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Accessories FAQ I see that you now have a new product, Adjust-A-Spout. Should I include a diverter in my installation? I see that you now have a new product, Adjust-A-Spout. Should I include a diverter in my installation? Many of our customers are asking us about whether or not to use a diverter in their installation, and if so, which one. We decided to add this section to our FAQ to help explain exactly what a diverter is and does, why you may need one, describe which ones work with The New Englander (and which don't), and show you a great low-cost alternative that just might work for you. There are two very different kinds of diverters. There's the one that looks like an upside-down V in the roof of your house over your front door so that water doesn't drip on you when you go in and out -- that's not the one we're talking about here. Then there's the one that attaches to your downspout so you can direct rain water into your rain barrel, or divert it away from the barrel to either continue down the downspout or away from your house. That's what we're talking about. Why would you need a rain diverter? During normal weather, you probably don't. But what about when we get one of those famous New England (or Midwest or Carolina or Capital District) gully-washers and you need to aim the water away from your barrel because the overflow just can't handle that much water? That's what diverters are for, and they do a great job. Which ones work with our rain barrel? Of course, we're here to tell you that the Adjust-A-Spout that we sell is the best thing since sliced bread. It does work well, it's the cheapest that we've found out there, and you can have it delivered along with your New Englander for $15.99. The swivel design allows you to divert the rainwater in any direction, and you can even install your barrel up to 6' from your house. Here are some photos of 2 Adjust-A-Spout configurations, and you can see the Installation Instructions tab for more information.   There are 2 others that do a fine job too, metal ones that install in-line in your downspout. One of them kind of folds open to allow water to go to your rain barrel and folds closed to have the water continue down its original course. The other is kind of like a giant "Y" connector -- you throw a switch one way to direct water into your barrel, and throw it the other way to have the water continue down the downspout. These both work well, unless you've always had a problem with where the downspout empties next to your foundation. They're available at various websites and at better garden centers, and run upwards of $25. Which won't work? There is one available online that relies on back-pressure from your barrel once it's full to automatically divert the water away. We have customer in Connecticut who happens to be an engineer, and he got this one to work with the New Englander, but I'm afraid this is beyond us mere mortals. Since we use the screened louver inlet system, there is no back-pressure to make this one work. So what's this low cost alternative? Well, we have a customer in Quincy, Massachusetts, John Sullivan, who came up with this idea, and it makes a lot of sense. You actually cut your gutter in 2 places, one about a foot above the top of the barrel, and the other about halfway down the barrel. Then you attach one of those accordion things to the upper cut. You can then direct the water either to your rain barrel, or down to where you made the lower cut so that the water continues to the ground. We tried it and it really works, and the cost of the "Flex-Elbow" that I got was $2.18 at Lowe's. This is also a fantastic alternative to reattaching the piece you cut off when putting the barrel away for the winter. Here are a couple of photos:  Back to top |
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