Opting for underground downspouts can enhance both the efficacy of your waterproofing and the aesthetics of your yard. These downspouts, easy to conceal, protect your home without becoming a visual distraction.
Choosing the wrong downspout pipe, like a perforated pipe, defeats the purpose and allows water to leach through the line near the home's foundation. Instead, homeowners should use a solid corrugated pipe when burying downspouts. Solid pipe is the best option because it's flexible and can be run in one piece.
Buried downspouts should run at least 20 feet away from the house so the water does not discharge anywhere close to the foundation.
After you've planned the location of your drain pipes, dig a trench along the entire route. This trench should be approximately 12-14 inches deep. However, deeper is generally better. Burying the pipes 18 inches deep will ensure they're below the frost line.
Most underground drains empty out onto the street, sidewalk, or drive way. Sometimes they empty out into storm drains in the middle of yards, and they could even connect directly to the sewer system underground.
You might also consider installing a pop-up emitter on the end of your downspout extension. Pop-up emitters are best for: Disguising the end of your downspout extensions. Maintaining even water flow into flat yards.
If the area is completely flat, the minimum depth is usually 3-4 inches from the top of the pipe. For example, if you were burying a 4-inch pipe, and left another 4 inches of soil on top of it, your trench would be 8 inches deep. This will ensure the pipe has the minimum cover required to function properly.
Many homes have their downspout drain underground so pipes aren't visibly cutting across their yards, often 10 to 100 feet long. Many things can clog and damage this underground piping, such as vehicles or heavy equipment driving through your yard and crushing the pipes.
You may have downspouts that connect to drain pipes leading underground and draining elsewhere. These are also sometimes referred to as drain tiles, french drains, or downspout extensions.
In addition to potential damage to the roof surface, water discharged from an improperly terminated downspout at the roof surface can damage exterior walls and siding as well.
We want our drain pipe to have a 1% slope so water will always drain properly. That means the trench and drainpipe must slope away from the house with at least 1-inch (2.5 cm) of fall for every 8-feet (2.4 m) of run.
Installing an underground downspout drainage system costs $150 to $350 per downspout on average. This system includes a downspout extension up to 10' long, trenching, a catch basin, drainpipe, and a bubbler system.
Downspout Elbows are attached at the bottom of the downspout. They are set at an angle so the water is directed away from the home. Elbows can also be used throughout the downspout to make it around corners, bump outs, and any other obstacles in the way of the downspout.
Downspout straps will be used to secure the downspout to the wall. If you are connecting to metal siding then use metal-to-metal lap screws, attach the straps to the high seam of the wall panels. Otherwise use the appropriate screw for your wall condition. NOTE: Straps should be placed approximately every three feet.
All PVC pipes should be buried at least 12 inches below the frost line so they won't rupture in freezing temperatures.
The water redirected from downspout tails can make parts of your lawn very wet and muddy. In addition, they just don't look very aesthetically pleasing. Burying your downspouts gives you the power to choose which part of your property receives the rainwater and increases the curb appeal of your home overall.
And, no, a downspout should not allow water to pour straight into the ground at the base of a wall. The role of the downspout is to channel water either into a public drainage system or, at least, away from the immediate environs of your property.
Downpipes are normally found on the corner of your building or property, and it usually stretches from the roof down to ground level. Rainwater that goes into this drainage channel can be discharged to a few places, including: A soakaway. A surface water sewer.
Dig a trench from the place in your yard that needs drainage to your chosen outlet. Check for underground utility lines and pipes before digging. The trench should be about 18 inches deep and 9 to 12 inches wide.