A downspout is one of the homes most crucial components, and at the same time the most overlooked. By walking around the house and quickly looking at the downspouts I can typically tell you the condition of the crawlspace, possible maintenance issues, and most often if the previous homeowner had a weed eater. Downspouts are a very commonplace item, easily overlooked, and I blame no-one for walking right past them. However, if you find yourself some free time this weekend, I urge you to give them some love, because they can cripple your house!
Consider this, a 1,000 square foot roof sheds over 600 gallons of water during a 1 inch rain. That means that your downspouts collectively shed this water too. To put it in perspective a standard bathtub holds about 30 gallons of water. When your downspouts are shooting end near the house, and are not diverted away from the house, it is like dumping 20 bathtubs full of water in your crawlspace. This can cause major issues, like mold, wood rot, washout on the exterior, and foundation issues. With that being said fixing the issue is easy and a great way to prevent all of those major issues.
What’s the Fix?
A simple splash block, or a downspout extension is typically all you need in order to get the water away from the house. With that said there are times where you may need to contact a professional to install another type of drainage system but that is rare. Look below for a couple of examples on what you should purchase. When you go to install these keep a couple of things in mind.
A simple splash block, or downspout extension is typically all you need in order to get the water away from the house. With that said there are times where you may need to contact a professional to install another type of drainage system but that is rare. Look below for a couple of examples on what you should purchase. When you go to install these keep a couple of things in mind.
Where is the slope of the yard going below the downspout?
Look at the land and make sure it is sloped away from the house. If it’s not you may need an extension vs a splash block to get the water to a point that does. If you can’t get it with the downspout extension then it may be worth contacting a professional.
Will there be landscaping in this area?
Sometimes a splash block installed in a landscaping area is susceptible to becoming filled with mulch, dirt, and other debris that can keep it from flowing in the intended direction. In this case it may be better to install a downspout extension so all the water can flow freely and the landscaping can go above the tube.
Recommendations
Splash Block 
Downspout Extension 
“Rain Chute”
Hey, where can I get a rain chute?
Comments are closed.