A rainhandler is a replacement for conventional gutters. Like gutters, a rainhandler is meant to protect your home from the rain. It does this by breaking up the water into small drops, then letting them fall to the ground in a 2-3 foot area.
Conversely, rain gutters collect water from the roof of your home and funnel it a downspout, which is often directed towards a drainage system.
While a rainhandler might be a convenient solution for a small structure such as a shed, it’s not ideal for a proper house, which has a much larger roof. This is because a rainhandler dumps its water fairly close to the house. Depositing water collected from an entire roof to an area near your home’s foundation risks long-term complications in the form of costly water damage. This is especially true if your home has a basement. Also, if you live in a colder climate, a rainhandler may become damaged by ice and snow. Traditional gutters can take the water much further away from your home, so it doesn’t damage your home’s foundation.
It’s true, however, that gutters can become clogged or can leak. This is why they need to be checked and inspected regularly. One way to minimize the chances of clogging or leakage, however, is to use seamless gutters. Unlike traditional gutters, which need to be bolted together, seamless gutters are made using a newer technology that allows them to be custom-fitted to the exact size your home needs. The lack of seams, where pieces attach, creates fewer opportunities for leakage and clogging.
So while a rainhandler may be useful in a few special situations, in most cases you’re much safer and better protected with a gutter system, preferably one with seamless gutters.