A downspout is a drainage pipe that gets installed at the edge of a roof to direct rainwater from the gutters. The downspout repair usually extends below the house foundation perimeter and discharges water further away by attaching to a drainpipe along the foundation.
Downspouts are an integral part of your gutter system because they are designed to carry surplus rainfall from the roof to a safe location. Depending on where you stay, they can use it to move water from the downspouts into an underground drainage system or into a nearby stream or river.
In some cases, you may not have any other choice than to have them installed in your yard. However, now that you have your downspouts installed, you’ll need to take a few steps to ensure proper water drainage from your house.
In modern times, this function has become a necessity for two reasons:
- After rainfall or snowfall, any excess water needs to carry it away from the foundation of your house. Using just gutters will not suffice for this purpose because they are made to carry only rainwater while larger bits of debris remain in place.
Moreover, using gutters alone will let too much water accumulate around your home’s foundation leading to water damage, root intrusion in the wet basement, seepage through underground pipes, and even soil erosion.
Downspouts are there for this reason. They help divert rainwater from your rooftop into a safe place out of harm’s way.
- The second purpose is being able to drain sufficient amounts of water during heavy rainfall. Sometimes, gutters are simply not enough to drain the water off your roof.
In such cases, downspouts become necessary to ensure that you have sufficient rainwater drainage away from your house. If not, get foundation repair professionals from Knoxville to help you out with the installation of it.
Downspouts are usually fitted along the edges of roofs with the help of aluminum or PVC fittings. These pipes are long and narrow, which means that they can effectively carry water from your roof to a suitable location.
Proper Downspout Placement and Installation
Downspouts come in two types: standard and specialized.
Standard downspouts are usually large enough (3 inches) to drain the majority of rainwater from roofs, while specialized ones are small and used for draining smaller amounts of water.
The downspout’s main purpose is to carry the water that has collected on your roof into a safe place or location where it will not cause any damage. This means that it needs to get placed somewhere away from homes, windows, streets, and sidewalks. A good spot for placing downspouts would be in the backyard behind the house.
As far as the installation of downspouts is concerned, they are not hard to install. Most of them come in simple-to-understand instructions with diagrams that will help you get started. Of course, you can always take help from a professional for your house foundation repair if you are unsure about where exactly you could place the downspout.
Where should downspouts be positioned?
Downspouts need to get positioned as far as possible from your home’s foundation and windows to prevent the accumulation of rainwater. If this water freezes, it can cause serious damage to your homes’ foundation and windows.
You also need to ensure that your downspouts are at the proper angle to encourage proper drainage and flow of water away from your home.
Have a 2-inch drain pipe installed under your new gutter system so that water can drain into it. Make sure that the drainage point of this pipe is lower than your downspout. If not, water will back up behind the outlet and then seep in through cracks between joints to cause damage.
Remove any debris or leaves from the roof so that they do not block the downspouts in the future. Install your downspout and connect it with the 2-inch drain pipe that you installed earlier.
Watch your house’s foundation, walls, windows, and other areas for any sign of moisture or water damage. This is where proper installation pays off!
How to take proper care after you install a downspout properly?
Now that you know how to install a downspout properly, make sure that you take proper care of it afterward. Ensure that you empty the downspouts every week during the rainy season to make sure that they do not overflow because, if they do, water may accumulate around your home’s foundation and cause serious damage.
When doing so, remember to wear rubber gloves and waterproof boots because standing in a puddle of slushy water is not pleasant at all.
Some downspouts come with mesh screens that you can fit over them to keep out leaves, twigs, and other debris. Make sure that you remove any such items or screens so that they do not accumulate or cause blockages in the future.
Otherwise, proper installation of a downspout will ensure that your home is safe and sound, and you can even go to basement waterproofing.
In Conclusion:
To sum it up, a downspout is an underground pipe or channel that you use to drain rainwater from your roof into a safe location. These channels come in different shapes and sizes, but all of them serve the same purpose, i.e., carrying off excess water safely out of harm’s way.
In case you have not yet installed one, make sure that you do so immediately. It is effortless to install a downspout and takes only a few minutes with the help of some simple instructions.
If, however, something goes wrong despite your best efforts, feel free to contact a house foundation contractor for help to repair. They have years of experience in this field and will take proper care of your home.
