Frequently Asked Questions

A downspout diverter only ‘diverts’ rain runoff a few feet. To a rain barrel that must, by definition, be close to the downspout to which the diverter is connected. Once that barrel, and perhaps a second barrel, is full you’re done. Only a small amount of water has been collected, and most likely it’s not where it’s needed.

The Rainwater Hub is a completely new approach to collecting rainwater for your rain barrels. It’s the missing link between the rain falling on your roof and getting that water to where it is most convenient for you. The Rainwater Hub uses gravity to create sufficient water pressure to channel roof runoff up to 150’ using conventional hoses. It’s really that simple!

It will depend on your outdoor water needs, but quite probably and we bet you’ll thank us every time you do!

We expect once you install the Rainwater Hub and move your existing rain barrel to a more convenient or discrete location, you‘ll see how easy and effective the Rainwater Hub is and want to start building your own rain farm. The more rain barrels or other water storage devices you have interlinked the more water you can collect.

Width: 17 ½”. Height: 28”. Depth: 8”

(For comparison purposes, an exterior electrical panel, a “breaker box” with a meter protruding out from it, is typically slightly taller than the Rainwater Hub, three inches narrower, and generally shallower at around 5”. If you do have a meter sticking out from your panel that will generally extend out over 9”.)

We would love to tell you that we use recycled plastic in the manufacturing of the Rainwater Hub, but we do not. However, the plastic used in the manufacture of the Rainwater Hub is itself recyclable.

Incorporating an element of recycled plastic into the product would have adverse effects on UV stability and structural strength. Under the terms of our Water Tight Guarantee, we offer a 10 year no quibble warranty against any manufacturing or material defects, and can only do this with confidence that from the outset we always use the highest quality compounds.

Alas no! We do not offer an installation service. However, we cannot emphasis enough how simple the Rainwater Hub is to install. The team of engineers and designers behind the Rainwater Hub made ease of installation a top priority. It really does only need four 1 1/2″” screws to attach to the wall, and is within the capabilities of most homeowners. Cutting your downspout may actually take longer than installing the Rainwater Hub itself!

If you have installed a traditional downspout diverter in the past, you should find that the Rainwater Hub installs in about the same amount of time or less. And we are confident that if you are familiar with downspout diverters, you will immediately recognize that the Rainwater Hub is of a completely different standard. This is a high quality product using 21st century technology in its design, engineering and manufacture.

However, if you still don’t feel that you would be able to install the Rainwater Hub yourself, please don’t let that stop you! Please show a family member, friend, or neighbor our site. Once they see how easy the Rainwater Hub is to install we’re sure you’ll find someone to step up to the plate. And yes of course, by all means you can call a contractor too!

Installing the Rainwater Hub should take less than an hour.

• Pick location – 2 minutes

Typically, this will be a straight forward decision. If you have a simple roof with just a front and a back, or left and right sides, you need to choose which part of the roof is going to be most convenient in relation to where you want the water to eventually be delivered. In most cases, this will be the back half of the roof.

• Select a downspout – 2 minutes
• Decide how high the Rainwater Hub is to be mounted – 5 minutes

For best results, the faucets of the Rainwater Hub should be slightly above the top of the rain barrels to be filled. If your yard is flat, just measure the height of top of the first rain barrel against your chest (or shoulders, neck or head!) and use that height to mark the lower position of the Rainwater Hub on the wall.

• Cut downspout – 10 minutes
• Drill holes in wall and attach wall bracket – 10 minutes
• Hook on the Rainwater Hub, and secure lower end to wall – 10 minutes

Please do take a further ten minutes to watch the videos on the site and read the instructions before beginning installation!

The Rainwater Hub is designed to work with standard 2” x 3” gutter downspouts, which are the standard used on the vast majority of US homes.

A range of inexpensive downspout adaptors are also available at any hardware store if necessary to alter the direction of the upper downspout.

Please do not install the Rainwater Hub on a cast iron downpipe.

In the vast majority of cases, a single Rainwater Hub will provide enough rain water to fill dozens of rain barrels. On complex roof structures where there are many downspouts draining different parts of the roof, it may be necessary to install more than one Rainwater Hub to meet all of the yard’s requirements.

We would recommend that you start with a single Rainwater Hub installed on a downspout that services the largest roof area. As a very general rule 0.4” of rain on a roof area of 650 ft² produces 260 gallons of water. Typically 90% of this finds its way to the downspouts, sufficient to fill four to five 55 gallon rain barrels with every 0.4” of rain.

Please visit our roof rainfall calculator to help you calculate the best configuration for your own yard.

