A gutter and downspout system works to move water away from your home but if a downspout is installed in the wrong location it can do more harm than good.
Correcting downspout off gutter.
Here are 10 things to take into account when trying to improve your water drainage and runoff.
Test the pitch of your reinstalled gutter by turning on a garden hose and directing the water into the farthest part of the gutter from the downspout.
If there s standing water it s not pitched properly.
This is what i intend to do in the spring if the ground is still frozen when it is raining outside.
Watch the water to ensure it begins to flows down toward the downspout.
Homeowners may expend large amounts of money and time on attempts to seal basement walls against water seepage.
10 gutter and downspout runoff tips.
As with gutters a downspout s capacity must match or exceed the expected runoff.
One way to fix this is by installing a dry creek bed to carry the water off.
One inch of rainfall on a 1 000 square foot roof equals over 600 gallons draining through gutters and into downspouts.
Get on a ladder after a rainstorm and look in the gutter.
Rain gutters and downspouts provide an efficient first step in controlling roof runoff.
The above recommendations assume that you have properly sized downspouts every 40 feet.
You want at least a quarter inch of slope for every 10 feet.
This is why placement of downspouts is so important.
There are many things you can do to improve the effectiveness of your gutters.
Some drainage problems can result in erosion areas in your yard where excessive downspout water emerges from daylights or pipe openings.
If you need to move a downspout it is generally better to replace the whole stretch of gutter instead of creating a new hole where water can find its way through.
But if the rain or melted snow channeled off the roof isn t carried far enough away from the house it will collect against the foundation wall or footing and seep into your basement or crawl space.
Gutters that are too high can enable runoff water to drip down their back side which in turn can cause deteriorating fascia boards and stains on siding.
The tops of the pvc pipes have threaded fittings so i can close off the pvc if needed.
Twice in the fall and before spring.
Often proper placement of downspouts is a more cost effective.
Finally reinsert the end of the gutter into the downspout.
You might try to slope your gutters correctly but improperly positioned gutter hangers can foil those plans and cause your gutters to sag in the middle.
Gutters need to be pitched toward the downspouts for the water to flow properly.
To correct this yourself you ll need to measure from the peak to the downspout.
Increasing the pitch increases a gutter s handling capacity but the gutter may look askew over a long run.
Inspect clear out your gutters regularly.
These are often ornamental in design and can add an attractive landscape feature to your yard.
After removing the downspout diverters i can easily replace them with a standard elbow and downspout the kind i tripped on to inspire this project.
