As mentioned above, the water should be diverted at least 4 to 6 feet away from the house. If a home has basement walls, it should be at least 6 feet away. The furthest away from the foundation the better. Putting gravel or rocks at the end of the downspout to avoid erosion is a great idea.
Buried downspouts should run at least 20 feet away from the house so the water does not discharge anywhere close to the foundation.
How Far Should Water Drain From the House? Water coming from the gutters should be directed at least 4-6 feet away from your house. And if your home has a basement, the distance should at least be 6 feet. Simply put, the farther water drains from your house, the better.
Downspouts should be buried at least a foot deep underground. If you live in a cold climate, keep in mind that the frost line falls between 36 and 48 inches underground. In that case, you should dig down to below that depth to previent the need to thaw your gutters and downspouts during a cold snap.
Allow 1 square inch of downspout cross-section for every 100 square feet of roof area. Place downspouts at least 20 feet apart but no more than 50 feet apart.
Gutter downspout sizes must not be larger than the bottom width of the gutter. The gutter and downspout outlet capacity should match. Offsets longer than 10 ft can interfere with the drainage capacity. Downspouts should not be spaced more than 30' apart.
General Guidelines for Downspout Placement
Install at least 1 downspout for every 40 linear feet of gutter. This distance is adequate for most homes as it can allow water to drain into a downspout even during heavy downpours without overflowing.
Tails Are Light and Can Be Dangerous
Moreover, since downspout tails tend to be longer than 12 inches, they can pose a tripping hazard to children. Burying downspouts eliminates this hazard and ensures water is redirected away from your home at all times.
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.
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.
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.
Gutter downspouts should extend a minimum of four feet away from the house; however, they may need to extend much further depending on your soil, the slope of your house and local buildings codes. Here's what you need to know to determine if your gutter extenders are far enough away from your home.
Not only does it keep water away from your foundation, but it also helps prevent flooding and soil erosion. In addition, buried downspouts are less likely to clog than surface-level ones, making them a low-maintenance option for managing rainwater.
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.
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.
You'll likely want your downspouts to run down the side or back of your house. Downspouts come in a variety of colors so they can match your siding and won't be so noticeable if they end up closer to the front of the house. 5. Downspouts should extend 4-6 feet away from your home.
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.
Downspouts and gutters are sized in relation to rainfall on this basis. Plumbing codes typically use the vertically projected roof area for drainage design and they often use a square foot allowance per square inch of downspout for 1 in./hr. (25 mm/hr) rainfall that varies with diameter, for example, 3 in.
To ensure that gutters drain properly, make certain they slope (½ inch for every 10 feet) toward a downspout. For gutter runs longer than 40 feet, it's best to pitch the gutter down from the middle to a downspout at each end.
Use a minimum width of 4 in., except for canopies and small porches. The minimum ratio of depth to width should be 3 to 4 inches. Many custom shapes for gutters and downspouts are available; consult manufacturers' design manuals.