Raintube Product Review

RainTube prevents downspouts from clogging while collecting rainwater at high volumes—even through heavy debris. RainTube protects your home and your wallet from expensive water damage caused from clogged, overflowing rain gutters.

Raintube - It doesn't get any better than this


RainTube is the complete combination of as-advertised, as-hoped-for solutions with the added benefits that one wants: it works with any roof/gutter system, is made from 100% recycled and recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE: #2 plastic milk jugs, for example), and comes with a lifetime warranty that is transferable when you sell your house.

And did I mention it's affordable? RainTube's manufacturer claims that you can earn back the cost of the RainTube and its installation in two years, just from reduced costs of maintenance and wear and tear. It will endure for a century of normal use, so you won't have to worry about replacing it.

Have you ever seen a system that looks more unfinished, in its supposedly finished state, than a gutter? It is a design that is crying out to be completed, and the makers of RainTube have done us the service of finishing the job.

Clogged downspouts and gutters cause loss of rainwater collection, roof leaks and water damage, mold, foundation erosion, and on and on: even personal injury can result from rushing up ladders in rainstorms to clear your gutters. Try to think of a season when open gutters function as they should. When it's wet, they clog; when it's icy, they crack from the weight and temperature fluctuations; when it's dry, they collect flammable material. RainTube allows your guttering system to do what it was (badly) designed to do in the first place: collect or divert the rain and disperse the debris.

How does it work? A hollow cylinder of porous HDPE fits snugly into your gutter, "crowning" slightly above the top. If you can see it at all, it attractively "rounds off" your gutter system. Leaves and other debris disperse from the curved surface while water moves through the pores where it collects and drains to the downspouts. The gutter becomes a closed system that channels water through but keeps debris on the rounded surface where it can be washed or blown away. Stubborn debris can be removed at your leisure with a light brushing. In heavy rains, the design agitates the water rushing at the bottom of the gutter, removing any sand or other tiny particulates that may enter through the pores. In winter, it protects your gutters from the stresses of thaw/freeze cycles, increasing the lifespan of your system. You can buy an optional heating element to expedite thaw and collection/dispersal. The RainTube is sturdy enough to withstand all but the most severe hail storms.

The only maintenance required is the occasional brushing off of stubborn debris. The RainTube is easily removed and replaced so you can inspect your gutters as need or curiosity may dictate. Maintenance can usually be done during halftime of a televised football game!

Installation is simple, straightforward, and inexpensive. RainTube can be configured to work with everything from low-pitched roofs to A-frames, tar-and-gravel to tile, and all sizes and shapes of guttering. Installers look for correct gutter sloping, flashing, and sufficient numbers of downspouts, check for damage and flush your system before installing RainTube. All other screens are removed, as RainTube's simple, efficient design makes them unnecessary. Installation does not disturb your roofing material or require additional holes or fasteners to your roof, fascia, or gutters. Where needed, RainSock may be slipped on to the outside of your RainTube for fine filtration or to capture water at valleys traveling at high volume while excluding even smaller debris from your gutters.

RainTube has been around for over a decade now, and customers have weighed in with their reviews.

November 14, 1997 you installed RainTube at my home. This has been an extremely satisfactory installation and which I have had no trouble with during heavy rains and intervening years. RainTube has also saved much time and effort in cleaning gutters as we have many large trees. — Mrs. W. E. Treadwell

We have purchased and you have installed your revolutionary design at several commercial centers I manage, and I can attest that they work as designed and are trouble free. No longer do we have to clear gutters of leaves and other debris. . . . With your device, we no longer have a leaf trap in our gutters. - Sincerely, Robert Minch, President, Minch Property Management

Interested in large-scale rainwater control or conservation? Steve Spratt, co-founder of GLI Systems, Inc., says, "we are currently working to design and install a demonstration system for the Municipal Water District of Los Angeles as part of their conservation outreach program."

GLI Systems, Inc., the makers of RainTube, is one of only 11 companies to earn a Gold Tier Cradle-to-Cradle Certification from MBDC. Cradle-to-Cradle means that, at the end of a product's useful life, its materials are designed to be reclaimed and reused, just like the milk jugs that go into making RainTube. (For more information on Cradle-to-Cradle Design, go to mbdc website. RainTube's qualify as Green building products if you are seeking LEED points or certification. In fact, they are the only green guttering product out there. For more information, and to locate a certified installer in your area, call 866-724-6356, e-mail info (@) raintube.com, or go to the Raintube website.

Related Links

RainTube High Resolution - http://www.harvesth2o.com/products/Raintube.JPG
RainTube Smaller Picture - http://www.harvesth2o.com/products/raintube%20smaller%20front%20on.JPG
RainTube Side View - http://www.harvesth2o.com/products/raintube_sideview.JPG
RainTube with RainSock - http://www.harvesth2o.com/products/rainsock%20on%20raintube.JPG




Featured Product

S-5!® PVKIT™ 2.0 Solar Rooftop Solutions

S-5!® PVKITâ„¢ 2.0 Solar Rooftop Solutions

The concept of combining PV arrays with standing seam metal roofing is growing-for good reasons. Metal roofs have a life expectancy of more than 40 years. Shouldn't the mounting system last as long? With S-5! zero-penetration attachment technology and PVKIT 2.0, the solarized metal roof is the most sustainable system available -and without compromising roof warranties! PVKIT 2.0 is the also the best solution for attaching PV modules directly to any exposed fastener metal roof.