Our weekly words almost always evoke reader response. Such is the case with our past two columns. Although we disagree with these readers’ viewpoints, they contain insights that may be worth consideration.

Concerning last week’s response to a reader’s question about dealing with a clogged gutter, one reader writes:

I first saw this in Denmark and it is a marvel in its simplicity and functionality.

Install the rain gutter of your choice — plastic or metal. But don’t install regular downspouts. In the gutter’s downspout hole, insert two large-diameter nails in a cross. From this cross hang a large-diameter chain. The chain should be about two feet longer than the distance from the gutter to the ground.

Lower the chain into a cistern, a hole at least two feet deep and a foot in diameter. Then fill the hole with rocks. The rocks will hold the end of the chain in place and allow rainwater to percolate into the soil with no erosion.

The open downspout hole cannot clog because the water actually jumps over to the chain and gravity carries the water down the chain’s coils. The gutters remain free-flowing and effective.

We agree that chains are a simple, attractive, inexpensive and functional alternative to downspouts. But installing a chain in place of a downspout won’t stop a gutter from getting clogged. In fact it will make the problem worse. The nails you mention will create a snag to catch the leaves as they flow down the gutter.

Two weeks ago, a reader wanted to know how to reach a settlement with a contractor who installed the wrong roof. Our reader wanted to avoid the hassle of reroofing, but still wanted to be compensated for the screw-up. He wasn’t looking to take the roofer to the cleaners; he was just trying to come up with a fair solution.

***

What’s your opinion? Leave your comments below or send a letter to the editor. To contact the writer, click the byline at the top of the story.

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