In an ideal world, every exterior door would be covered by a roof designed to shed water away from approaching visitors. Or if the roof has gutters, they would perform flawlessly with little maintenance; they would never clog or be sheared off by ice and snow.

Here in the real world, though, cold drips down the back of the neck are common when entry doors (or other circulation paths) are under eaves. One typical solution is a simple L-shaped metal rain diverter slipped under the shingles. They work fine for light rain, but they are not attractive and can be easily overwhelmed in a downpour.

Ray O’Brien, owner of Vertex Specialty Fabrications, a metal fabricator and installer in Yarmouth, Maine, has improved on the basic rain diverter with his V-11 Rain Diverters. To coordinate with most roofs, they are available in 20-oz. copper and in black or bronze 0.032-in. aluminum (and in other metals or colors on request) in 5-ft. and 10-ft. lengths, with prices starting at about $23 apiece. What really makes the V-11 special is the design, a 220° curve that recirculates rainwater in a spiral pattern instead of spilling it over the top. A short leg ensures the diverter’s effectiveness. To install, simply slide the flat leg under the second or third row of shingles from the eave, put in a few nails where they will be covered, and seal the shingles down again. The diverter is designed to be installed nearly parallel with the roof shingles; an inch or two of slope over its length is enough to drain water and is not visually distracting or hard to install. Visit V11raindiverter.com for more information.