Underground Gutter Drain Is Bad

An access cover at the bottom of the downpipe before it goes into the ground might be a good idea to allow the underground section to be cleaned and rodded if it gets full of leaves etc.

Underground gutter drain is bad.

Downspouts are the part of the gutter system that works to get all the rain water off the. Many home improvement stores rent plumber s augers that are likely long enough to meet your needs. Sketch courtesy of carson dunlop associates. Why your underground downspout drain is clogged and what to do about it underground downspout drain.

Most homeowners know it s important to move water that is discharged by their downspouts away from their foundations if they want to avoid seepage in the basement. Underground downspouts divert this water away from your home which protects your foundation and keeps your basement dry. Gutters catch rainwater as it descends from your roof and direct its flow to your downspout to drain. Bad downspout draining not only do your gutters need sloped at a precise angle but the downspouts need specific direction as well.

Others have vertical pipes that either connect to a drain or run directly into the ground itself. A rain gutter drain pipe is usually installed to carry water away from your house. Some homeowners choose to install above ground extensions from the big box store but many more have learned that underground downspout extensions do a better job of yard drainage. This greater volume of water creates a huge load on the sump pump which will run almost continuously in heavy rains shortening its life and increasing the risk of failure.

Some houses use downspouts that direct the flow of water downhill or down a slanted driveway. If your plumber s auger line is too short to reach to the end of the pipe go as far as you can from the front of the. Usually underground drains are piped anywhere between 5 100 feet depending on the. An underground drain pipe can become clogged in a variety of ways including leaf buildup or damage to the pipe itself.

Some underground gutter drains terminate in the sewer system instead of at the. Many of these pipes are placed underground to avoid the eyesore of pipes laying on the ground next to your house. If downspouts drain too close to the home this can also result in pooling water around the home. Debris flowing down a downspout drain that has been foolishly connected to the building foundation drain system can block that drain leading to basement flooding from either roof runoff or surface and subsurface runoff or both.