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Your gutter downspouts underground drainage is an essential part of your home, as they help prevent water from damaging the rest of the property. However, if they’re not properly maintained, they can lead to disastrous consequences.

If you have problems with water accumulating in your gutters or see water overflowing from them regularly, it could be a sign that your gutter downspout drainage needs some work. If this is the case in your home, don’t panic – there are plenty of ways to improve your gutter downspout drainage so that everything runs smoothly once again.

8 Gutter and Downspout Runoff Drainage Tips

Keeping your gutters clean and properly maintained is an important task, especially in areas with a lot of rain. If you don’t take the time to keep your gutters up to par, it won’t be long before they start to leak and cause water damage inside your home.

Even the slightest amount of excess moisture can cause a gutter to back up. Poorly designed or installed gutters can also lead to clogs, leaks, and other problems. If you don’t take the time to look after them properly, they can also become covered in leaves and other debris, making them more prone to rotting away.

If your downspouts aren’t draining as effectively as they should be, follow these tips on how you can improve their drainage.

#1. Inspect & Clear Out Your Gutters Regularly. 

At a minimum, you need to clean out and inspect gutters at least twice a year. Still, you should perform this task more regularly if you suspect damage or adjacent trees shed sufficient amounts of leaves that might block up the gutter or downspout.

When working on ladders, always wear protective gear, such as fall protection. If possible, work with a partner so that one person can be on the ground to assist with lifting heavy materials to you. Never try to lift something too heavy for you. That can cause back strain or other injuries. When cleaning out your gutters, wear work gloves to protect your hands from cuts and scrapes. Keep a bucket of water close by to wash your hands to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses.

#2. Install Gutter Guards

Gutter guards are all about protecting your gutter system around the clock. They prohibit any debris from getting into your gutters and prevent most clogs from occurring. The best approach to prevent your gutters from overflowing is to install gutter guards, although they can be costly and require regular maintenance. If you are thinking about purchasing gutter guards, select a system that requires less care so that you will not have to clean them as frequently.

#3. Landscape Plants

Downspout water can cause soil erosion and lead to the accumulation of debris. It can also be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. To prevent these issues, you can install landscape plants around your downspouts. These plants help to slow the water and keep the soil in place.

By planting landscape plants near your downspouts, you can reduce the amount of water that flows into your yard. You can also keep any pesticides or chemicals from harming your family and pets. Planting near downspouts isn’t the only benefit; these plants can also decrease the amount of water that flows into the storm drain system. 

#4. Extend Your Downspouts

There are many methods available for extending the length of your downspouts, but we recommend constructing your retractable downspout with the help of the Zip Hinge. Installing it shouldn’t be too difficult. After cutting your gutter extender at an angle of 45 degrees, all that’s left to do is attach it to your downspout using the Zip Hinge and eight screws.

#5. Route the Water into a Storm Drain or Dry Well

Talk to your plumber about installing a sump pump. It moves water away from your house and into a storm drain in the neighborhood.

During intense rainfall or flooding, sump pumps are an absolute necessity. They will prevent water from leaking into your basement, protecting you and your family from the dangers of floods. It also helps prevent rodents from entering your home and posing a threat to your children. They are simple to set up, most of them run on batteries, and some even come with their monitoring systems.

A dry well is a large hole that the plumber digs, then fills with gravel. It then stays dry until the lines divert rainfall from downspouts into the well and fill the well during storms.

#6. Improve Your Grading & Slope. 

Positive drainage is sloping the landscape in such a way that the runoff from your property drains away from the foundation of your house. Even in locations where it is impossible to construct an appropriate slope to have excellent drainage, you can get good landscape drainage through grassed drainage pathways, which can collect runoff efficiently.

Ensure the structures, shrubs, and trees you have on your land do not hinder the drainage pathways for the best possible results by ensuring that they are not obstructing the drainage channels. Since porch slabs, driveways, walkways, and patio slabs all play an essential part in establishing adequate landscape drainage, the contractor needs to build them with a slope that directs rainfall away from your house. That includes the slabs.

