Ideas for Spouting Removal of Water

Water Catchment

• Spout the water from your roof directly into a water-catchment basin for later use. Water catchment is especially valued in areas where rain is limited, municipal water use costly or ground water use environmentally unsustainable. Water cisterns, or artificial reservoir, can hold 2,000 gallons of water or more. What you can use the water for depends on your roofing material and how well you build the spouting system and cistern. Water for decorative and food gardens, wash water and even drinking water can be collected from roofs.

Interesting Fountain

• Create an interesting fountain from your roof water as it spouts to the ground. You can make a sculpture out of copper gutters for the water to run through. To dress it up, punch holes in a pattern in the bottom of the spout (away from the foundation of your house) so that water leaps through in planned intervals. You can also create a series of obstacles for the water to run though in the spout, such as mini watermills, a rock garden or series of fused colored-glass bottles.

Old-Style Spouts

• Connect old-style spout heads to your gutters. These can include gargoyles, fish, mermaids, angels or any other traditional gutter-design element. Either buy these spouts from an artisan or sculpt and fire your own. Just be sure they are waterproof since they must truly spout water, not just look pretty. You can also create your own unique nontraditional designs. As long that there is a place for water to go in, water to go out, and for the spout to connect to the gutter, anything goes.

Garden Flow

• Train water directly into your garden with a spout. You can point the water at any tree or plant that likes a lot of water or dig a ditch that directs water flow to several different garden areas. While this method of spouting doesn't allow as much control as water catchment over when and how roof water is used, it is easier to set up and requires no action (except cleaning) after it is initially set up.