What maintenance is required for a buried downspout system? Regularly inspect the system for signs of damage or blockage and remove any debris, such as leaves and dirt, that may accumulate in the downspout and extension. This helps prevent clogs and ensures the system functions effectively during heavy rain.
Proper drainage is crucial when it comes to buried downspouts. Without it, water can accumulate and cause a variety of problems. For instance, water can seep into the foundation of your home, causing significant damage over time. This can weaken the structure of your home, and lead to costly repairs.
Installing a buried downspout drainage system is a great way to manage rainwater runoff and keep it away from your foundation. By minimizing the risk of flooding and soil erosion, buried downspouts offer a reliable, low-maintenance alternative to surface-level options.
Water pooling around your downspouts, underground drains, or foundation is one of the most easily spotted signs of a clog in your underground drain. Something is preventing the water from flowing where it needs to be, forcing it to return the way it came in, leading to pooling water.
Many homeowners do not realize that their downspouts run into an underground downspout system, sometimes called a french drain. These underground downspout drains can get clogged as easily as your gutters can with leaves and debris.
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.
Cost to bury downspouts and install drainage system
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.
To ensure proper coverage and protection, bury your downspout extension at least 12 inches deep. This depth helps protect the pipe from surface activities and ensures efficient water drainage.
There's no question that the number one discharge product in the drainage world is the pop-up emitter. But there's also no denying that the number one problem with pop-up emitters is that the grass grows over them and then you can't discharge your water.
Install a concrete or plastic splash block at the end of the pipe to direct flow away from the foundation wall and prevent erosion. If erosion still occurs, place stones along the flow path at the end of the splashguard to protect the underlying soil. The stones should be fist-sized or smaller.
You can attach a heat tape to your downspouts or a self-regulating heating cable to maintain an above-freezing temperature inside them. You can run a heating cable inside the downspout as well but not to clear the ice blockage because these cables won't wheel when submerged in water.
How many downspout installations should your gutters have? If we have to sum it up in a single rule, gutters need a downspout around every 30 to 40 feet. For most homes, this means installing spouts at either end of a gutter section.
Your gutter downspouts should not touch the ground. Otherwise, the rainwater might get backed up in the gutter until it starts overflowing.
Protects the foundation: Traditional downspouts drain directly next to the home. That water can cause damage to the foundation–especially in areas of expansive soil. Buried downspouts carry the water away from the foundation to a safer area.
If you see water gushing back out from the drainage pipe or spilling from the seams on the adapters, that's a good sign of a clog. Because the water is unable to flow down and out properly, it backs up inside the downspout pipe and starts to leak from the seams and joints.
Occasionally the underground gutter drains become clogged. Allshine service technicians can use a snake to unclog the drain allowing the system to drain properly. The average cost to snake the underground drain is $100 to $200 per drain depending on how long it takes to clear the line.
The only way to completely prevent underground drains from clogging is preventing any debris from going down there in the first place. If you have under ground drains, it is highly recommended that you have some sort of leaf protection on your gutters or strainers in your downspouts.
Cast Iron
Despite the heat resistance and noise-dampening properties of cast iron, it's not as suitable for underground water supply as newer materials. Cast iron is not resistant to corrosion, which can compromise the quality of the water supply and damage the integrity of the piping, leading to leaks and breaks.
You can expect a service life of 100 years in typical drainage applications.
Materials Needed: Solid corrugated drain pipe in 3 in. or 4 in. (at least 15 ft.) Downspout Cleanout.
Basic underground drainage systems route water away via underground pipes, with average installed costs of $20-$50 per linear foot. Upgrades like a dry well/french drain ($1,000-$5,000), a sump pump ($500-$1,500), and downspout extensions ($10-$25 per downspout extension) can enhance performance.