#7. Check for Low Spots Around Your Home

If you notice water pooling in certain areas of your property, it could signify that you have low spots in your yard. Low spots are a problem because they can collect water instead of letting it flow away from your home.

Add soil, sand, or gravel to make a slope. You may need to add soil in certain areas to raise them above the level of the rest of your yard.

Level the ground where you have a shed or other low structures. Low spots in your yard will cause water to pool and may cause flooding. Fixing low spots helps with stormwater management and improves drainage in your yard.

#8. Consider Installing “French drains,”

French drains are PVC or metal pipes buried below ground level and extend out from your foundation to the edge of your property. They are used to redirect water away from the foundation when it rains. That is a great way to protect your foundation from water damage.

Give us a call today: 613 791 5777  for a free upfront estimate!

How to Clean Gutters

To keep your home working well, chores are essential. Some chores are not very easy and are often neglected by most people. However, the benefits of these chores are tremendous. A clean gutter ensures water doesn’t get into your home especially when it rains.

If your intentions are to clean those gutters, you can do so in a number of different ways. If you want to do so, you will need to examine the gutters to see if there are obstructions within it and the possible culprits if your assessment comes out negative.

The level of difficulty faced when cleaning your gutter varies with the clog source. A gutter clogged with sediments and debris, cleaning would require a more aggressive approach whereas one blocked by fallen leaves, paper, and similar objects wouldn’t require such an approach. These are some popular and efficient means of cleaning your gutter.

#1. Gutter Cleaning Using A Leaf Blower

Instruments like a leaf blower are ideal for gutter cleaning since they possess a tube-like projection capable of ejecting air forcefully. Use the leaf blower to clear out obstructions within the gutter. Since these gutters are not within your reach, you might want to use a ladder to assist you in your task. However, if you are scared of heights, you can use a device which can make the leaf blower reach the gutter. Also, take caution while blowing air into the gutter to prevent leaves entering the trough which takes rainwater downwards from the roof.

#2. Clean Your Gutters Using A Vacuum

A vacuum can be used to clear out sediments, compost, and similar substances which can be done with a leaf blower. You might need hoses and other instruments to help you carry out the task without straining your body. Any plumbing related store should have those available. Some of the rubbish in the gutter might be difficult to remove just pour water into the gutter and try again. When the task nears its end, flood the gutter and the trough from the roof with more water. This can be achieved with a hose.

#3. Using Your Hands To Clean Your Gutters

Now we get down to the last approach which involves using your hands without any fancy tool like the vacuum or leaf blower. Before you commence the task, you will need some standard tools: a ladder, trowel, work gloves, bucket, and hose. With your hands and trowel, gradually gather all the leaves and dirt into the bucket. Then using a hose, flood the gutters and the trough with water. If the gutter is still clogged, the water won’t flow.

If the trough from the roof is blocked, it is recommended you use a power washer. However, if a power washer isn’t available, then you can use a plumbing rod or snake. Afterward, wash off the remaining debris with water.

A great way to reduce the work done on your gutters is by covering your gutters with a screen or barrier. Preventing a plumbing malfunction is a more cost-effective approach compared to constantly hiring a plumber.

If you do notice that you are not capable of handling your own issues, call the professionals at Dr. Pipe Drain and Plumbing to come up with a solution for you.

Why Dr. Pipe Drain and Plumbing Services?

Many companies offer licensed plumbers, but Dr. Pipe Drain and Plumbing Services also offers respect for your home and your time as our standard.  This means from the time you call us, we are committed to making your entire experience as customer friendly as possible.  We coordinate times that work with your schedule and call when we’re on our way.  Our plumbers keep our areas neat and covered while working.  In our projects, we use the most appropriate solutions to work quickly and efficiently.

Our strengths do not only lie in plumbing.  We can also help to navigate the insurance companies and city red tape.  You will receive all the necessary permits for our jobs.  We will guide you through the City of Ottawa rebates for which you qualify.

Our customers love us, and our work is the best quality.  Stop by our testimonials page, then give us a call to set up your free, no-obligation inspection.

Give us a call today: 613 791 5777 for a free upfront estimate!

Dr.Pipe