - not sure if there isn't one simply because the eave is so narrow. Went ahead with the spring toggles and it all worked out… 7 5865 The two 15mm holes are obviously not compliant. The Dept of Fair Trading would love to see this one! Do the gutters pool water after it stops raining? Although it's… 4 7847 Hi there! Putting the feelers out there for those who have (or almost) built with Arli homes! Interested in your experiences who've built from their stock home designs… 0 23482 |