topic Re: Downspouts in Garden

Downspouts

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 28 May 2022 19:39:36 GMT

DH and I are having an argument about downspouts and burying below ground vs leaving on top of the grass. I think it looks tacky to have them laying on top of the grass, I think they should be dug in just a bit below the grass. We have plenty of material to keep the water away from the house.

I have TRIED to get two different people out to look at the job and quote the project, not one person has returned my call. I am afraid we will have to do the job ourselves.

We don't want to create an issue worse than we have now (which is the water was backing up to close to the foundation...so we did add some dirt and graded the new dirt away from the foundation, which is a temporary fix...but we need the job to be done correctly.

Our city does not allow us to tap into the drain at the street level, so all water must go into the yard.

any advice? thanks,

Re: Downspouts

On It — Sat, 28 May 2022 19:51:20 GMT

Our downspouts are above ground with about a two foot extension at the bottom to carry the water away from the foundation and out toward the grass.

Re: Downspouts

RedTop — Sat, 28 May 2022 19:53:10 GMT

The kind of job you're talking about needs to be done when a home is built, so the runoff is tied into the outgoing drain line for a city situation, or a gray water/field drain for county, or rural.

In our situation, we added an elbow joint to the downspout, with an extension piece to direct the water farther out into the yard where we wanted it to go.

Re: Downspouts

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 28 May 2022 19:54:50 GMT

@On It So I would assume when the yard is mowed you need to trim around the length of the downspout?...I can see my husband hitting them when he mows...and in time needing to replace the plastic pieces.

Re: Downspouts

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 28 May 2022 19:56:39 GMT

@RedTop We cannot tie into anything...city law. All we can do is leave the product lay on top of the grass or bury in the ground.

Re: Downspouts

RedTop — Sat, 28 May 2022 20:03:43 GMT

@Mom2Dogs

Exactly, you are any existing structure and cannot tie into a city line. I assume you would have to get a city permit to dig down for installation of a pipe or line as well.

If you go with the setup like ours, you can simply remove the extension gutter piece from the elbow joint when you mow grass, then put it back on when you're done. Takes mere seconds.

Re: Downspouts

Desertdi — Sat, 28 May 2022 20:14:11 GMT

You can purchase "roll up" downspout extensions at the hardware store. They only extend when water is running thru the downspouts.

Re: Downspouts

On It — Sat, 28 May 2022 20:30:56 GMT

@Mom2Dogs Ours end just past the flowerbed. The grass is not beneath the downspout. There is a concrete-like piece that funnels the water to the grass.

Re: Downspouts

Caffeina — Sat, 28 May 2022 20:45:07 GMT

We would never bury ours. They do clog occasionally, and it would be very inconvenient if we had to dig just to unclog. Our gutters and downspouts need year round maintenance.

Re: Downspouts

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 28 May 2022 21:03:40 GMT

@Caffeina That is what my husband says, and while I agree, that's not what I want to do, but he is gonna win this one.

I might be able to convince him to add another piece that curves, that way the downspouts won't extend quite so far out (straight) into the side yard.

Re: Downspouts

Zhills — Sat, 28 May 2022 22:48:08 GMT

Could you use an elbow to run the pipe beside the house into the back yard? Mine does.

Re: Downspouts

Mom2Dogs — Sat, 28 May 2022 22:57:53 GMT

@Zhills Hmmm....That's a thought!

Re: Downspouts

AuntG — Sun, 29 May 2022 02:19:40 GMT

Ours are buried but it was all done as part of the original landscaping. They drain out in the far side of our property.

Love it that way - no dinging the downspouts with the mower!

Re: Downspouts

LindaSal — Sun, 29 May 2022 12:30:29 GMT

Whatever you decide you are doing the right thing by diverting the water away from the house. It may not be perfect but if it's doing the job that's what matters.