BETTER DOWNSPOUT DRAINAGE – FAMILY ROOFING

Posted on by David Reid

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BETTER DOWNSPOUT DRAINAGE

Gutters protect a home from flooding and water damage.  Adding downspouts helps to assist gutters to direct water away from the home.  This helps ensure there is no harm done during heavy rain falls and snowstorms.  For further protection, it may be a good idea to extend gutter downspouts.  Downspouts help water flow systematically in the direction you want it to go, rather than allowing it to splash chaotically, which can contribute to problems if you live in an area with particularly heavy rainstorms.  Rain gutters play an essential role in collecting roof runoff during a storm.  If that water isn’t carried far enough away from the house, you risk damage to your foundation or basement.  Downspout extensions will help your downspouts direct water to a specific place away from your home’s foundation. Installing extensions is a straightforward fix that’s easily a do-it-yourself project.

How far should a downspout extend from the house?

A lot of homeowners wonder how far their extensions should go.  Factors like location, accessibility and landscaping come into play, so it’s not always a clear-cut answer.  To be safe, aim for a 4-foot minimum extension away from a downspout. Use longer extensions to make sure you’re getting all that water away from your home.

This one’s a popular solution for a few good reasons. Aluminum downspout extensions are inexpensive, low maintenance and can be installed in seconds.  A couple downsides are they don’t always jive with your curb appeal and have a design limits as to where you can direct rainwater. That said, this is still one of the easiest fixe.

Buried Drain Pipe

On the flip side, burying drain pipe is more work-intensive, but it’s a guaranteed way to keep water away. The most difficult part is digging the trench. Besides making sure the slope is correct, you’ll want to make sure the pipe run ends in a good location. Underground downspout extensions allow you to move water far from your home.  You can have them run to the street or sewer system.  However, since these extensions are buried underneath the ground, they’re difficult to install and maintain.  If clogged, they can cause the very water damage and flooding you’re trying to prevent.

Decorative Splash Blocks

Splash blocks are rectangular channels that disperse water flowing from your downspouts. They range from decorative to basic, plastic or metal, and wide or narrow.  Whichever you choose, they do a great job keeping water from seeping into the grass around your home.  The key part of installation is making sure your yard is graded properly, otherwise it defeats their purpose.  Be sure the open end is pointed away from the house.  If they came with the house, go out and do a quick double check.  Sometimes builders install them backwards when they lay grass seed so it doesn’t wash away.

Roll-Out Drain Sleeves

Roll-out extensions are designed to uncoil during heavy rain and disperse water from little holes. Once the flow stops, they roll back up—kind of like a party blower, but for your downspouts.

These sleeves do have some shortcomings. Despite their easy installation, they aren’t always made of the best quality plastic. Tears can happen. Also, if the rainfall isn’t heavy enough, the sleeve might not fully extend.

Rain Barrel

Rain barrels collect water from your gutters into a large tank, which you can use to water flowerbeds and vegetable cards or even wash your car.  This won’t extend your downspout per se, but it’s an eco-friendly way to collect and reuse rainwater.

Install Corrugated Drainage Pipes

The most common way to divert your gutters runoff water is to install corrugated pipes, commonly referred to as those “Big Black Pipes” you see in people’s yards.  Burying them is the key!

To install a corrugated drainage pipe simply follow these steps:

  1. Find an attachment that fits your gutter/or PVC pipe that connects to a corrugated pipe

  2. Dig a narrow channel the length of the corrugated pipe

  3. Attach the end cap to the corrugated pipe and lay in the ditch

  4. Set the pipe and attach it to your gutter

  5. Fill in the dirt on top, making sure there is enough surface for the grass to grow back

Route the Water into a Storm Drain or Dry Well

A common gutter drainage solution is to divert water to a storm drain in your yard or create what is called a “Dry Well.”  This rainwater solution requires more work as most of the time it means using an underground solution with either corrugated pipes or PVC pipes. The pipes either lead to a stormwater drain or a dry well.  A dry well is a giant hole that is dug, then filled with gravel, and remains dry until the pipes that divert downspout rainwater into the well start to fill the well during storms.  Grass grows on top of a dry well and is similar to gutter drainage solution #4 – French Drains!

Consider Installing French Drains

French drains are highly efficient erosion solutions that are commonly used for driveways and big digging projects. However, rainwater can also be handled by leveraging a smaller version of the traditional french drain.  A french drain is similar to the perforated pipe solution listed above, however, it also includes fabric on the bottom of the drainage ditch and a pipe surrounded by gravel. Fabric or weed guard is placed on top of the gravel followed by soil letting water evenly dissipate into the gravel then eventually the ground!

Use Dry Creek Bed Solutions

Ever seen those river rocks or gravel surrounding people’s homes, filling in ditches, or outlining landscape beds?  Creating a dry creek bed is a great gutter drainage solution that looks good and is efficient for stormwater. Rainwater shooting out of your downspout without a splash block can quickly evaporate your new mulch every time it rains!  Three and four inch white river rock tends to be the best, as it is both decorative and effective for catching rainwater and preventing erosion.  A dry creek bed with river rock prevents mulch and landscape erosion and also holds it looks very well!  Similarly, you can also outline your mulch beds with rock or gravel so when downspouts drain during heavy storms, the water doesn’t drag mulch into your yard!

The top 6 gutter downspout extensions include underground piping, on-ground extensions, decorative splash blocks and roll-out drain sleeves.  The choice will depend on your choice of styling and the intended use of the area that is near your downspout.

Extending your storm water run-off away from your house foundations is a great idea and will also work to avoid mulch or soil run off near your house.  Try one of these extension ideas at home this weekend.