As the system relies on gravity, the Rainwater Hub must always be mounted higher than the rain barrels it is filling. For most installations where the yard is at the same level as the home, mounting the Rainwater Hub at a height of 5 – 6 ft is more than adequate.

If the yard slopes upwards away from the home, we recommend that the target rain barrel is positioned at the highest point of the yard, and that the Rainwater Hub is mounted on the house at least 1 ft (30 cm) higher than this. Water is then siphoned from the target rain barrel into rain barrels lower down the slope.

If the yard slopes away from the home, there should be no problem in mounting the Rainwater Hub at a convenient height and getting a strong flow of water to the target rain barrel.

Filling all of the rain barrels if they are on different levels may be a little more involved than in a flat yard, but it can be done.

A drill, drill bit (masonry if necessary), and a screw driver are needed for the four mounting points of the Rainwater Hub.

A saw and a file are needed to cut the downspout. Also please wear gloves, and goggles, particularly as the edges of metal downspouts can be very sharp.

Our mounting bracket is so simple you won’t even need a level to mount your Rainwater Hub perfectly first time out.

If you do have any problems with the Rainwater Hub, then please just let us know.

If we can’t resolve the issue, you can simply send the Rainwater Hub back to us under our Water Tight Guarantee and receive a full refund of the purchase price.

The Rainwater Hub is virtually maintenance free. It has no moving parts, and consumes no power. The only part of the Rainwater Hub that will need attention is the inlet filter.

The filter collects debris in the top of the Rainwater Hub that might otherwise enter the system, and this will occasionally have to be emptied. How often depends on the environment in which the Rainwater Hub is mounted. If lots of trees overhang the roof area, the filter may need cleaning once or twice a month during the autumn. If there are no overhanging trees or roof moss, it may only need cleaning once or twice a year.

A rain farm is the term we use for a collection of rain barrels and other water storage containers that are interconnected via hoses. The Rainwater Hub gets water to where it is needed. Once you have full rain barrels nearby you can use the water how best suited for that area. You can fill watering cans quickly from a rain barrel, but you can also attach a drip irrigation system to one, or a soaker hose, a solar powered lawn sprinkler system or whatever you need your water to do from there!

There is lots of useful information in this section of FAQs which explains how to set up an effective system between rain barrels.

There is no right answer to this. The beauty of a rain farm fed from a Rainwater Hub is that it is completely modular. You can start out small and if you find you need to store more water, you can add more rain barrels or other storage devices.

As a very general rule 0.4” of rain on a roof area of 650 ft2 produces 260 gallons of water. Typically 90% of this finds its way to the downspouts, sufficient to fill four to five 55 gallon rain barrels with every 0.4” of rain.

Please visit our roof rainfall calculator to calculate the best configuration for your own yard.

Rain barrels can indeed be expensive, especially more attractive ones and those that are less obtrusive. With a Rainwater Hub system, the rain barrels you choose no longer need be expensive, disguised, or even next to a downspout. They can now be located discreetly, behind sheds and shrubs.

It’s now possible to have a mixture of attractive rain barrels which are in prominent positions and a number of economical storage containers which are less visible.

Remember that water always finds its own level. If you have five identical rain barrels together and then a differently shaped container which is lower than the rest, the water will drain into this container until the initial five rain barrels are only half full.

Note that it is not necessary to have clear access to every single rain barrel in the rain farm. Some of them may be for extra capacity, storing water which is then automatically fed to one of the more accessible rain barrels as that rain barrel is drained.

The Rainwater Hub is intended to be used with standard garden hoses which are available in a wide range of qualities. When a hose is connected to the water supply, any kinks and folds are automatically straightened as soon as the faucet is turned on. As the Rainwater Hub relies is a gravity-fed system more care has to be taken when laying the hoses.

When laying the initial hose between the Rainwater Hub and the target rain barrel:

• Ensure there are no kinks in the hose. We are relying on gravity with this system and so the hose needs to be laid as kink-free as possible.
• Do not bury the hose. Unless you are using professional quality hosepipe, a standard garden hose may compress under the weight of soil and interfere with water flow.
• Keep the hose as close to the ground as possible.
• Keep the hose as straight as possible.
• Use a single length of hose without extension joints wherever possible.
• The longer the hose, the more friction there is within the system and the slower the water will flow.
• Avoid any very tight turns in the hose which can cause restrictions.
• Do not leave any excess length in the hose. Cut the hose to the correct length.

It is important to ensure that there are no kinks in the hoses that are used to siphon water between rain barrels. Pay careful attention to where a hose enters or leaves the top of a rain barrel. Poor quality hoses in warm weather can ‘collapse’ as they pass the lip of the rain barrel. A simple way to prevent this is pass the hose through a short length of more rigid tubing or other suitable conduit which acts as additional support at the stress points.