Downspouts that drain too close to a house may cause the water to back up and fill crawlspaces and basements, or damage the external structure. Extending home downspouts under the ground enables the water to travel a sufficient distance from the house to reduce the risk of back up. With the pipe buried, the water discharges below the ground surface level and makes dispersal easier. Materials for extending the downspout are available at most home improvement or hardware stores. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Tie a length of string around the downspout and run it out approximately 8 feet away from the house and tie it to a wooden stake hammered into the ground. Place a line of spray paint under the string line on the ground. Remove the line and the string and set them aside.
2. Remove the sod in pieces and retain it for later use. Dig a trench with a shovel following the line of the spray paint. Make the trench 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide along the entire length.
3. Tie the string around the downspout again and place the stake at the far end of the trench. Tie the string to the top of the stake so it is a taught line. Measure the total length of the stretched string and lower the string on the stake 1 inch for every foot of string.
4. Dig the trench deeper beneath the string so there is 2 feet of clearance between the string and the bottom of the trench. This allows the pipe to slope downward as it moves away from the house and create the proper grade.
5. Unroll and spread landscaping fabric along the bottom of the trench. Use a utility knife to cut it to fit the trench width. Shovel crushed stone into the trench so there is a 2-inch layer covering the fabric. Level the stone with a metal rake and remove the stake and string from the trench.
6. Place a length of perforated pipe at the bottom of the trench on the stone base. Lay one end of the pipe just below the bottom of the downspout and the other at the opposite end of the trench. Insert a curved adapter into the end of the pipe under the downspout, and a mesh grate at the opposite end to keep things from entering the pipe from the yard.
7. Measure the length of additional downspout needed to reach the perforated pipe and cut a piece with a hacksaw. Add the new piece to the existing house downspout using an adapter and use a screwdriver to tighten the set screws that hold the two pieces together.
8. Fit the extended downspout onto the open end of the pipe adaptor and tighten the set screws to link all the pieces together securely. Check all connections to ensure they are tight.
9. Add additional crushed stone over the pipe and extending 2 inches above the pipe throughout the trench. Rake the stone smooth again and lay another layer of the fabric across the surface. Fill the trench with soil to its prior level and replace the sod.
Tags: bottom trench, from house, around downspout, away from, away from house, crushed stone